Hydrogen Peroxide Prices

Are you wondering about hydrogen peroxide prices, and what's a "reasonable" hydrogen peroxide price or a even what's a "good" price?

Are you wondering about whether food grade peroxide costs more?

The first thing I want to tell you is that hydrogen peroxide prices vary REALLY widely.  Not just a little bit -- a huge amount.

Some of that has to do with how much you want to buy. (Bulk will cost less, generally.) Some has to do with the source.

Oh, and also, many of the sources (like chemical companies) simply will not sell to individuals at all.

Hydrogen Peroxide Prices: an Example of Price Comparison

Here's an example of how to compare the price of 12% food grade hydrogen peroxide to the cost of drugstore 3% peroxide (which contains stabilizers).

I'm going to start out with an actual cost of 2 gallons of 12% food grade hydrogen peroxide. This is a price I'm seeing in June 2018. The price is $47.43 and it says there is free shipping. This is an example, and does not imply that this price will be valid at any other time and source.

Step 1: How much 3% hydrogen peroxide is 2 gallons of 12% hydrogen peroxide going to make?

Dilution: 12% will be diluted with 3 parts water and 1 part 12% hydrogen peroxide in order to get 3%. So 1/4 gallon of 12% plus 3/4 gallon of water = 1 gallon of 3%.

Answer (step 1): 1 gallon of 12% can be diluted to make 4 gallons of 3%. So TWO gallons of 12% will make 8 gallons of 3%.

Step 2: What is the price per gallon of the resulting 3% food grade peroxide (diluted from 12%)?

Calculation: $47.43 / 8 gallons = price per gallon

Answer (step 2): $ 5.93 per gallon for the 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide.

Step 3: How much is the price per cup, per pint, or per quart?

Equivalence: 1 gallon is 4 quarts. 1 gallon is 8 pints. 1 gallon is 16 cups.

Answer (step 3):

QUART price: $5.93 (gallon price) / 4 = $ 1.48 price per quart

PINT price: $5.93 (gallon price) / 8 = .74 price per pint (that's 74 cents)

CUP price: $ 5.93 (gallon price) / 16 = .37 per cup (that's 37 cents)

So.....are we DONE yet?

No...... not quite!

Now to Compare to 3% Drugstore Peroxide!

How do those prices for 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide compare to the price of drugstore 3% hydrogen peroxide?

In the example above, the price for a quart of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide is $ 1.48.

As of June 2018 the price of a quart of 3% drugstore peroxide at Rite Aid is $ 1.49.

Oh! How funny!

That's 1 cent cheaper at Rite Aid for a quart of drugstore peroxide compared to the 3% peroxide calculation above (starting from 12% food grade peroxide and diluting to 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide).

I didn't see that coming!

Does Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide Cost More?

Well, going back to the starting point: hydrogen peroxide prices vary A LOT. So there's no general rule about whether food grade peroxide will cost more than drugstore peroxide.

Certainly there are sources for food grade peroxide where it will cost a LOT more than drugstore peroxide.  Especially for small quantities (like a pint).

In the Example Above, the Price for Food Grade is the SAME

In the example above, which used easily available sources and actual prices as of June 2018, the price for food grade is the same. Okay, it is not EXACTLY the same: it's one cent more for the food grade peroxide. Can we agree to call that "the same" price?  Thanks.

So we have an example of a case where 3% food grade peroxide and 3% drugstore peroxide cost the same.

....However Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide is Sometimes MORE

But wait! Here's an example where the food grade is much more expensive:

First, the price I used from Right Aid is likely NOT the lowest price for drugstore peroxide.  Costco and Walmart probably sell it for less. But I can't find their prices online. The price I used above was $ 1.49 for a quart of 3%, at Rite Aid.

I found an easily available source of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide (no diluting it is needed) for $ 14.70 for a quart (also with free shipping).

Clearly in this comparison the price for food grade is MUCH higher.

Did I mention that hydrogen peroxide prices vary WILDLY?

But! It still might be worth it to you, if you have an application where you cannot have stabilizers (which are present in drugstore peroxide), and if you really only need a small amount.

So, once again: There is no general rule. It depends on the source of the hydrogen peroxide, and the type and how much you are buying. And prices vary WILDLY.

What's a Reasonable Price? Or a Good Price?

That's hard to say, and really I should not say.  It really depends.

It depends on where you are in the world. It depends on how much peroxide you want to buy, and what concentration and grade.

I will go as far as saying that a reasonable price for a gallon of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide is maybe in the range of $55 to $75, including shipping. I say this in June 2018, based on doing some price comparisons in the United States. It may be a bit higher for an equivalent amount of 12% or 8% or 3% food grade. And smaller amounts will probably cost more.

If you want to buy 15 gallons or 30 gallons of food grade 35% hydrogen peroxide, then that should be cheaper (after you calculate the equivalent diluted amount).  A good price would be more like $15 to $25 per gallon (with shipping). The price will also vary more based on shipping distance.

BUT! All of the above is based on the availability of hydrogen peroxide in the US in 2018.  If you are in the UK or in Saudi Arabia or in Costa Rica the prices and what's available will be a completely different story, and there's no use comparing to the prices in the US. Even if you are in Canada, there may be noticeable differences in availability and price.

Oh! And if you are a chicken farmer or a cheese manufacturer, and you want to buy 300 gallons of 35% or 50% HP, that's a whole 'nother ballpark entirely. (I found a 310 gallon container of 32% peroxide at about $8 a gallon.)

A Few Notes About the Prices Cited in the Comparison Examples on This Page

All prices are in US dollars.

All measures are using US measuring units. (Sorry!)  I hope you can use the general process listed to calculate for other units of measure.

This examples are just that: examples.  Nothing on this page implies that any price cited will be valid at any other time and source.

Prices will fluctuate, even for the same product from the same source.

Related Pages

• Bulk Hydrogen Peroxide
  
• Concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide
• Peroxide Dilution Chart for mixing 35% down to 3%
• Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide and other grades that are NOT food grade

Gardening: attach sprayer to garden hose; use to dilute peroxide and spray on the garden

Spray bottles for peroxide