MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com is an independent reference on metalworking fluids and the additives they are formulated from, written for the people who formulate, specify, maintain, buy and regulate them. The site sells no fluid and no additive, and every page is written by the same editorial team under the site's own name.
The subject is metalworking fluids: cutting, grinding and forming fluids and the rust preventives used on machined parts. Numbers on every page carry a source, a date and a basis, for example 5 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) for mineral oil mist under 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1, or a concentration in % by volume of concentrate in the diluted fluid.
Standards, regulations and exposure limits are checked against their issuing bodies, product values against the named data sheet, and every figure carries its source and date; see our methodology and fact-checking.
What Does MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com Cover?#
MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com covers metalworking fluids as one subject: cutting, grinding and forming fluids, the temporary rust preventives used on machined parts, the additive classes and substances they are formulated from, and the way each is chosen, kept in specification, used safely, tested and regulated.
The reference is organized into the sections below, each with its own index page.
| Section | What it covers | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Fluids | fluid types, composition, uses and how to choose | cutting fluids |
| Additives | every additive class, what it does and how much is used | metalworking fluid additives |
| Substances | additive substances A to Z: identity, function and regulatory status | metalworking fluid additive substances |
| Operations | tapping, drilling, grinding, sawing and other machining operations | cutting fluids by machining operation |
| Delivery | flood, high-pressure, MQL, dry and cryogenic machining | coolant delivery methods |
| Materials | aluminum, steel, stainless, cast iron, titanium and other workpiece materials | cutting fluids by workpiece material |
| Forming | stamping, drawing, wire drawing, rolling and vanishing oils | metal forming lubricants |
| Rust preventives | oils and compounds for machined parts: types, film thickness, protection time | rust preventive oils |
| Fluid management | keeping fluids in specification and extending sump life | coolant management |
| Health and safety | skin, lungs, mist and exposure control | metalworking fluid health hazards |
| Regulation | OSHA, EU REACH and CLP, biocide approval, restricted additives | metalworking fluid regulations |
| Standards | ISO, ASTM and DIN documents explained | metalworking fluid standards |
| Tests | lubricity, corrosion, foam, stability and microbes | metalworking fluid test methods |
| Comparisons | side-by-side fluid, additive and method comparisons | metalworking fluids compared |
| Suppliers | how to source and compare fluids | metalworking fluid suppliers |
| Services | fluid audits, recycling, sump cleaning and chemical management | coolant management services |
| Tools | calculators and request tools | calculators and request tools |
| News | regulation, exposure limits, additives and market | metalworking fluids news |
The reference does not cover automotive coolant and antifreeze, engine, hydraulic and general lubricants, greases, quenchants, parts washers or VCI packaging, and it never reviews equipment models.
Who Is the Reference Written For?#
The reference is written for five reader groups: fluid formulators, fluid and tool-crib managers, machine-shop and plant engineers, EHS and occupational-health staff, and buyers.:
- Fluid formulators choosing additive chemistry
- Fluid and tool-crib managers keeping sumps in specification
- Machine-shop and plant engineers choosing fluids by operation and material
- EHS and occupational-health staff controlling exposure
- Buyers specifying and comparing fluids
Which Sources Does the Reference Use?#
Every fact on MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com is compiled from named primary sources: NIOSH and the CDC, OSHA, the eCFR and EPA in the United States, HSE in the United Kingdom, ECHA and EUR-Lex in the European Union, IARC, the standards bodies ISO, ASTM and DIN, STLE, and peer-reviewed tribology and occupational-health journals. Regulations are read from the issuing body's own text. The full procedure is set out in how we source, check and update every fact.
A supplier data sheet is used only for one product's value and is named as that product's source in the same sentence. A value that cannot be confirmed in a primary source is left out until it can be.
The table lists the primary sources behind the reference and what each supplies.
