What Type of Bulk Road Salt is Used on Roads?

Every winter, as the snow starts to fall and the temperatures drop, cities and states across the country prepare for the inevitable ice and snow buildup on the roads. Road crews, commercial teams, and more rely on one important product: bulk road salt to keep streets safe and drivable. This unsung hero plays a crucial role in preventing accidents and ensuring vehicles can navigate slick, icy roads.

Kilgore Landscape Center offers Type C Road Salt, a product that helps maintain safe conditions on roadways, highways, parking lots, and other large asphalt surfaces during the winter months. With harsh Utah winters in mind, this salt is treated with advanced agents to ensure better performance in cold and icy conditions, making it a reliable solution for cities, counties, professionals, and landscapers alike.

What Makes Type C Road Salt Effective?

Type C Road Salt is not just ordinary salt. It's specifically treated with Magnesium Chloride and an anti-caking agent known as Yellow Prussiate of Soda (YPS). These enhancements serve a dual purpose:

• Magnesium Chloride lowers the freezing point of water, allowing the salt to melt ice even in temperatures as low as 0°F. This means that even in extreme cold, the salt is still able to break down ice, helping to prevent accidents and improve road safety.
• Yellow Prussiate of Soda (YPS), the anti-caking agent, keeps the salt from clumping together during storage or while in spreading machines. This prevents downtime due to machine blockages, allowing for smoother application over large areas.

These elements combine to create a product that's both effective and easy to apply, making it a go-to choice for winter maintenance teams.

Who Uses Type C Bulk Road Salt?

This salt is commonly used by Departments of Transportation (DOTs), local governments, counties, and snow removal contractors. Its ability to perform in cold climates, especially in areas like Salt Lake City and the surrounding Wasatch Front, makes it a valuable tool for keeping both residential and commercial areas clear of ice. Landscapers who manage commercial properties also appreciate the convenience of Type C Road Salt in bulk, as it works seamlessly in larger salt spreaders.

The salt’s ability to break down ice on asphalt surfaces makes it suitable for use in:

• Parking lots
• Sidewalks
• Roadways
• Highways

Practical Application and Use

Kilgore Salt Lake Landscape Center offers Bulk Type C Road Salt designed for use in large salt spreaders, which makes it ideal for professional application over extensive areas. It's sold in bulk, with a minimum order of two tons required for delivery, ensuring that there is enough material to cover larger projects or multiple sites. This product is also available for pickup at Kilgore’s West Jordan location, allowing clients to transport it directly to their job sites.

The cost is $45 per ton, with a $50 minimum charge per load, making it a cost-effective solution for larger commercial and municipal applications.

Benefits of Using Type C Bulk Road Salt

1. Melting Power: Works effectively down to 0°F, ensuring road safety even in freezing conditions.
2. Anti-Caking Agent: Prevents clogging in machines, enabling smooth and uninterrupted application.
3. Large Volume Efficiency: Available in bulk, it's ideal for large-scale projects, offering a cost-effective solution.
4. Widely Used: Adopted by government agencies and commercial contractors for its reliable performance.
5. Delivery or Pickup Options: Convenient pickup at the West Jordan location, with delivery available upon request for orders of two tons or more.

Winter weather presents constant challenges for transportation and safety, but Kilgore Landscape Center’s Type C Road Salt provides a dependable way to combat snow and ice. Whether it’s being spread over busy highways or used in parking lots, this salt is designed to ensure safety and efficiency throughout the colder months.

Salt Use in Utah

Given Utah’s cold winters and mountainous terrain, road salt (especially buying it in bulk) is essential to keeping roads passable throughout the season. Municipalities across the state rely heavily on a combination of rock salt, treated salt, and brine to ensure road safety. Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas, in particular, use road salt in bulk quanitities extensively to keep highways, streets, and residential roads clear during the winter months.

In addition to bulk road salt, washed rock is another material commonly used in Utah for both road and landscape projects even in winter. Washed rock is a product that can be used for a variety of purposes, including improving road drainage, stabilizing surfaces, and providing a stable layer underneath snow. It’s often used in conjunction with bulk road salt during the winter months, especially in areas where better drainage and traction are necessary.

Proper Salt Application

Road crews, homeowners, and professionals must ensure the salt is spread evenly and at the right time to make the most impact. If applied too early, it might be washed away by rain or other precipitation before it has a chance to work. If applied too late, the snow and ice may have already accumulated, making it more difficult to remove.

Timing and temperature are critical factors in the application of road salt. It works best when the temperature is just below freezing, around 15 to 20°F (-9 to -6°C). When temperatures drop below 15°F (-9°C), untreated rock salt becomes less effective, which is why treated salts or brines are sometimes necessary for colder climates like those found in Utah during the winter months.

Keeping Roads Safe and Driveable

Using bulk road salt has proven to be one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods for keeping roads safe during the winter. The key to success lies in choosing the right type of salt for the local climate, applying it at the proper time, and balancing the need for road safety with environmental concerns. By carefully managing salt usage, municipalities can ensure their roads remain safe and drivable throughout the season.

Whether it’s rock salt, solar salt, or treated options, each type of road salt has its unique advantages, making it an indispensable tool for winter maintenance. When combined with other materials like washed rock, road crews can enhance safety, drainage, and stability, creating a more durable and reliable road system.

Visit Kilgore’s Salt Lake Landscape Center for All Your Road Salt and Landscaping Needs