JC-660 is a butanol-initiated EO/PO block polyether, supplied as a colourless to yellowish liquid with a water content of 0.5% or less. It is one of the non-ionic surfactants: it dissolves readily in water, ethanol and most organic solvents, and it carries lubricity, emulsification and foam control in a single molecule.
Formulators build it into water-soluble metalworking fluids — grinding, turning, milling and sawing coolants — and into water-glycol (HFC) fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. It also appears in gear lubricants, textile fibre lubricants and heavy-duty industrial cleaners, where its solvency for oily soil does part of the work.
What separates it from a mineral oil or a simple soap is that its solubility changes with temperature. Below the cloud point it stays fully dissolved in the water phase, so the sump remains clear and homogeneous; at the heat of the cutting zone it comes out of solution and lays a lubricating film on the hot metal, which is where the wear actually happens. That behaviour sits behind the tool life and surface finish formulators are looking for.
JC-660 is a raw material, not a finished fluid: it is supplied at full strength and compounded into a concentrate. It is not an additive for plating baths, and it is not a substitute for the corrosion inhibitor or the biocide in your package. Tell us the base fluid you are building, the dilution you run and the temperature your sump works at, and we will confirm whether this grade is the right starting point before you commit to a drum.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Chemical name | Poly(ethylene glycol-co-propylene glycol) monobutyl ether |
| CAS number | 9038-95-3 |
| Appearance (25 °C) | Colorless to yellowish liquid |
| Specific gravity | 1.040-1.050 |
| Colour (APHA, Pt-Co) | ≤50 |
| Water (Karl-Fischer, % w/w) | ≤0.5 |
| pH value (1% aqueous solution) | 5-7 |
| Cloud point (1% aqueous solution) | 55–59 °C |
| Viscosity (mPa·s) | 200–260 |
| Ionic character | Non-ionic |
| Solubility | Water, ethanol and organic solvents |
Non-ionic surfactants carry no charge, and that is the practical reason this polymer can be dropped into a formulation without side reactions: it does not throw a precipitate with the calcium and magnesium in plant water, so a fluid that behaves at one site does not fail when the same concentrate is mixed with harder water somewhere else.
The same neutrality applies to the rest of the package. It blends with corrosion inhibitors, biocides and pH buffers without splitting the concentrate or dragging the additives out of solution — a common failure when a charged surfactant meets an inhibitor system it does not like.
It is a lubricity, wetting and foam-control component. It is not a corrosion inhibitor, not a biocide and not a replacement for an extreme-pressure additive package; those still have to be formulated alongside it, and the finished fluid still has to be tested as a whole.
When you are building or re-building a concentrate, send us the base fluid, the dilution you run, the water hardness, the sump temperature and the problem you are trying to solve — foam, finish, tool life or sump odour. We will tell you whether this grade fits, or whether the cloud point needs to come from a different member of the range.
If the formula already contains a silicone antifoam, bench-test the pair before you scale up. The polymer suppresses foam on its own, and two foam-control mechanisms in one fluid can produce a haze that is hard to clear once the batch is made.
Every drum of JC-660 carries two lines worth checking on arrival: the CAS number 9038-95-3 and the chemical name exactly as the technical data sheet gives it. Both must match before the drum goes into stores.
This is a polymer, not a small molecule, so there is no single molecular formula to tick off in an incoming record. The structure is butanol-initiated blocks of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, and the grade is fixed by the ratio of those blocks. That is why a polyether has to be identified through measured properties rather than a formula, and why a CAS number on its own does not pin down what is in the drum.
Four release values do the real identification work here: water 0.5% or less by Karl-Fischer, colour 50 APHA or lower, cloud point 55–59 °C on a 1% aqueous solution, and viscosity 200–260 mPa·s. pH 5–7 and specific gravity 1.040–1.050 sit alongside them. A polyether sold under the same CAS number but with a cloud point outside 55–59 °C is a different grade of surface active agent, not a cheaper version of this one, and it will separate and re-dissolve at different temperatures in your sump.
