Choosing a TOFA supplier from Europe: specification, documentation and logistics

A European formulator selects a TOFA supplier on three criteria: specification (acid value, rosin acid, unsaponifiables, colour), per-lot documentation (CoA and a current SDS) and logistics (bulk shipment in ISO tank containers). KORKİMYA supplies TOFA 180 and TOFA 185 against ASTM-defined specifications with a certificate of analysis for every lot.

Where does TOFA come from? The supply chain from CTO

Tall oil fatty acid is not a standalone synthesis product: it is obtained by fractional distillation of crude tall oil (CTO), a by-product of kraft pulp production. The distillation column separates CTO into a fatty acid fraction (TOFA), a rosin acid fraction and a bottoms product, pitch. So the first question to ask a TOFA supplier is not the price but which distillation source and which cut specification the material comes from.

This structure has two practical consequences. First, TOFA availability is a by-product stream tied to pulp production; the more stable your supplier's access to that stream, the more repeatable your specification. Second, the difference between grades is not a marketing label but the measurable result of distillation sharpness: the rosin acid and unsaponifiables limits show it directly.

Which parameters should you demand on the spec sheet?

What makes TOFA offers comparable is not the headings the seller chooses but the parameter set you request. Whether you sit on the alkyd resin, soap, flotation or metalworking side, these five lines belong on every quotation:

• Acid value (ASTM D1980): the measure of free fatty acid content. In the KORKİMYA portfolio, min 180 for TOFA 180 and min 185 for TOFA 185.
• Iodine value (ASTM D5768): the level of unsaturation; min 150 in both grades.
• Rosin acid content (ASTM D1240): max 3% in TOFA 180, max 2% in TOFA 185.
• Unsaponifiables (ASTM D1065): max 6% in TOFA 180, max 4% in TOFA 185.
• Appearance and colour: TOFA 180 is an amber to dark amber liquid, TOFA 185 a light yellow to amber liquid.

Writing the test method next to the parameter is what makes offers genuinely comparable. The same figure means something different when measured by a different method, and a specification line without an ASTM reference turns into a dispute at lab validation.

Which documents should you request?

The risk on the formulation side sits in the specification; the risk on the audit side sits in the documentation. The minimum document set to request from a TOFA supplier is:

• Certificate of analysis (CoA) per lot: the actual measured values of the delivered batch alongside the contracted specification range.
• Current Safety Data Sheet (SDS): hazard classification, transport and storage conditions.
• Chemical identity confirmation: CAS 61790-12-3 and the description of the product as a mixed blend of predominantly C18 fatty acids.
• Lot traceability: the lot number on the incoming CoA matching the shipping documents.
• Storage and shelf life statement: in the KORKİMYA portfolio, 12 months for both TOFA 180 and TOFA 185, extendable to 24 months with quality control testing.

On the KORKİMYA side this set is standard: TOFA 180 and TOFA 185 are KKDIK-registered, a Turkish Safety Data Sheet is provided, and a certificate of analysis is issued for every lot. Requesting the documents at the sample stage, before the purchase decision, is the cheapest form of validation available.

Logistics: ISO tank containers and storage conditions

TOFA ships as a bulk liquid. In the KORKİMYA portfolio the packaging mode for TOFA 180 is ISO tank containers at 20-24 MT net and for TOFA 185 ISO tank containers at 20-22 MT net; both products ship as bulk liquid in carbon steel or stainless steel tanks. If you need a different packaging mode, state it in the quote request and it is assessed per product.

• Storage temperature: 20-40 °C in closed tanks for TOFA 180; 20-40 °C in closed containers for TOFA 185.
• Avoid direct sunlight; keep TOFA 180 away from low-humidity environments and TOFA 185 away from moisture.
• Preferred tank material: carbon steel or stainless steel.
• Shelf life: 12 months, extendable to 24 months with quality control testing.

Ex-stock delivery or import lead time?

The most frequently overlooked item when evaluating a TOFA supplier is where the material physically sits. A quote backed by a container at sea and a quote backed by a warehouse look similar on paper, but the difference becomes the only thing that matters the day your line stops. When requesting a quote, ask explicitly whether the material is physically in stock, which location it ships from, and whether the CoA of the current lot can be shared. A lot sitting in stock has a CoA that can be sent today; a lot not yet produced does not.

The KORKİMYA model is built on holding the import risk on the supplier side rather than the buyer's: local stock, per-lot CoA, KKDIK registration and a Turkish SDS for an audit-ready supply. Starting with a sample and moving to an order after lab validation lowers the qualification risk on both the technical and the purchasing side.