Lard (pure rendered pork fat)
INCI Lard. Saponified with NaOH it is listed as Sodium Lardate, with KOH as Potassium Lardate. CAS 61789-99-9; EC 263-100-5, as CosIng gives them. Also: Pork lard, Adeps suillus, Rendered leaf lard, Bacon fat.
Published values
| Saponification value | 192–203 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 197.5 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1408 g/g |
| Iodine value | 55–65 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 138 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | ≤ 1 % |
Soapmaking books print about 0.139 g NaOH per g (median of 11 books), which agrees with ours to within 2 %.
A bar made of 100 % Lard
Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.
How much lye
| Oil | NaOH | KOH |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 66.9 g(65.0–68.7) | 93.8 g(91.2–96.4) |
| 1 kg | 133.8 g(130.0–137.5) | 187.6 g(182.4–192.9) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 60.7 g(59.0–62.4) | 85.1 g(82.7–87.5) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 121.3 g(118.0–124.7) | 170.2 g(165.5–175.0) |
For this oil alone at 5 % superfat, with pure sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or pure potassium hydroxide (KOH); in brackets, across the published range of its saponification value. KOH is usually sold at 90 %: divide by 0.9. For a whole recipe, open the calculator.
Fatty-acid profile
Saturated : unsaturated 42 : 58
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 1–2.5 | 1.8 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 20–30 | 25.0 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 2–4 | 3.0 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 8–22 | 15.0 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 35–55 | 45.0 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 4–12 | 8.0 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | ≤ 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | ≤ 1 | 1.0 |
| Gadoleic acid | C20:1 | ≤ 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Behenic acid | C22:0 · saturated | ≤ 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Erucic acid | C22:1 | ≤ 0.5 | 0.5 |
Recipes that use it
- Old-fashioned lard bar 80 % of the oils
- Budget lard and canola bar 50 % of the oils
- Soy-free lard and sunflower bar 45 % of the oils
- Oatmeal and honey scrub bar 40 % of the oils
- Citrus kitchen bar 35 % of the oils
- Lavender goat milk bar 35 % of the oils
- White bar with a feathered mica top 35 % of the oils
- Buttermilk and honey bar 30 % of the oils
- Cedarwood and lavender bar 30 % of the oils
- Coconut-free bar 30 % of the oils
- Pumpkin spice bar 26 % of the oils
- Taiwan swirl bar in charcoal and rose 25 % of the oils
Guides that discuss it
- Antioxidants and chelators: keeping soap from going off
- Dreaded orange spots (DOS) and rancid soap
- Lard and tallow: soaping with animal fats
- Palm-free soap: what takes palm oil's place
- Soap from used cooking oil: how much lye, and how to clean the oil
- The 25er-Rezept: Germany's four-oil beginner soap, with or without palm
- The soaping oils: what each one brings to a bar
- Transparent soap by the solvent method
- Your first cold process soap, step by step
Compared with other oils
Where these numbers come from
Section 3 GLC fatty-acid ranges (% of total FA) are mandatory; the Appendix table 'Chemical and physical characteristics' (relative density, refractive index, titre, saponification value, iodine value (Wijs), unsaponifiable matter) is ADVISORY. Later editorial amendments (2019+) not checked - FAO site Cloudflare-gated.
JP XVIII 'Lard' (Adeps Suillus): melting point 36-42 C; congealing point of the fatty acids 36-42 C; acid value NMT 2.0; saponification value 195-203; iodine value 46-70.
Fatty acids from CXS 211 Section 3 GLC ranges, column 'Lard / Rendered pork fat' (% of total FA; mandatory). Also printed there and omitted here (outside key list): C6:0-C12:0 < 0.5 in total, C14:ISO < 0.1, C14:1 < 0.2, C15:0 < 0.2, C15:ISO < 0.1, C15:ANTI ISO < 0.1, C16:ISO < 0.1, C16:2 < 0.1, C17:0 < 1, C17:1 < 1, C17:ISO < 0.1, C17:ANTI ISO < 0.1, C20:2 < 1.0, C20:4 < 1.0. '< x' limits are given as max only. SAP 192-203 mg KOH/g, IV (Wijs) 55-65, unsaponifiable <= 10 g/kg, titre 32-45 C, relative density 0.896-0.904 (40/20 C) from the ADVISORY Appendix table (lard column). Melting point not given by Codex (titre is the solidification point of the fatty acids); JP XVIII 'Lard': melting point 36-42 C, SAP 195-203, IV 46-70, acid value NMT 2.0.
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