If your incoming procedure calls for a hydroxyl value, the EO/PO ratio or a residual butanol figure, tell us before the order is placed. Those are not on the standard sheet, and it is better to agree what can be issued than to have a shipment held at goods-in over a test nobody quoted.
| Document | What it covers and when it is issued |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | Hazard classification, handling and PPE, first aid, storage, disposal and the transport entry for the grade. Ask for the current revision and check that revision against the batch number on the drum. |
| Technical data sheet (TDS) | The release values for the grade: appearance, colour, water, pH, cloud point, viscosity and specific gravity. Sent as a PDF with the quotation. |
| Batch inspection certificate | Batch number, the values tested on that batch, and the warranty period. Issued after delivery. |
| Transport details | UN number, class and packing group where they apply, so your forwarder books the right service. Confirmed in writing before shipment. |
| REACH / RoHS statement | Whether a statement can be issued for this grade and your destination. Tell us the document your customer is asking for and we confirm in writing what can travel with the batch. |
| Composition disclosure | Component identity down to CAS level, above the declaration threshold that applies in your market. Released under confidentiality to the buyer or to their regulatory adviser. |
Choosing the right match is where most sourcing decisions stall. As a trading supplier, we keep one point of contact from first enquiry to after-sales: tell us what you are making and the conditions you work under, and we shortlist the closest matches from our supplier network, compare specifications and arrange samples before you commit to a bulk order. If something does not behave as expected, we work with the supplying partner on the cause and a practical fix, and stay with the case until it is settled. Email, WeChat or WhatsApp enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.
9038-95-3. It is the CAS number for JC-660, the butanol-initiated EO/PO polyether supplied under this grade. The same number appears on the technical data sheet and on the drum label, so your incoming-goods record can be checked against both. It is a non-ionic surface active agent known for inverse solubility in water, which is the behaviour the metalworking and hydraulic applications are built on.
Yes. It is non-ionic, so it blends with an anionic surfactant without precipitation or loss of activity, and the pair is common in hybrid fluids: the anionic component adds wetting and detergency while this polymer supplies the lubricity the anionic alone cannot. If your blend already runs a high level of anionic surfactant, make a bench sample first — not because the two are incompatible, but so you can see the finished fluid before it goes into a tank.
Yes. Cleaning is one of its established uses, mainly in heavy-duty neutral and alkaline cleaners for oily soil and in parts washing, where it acts as both wetting agent and solvent for the grease. It is normally paired with an anionic surfactant, which carries part of the detergency. Tell us the soil you are removing and the pH of your cleaner and we will confirm the fit and a starting point for your own trials.
Yes, and low foam is the reason it gets specified for them. In high-pressure spray cleaning and through-tool coolant, a stable foam blanket starves the pump and blinds the nozzle, so the fluid stops doing its job; this polymer is chosen so that foam breaks about as fast as it forms. Foam behaviour still depends on concentration, water and temperature, so confirm the use level on a bench test with your own water before the first production batch.
The specification allows an appearance from colourless to yellowish at 25 °C and a colour of 50 APHA (Pt-Co) or lower, so a pale yellow drum is within specification and not a defect. Colour does not track activity here — the release values that matter for performance are cloud point, viscosity, pH and water content. If your incoming-goods procedure sets a colour limit tighter than 50 APHA, tell us before the order so it can be checked against the batch.
Partly. It is used as the functional backbone of fully synthetic coolants, which is the route formulators take when they move away from oil-based emulsions: fluids built on it cool without an oil film, do not go rancid, and leave the machine cleaner. It is not a drop-in swap for every mineral-oil product, because the corrosion-inhibitor and biocide package, the seal and elastomer compatibility and the sump temperature all have to be re-checked. Send us the fluid you are replacing and we will tell you what to test first.
