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Oils

Palm Kernel Stearin

Also: Solid fraction of palm kernel oil, PKS.

Calculate a 100 % Palm Kernel Stearin bar

Published values

Saponification value244–255 mg KOH/g
Used by the calculator249.5 mg KOH/g (midpoint)
SAP for NaOH0.1779 g/g
Iodine value4–8.5 g I₂/100 g
INS (SAP − IV)243
Melting point31–34 °C
Unsaponifiable matter≤ 1.5 %

A bar made of 100 % Palm Kernel Stearin

Hardness 89 above 29–54
Cleansing 78 above 12–22
Conditioning 7 below 44–69
Bubbly lather 78 above 14–46
Creamy lather 10 below 16–48

Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.

Fatty-acid profile

Fatty acidPublished range, %Used
Caproic acid C6:0 · saturated 0–0.2 0.1
Caprylic acid C8:0 · saturated 1.3–3 2.1
Capric acid C10:0 · saturated 2.4–3.3 2.8
Lauric acid C12:0 · saturated 52–59.7 55.9
Myristic acid C14:0 · saturated 20–25 22.5
Palmitic acid C16:0 · saturated 6.7–10 8.3
Stearic acid C18:0 · saturated 1–3 2.0
Oleic acid C18:1 4.1–8 6.0
Linoleic acid C18:2 0.5–1.5 1.0
α-Linolenic acid C18:3 n-3 0–0.1 0.1
Arachidic acid C20:0 · saturated 0–0.5 0.3
Gadoleic acid C20:1 0–0.1 0.1

Where these numbers come from

Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO)CXS 210-1999 Standard for Named Vegetable Oils, print of the 2019 revision (adopted 1999; revised 2001, 2003, 2009, 2017, 2019; amended 2005, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019) · document dated 2019 · read 2026-09-20

Verbatim mirror of the FAO file CXS_210e.pdf; the official FAO link (https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fworkspace.fao.org%2Fsites%2Fcodex%2FStandards%2FCXS%2B210-1999%2FCXS_210e.pdf) was Cloudflare-gated at retrieval. Table 1 (Section 3.1) = mandatory GLC fatty-acid ranges, % of total fatty acids, ND = not detectable (<=0.05%). Table 2 (Appendix 'Other quality and composition factors') gives saponification value, iodine value (Wijs) and unsaponifiable matter of CRUDE oils; the Appendix is explicitly ADVISORY (a product not meeting it may still conform). This print predates the 2021-2025 amendments; the 2024 additions (avocado, camellia seed, sacha inchi, high-oleic soya bean) are not included.

Fatty acids from CXS 210 Table 1 (mandatory GLC ranges, % of total fatty acids; 'ND' = not detectable, <=0.05%, entries that are ND-only are omitted; C17:0, C17:1, C20:2, C22:2 and C24:1 columns omitted because they are outside this schema's key list). sapKohMgPerG, iodineValue and unsaponifiablePercent from Appendix Table 2 (crude oils; ADVISORY, not mandatory; unsaponifiable converted from g/kg). No 'typical' values are printed in the standard, so none are given. Section 3.2 slip point: between 31 and 34 C (mandatory). Unsaponifiable printed '<15' g/kg.

This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL). Found an error or a better primary source? The dataset is on GitHub; corrections with a document link are welcome.