| Source | What it supplies | Example of use |
|---|---|---|
| NIOSH and the CDC | criteria documents, recommended exposure limits, sampling methods, health hazard evaluations | exposure-limit and health pages |
| OSHA | enforceable US limits and the Metalworking Fluids Best Practices Manual (guidance) | the Table Z-1 limits for mineral oil mist and particulates |
| eCFR | current text of US federal regulations | 29 CFR 1910.1000 |
| EPA | US chemical rules under TSCA | regulation pages |
| HSE | UK guidance on metalworking fluids and COSHH | the statement that HSE sets no WEL for metalworking fluids |
| ECHA | CLP harmonized classifications, REACH registrations, the Candidate List, biocide approvals | hazard lines on substance pages |
| EUR-Lex | the legal text and dates of EU regulations and their amendments | regulatory dates |
| IARC | carcinogen classifications | health pages |
| ISO, ASTM and DIN | classification standards and test methods, with edition and status | standard and test pages |
| STLE | technical education and practice material on metalworking fluids | practice context |
| Peer-reviewed tribology and occupational-health journals | measured performance and exposure studies | named in the sentence with author, institution and year |
How Each Fact and Limit Is Checked#
Each fact is checked against the primary document itself, the regulation, the standard's own catalogue page or the agency guidance, and it is published with instrument, section or article, and date. Five checks apply before a fact is published:
- Read the primary document itself: the regulation, the standard's catalogue page or the agency's own guidance
- Record the instrument, the article or section, and the date or edition
- State exposure limits with the body, the year, the aerosol fraction and the averaging time
- Give every concentration and treat rate its basis
- Leave out any value that a primary source does not confirm, until one does
OSHA has no standard specific to metalworking fluids; the limits that apply in the United States are the general air-contaminant limits of 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1: 5 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) for mineral oil mist, and 15 mg/m³ total dust and 5 mg/m³ respirable fraction (8-hour TWA) for particulates not otherwise regulated. The reference therefore never calls either value an "OSHA metalworking fluid limit". The values of each agency, side by side, are on metalworking fluid exposure limits.
HSE sets no workplace exposure limit for metalworking fluids as such ("About metalworking fluids", updated 2024-12-04), so no UK figure appears where none exists.
Units, Concentration Bases and Dates on Every Number#
Numbers are given metric first with US units in parentheses, and every concentration carries its basis: % by volume of concentrate in the diluted fluid for in-use concentration, and % of the concentrate for an additive treat rate. Spelling is US, and exposure limits are in mg/m³.
A refractometer reading becomes a concentration only after it is multiplied by the factor on the product's data sheet (UKLA/HSE good practice guide v2.5, February 2025), so no universal factor is printed on any page.
How Is the Reference Kept Independent?#
MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com sells no fluid and no additive, carries no sponsored content and publishes no paid rankings, and no company pays to appear on any page.
No company is recommended. Makers appear only as the named source of one product's value or, on substance pages and the supplier guide, in one neutral alphabetical table. Two request tools pass a reader's request on to independent providers and suppliers.
- Find a coolant management or recycling provider: "We pass your request to independent providers who manage, test and recycle metalworking fluids."
- Request quotes for metalworking fluids and additives: "Send one specification to independent suppliers."
Requests go to independent providers and suppliers. No company pays for placement; see our editorial policy.
No provider or supplier receives requests yet. Requests are kept and passed on once a receiver exists. The rules behind this are in the independence and editorial policy.
Who Writes the Reference?#
Every page is written and maintained by the MetalworkingFluidAdditives.com Editorial Team, and the byline names the team rather than an individual author. The site publishes under its own name, and no outside expert, reviewer or company is presented as author or reviewer. Each value carries its source in the sentence, so readers check the source rather than a person's title.
How Are Dates and Corrections Handled?#
Every page shows the date it was first published and the date it was last updated, and every regulatory value carries the date of its instrument, edition or decision. Pages are updated when a source changes, such as a new standard edition, a CLP adaptation, a Candidate List update or a new exposure limit, and the update date moves with the change.
Readers report an error to editorial@metalworkingfluidadditives.com with the source that shows it. A confirmed error is corrected on the page and the update date moves. The full corrections policy sits with the editorial rules.
What Else Readers Ask About the Site#
Three questions about the site itself come up beyond its subject: whether it gives advice, how to reach the team and what happens to reader data.
Does the Site Give Medical, Legal or Compliance Advice?#
No: health pages describe hazards, exposure routes, limits and controls with their sources and refer individual cases to an occupational physician.
Regulatory pages state what an instrument requires, with article and date, never whether a reader's product complies; that question goes to the competent authority.
How Do Readers Reach the Editorial Team?#
The editorial team is reached at editorial@metalworkingfluidadditives.com, for corrections, questions about a source and requests for a missing topic. Quote and service requests go through the request tools, not the editorial mailbox.
How Is Reader Data Handled?#
The site runs no analytics or advertising vendors, and request-form data is kept 24 months. Forms are stored on the site's own hosting. Details are in the privacy policy.