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Pale Pressed Grade (PPG) castor oil is a high-quality, refined grade prized for its very pale colour and clean appearance. It is more refined than First Pressed Degummed (FPD) and sits close to First Special Grade in clarity, with a low acid value and full castor chemistry intact. PPG is chosen for applications where colour and purity are visible in the end product — cosmetics, textile chemicals, specialty lubricants and fine surfactants — rather than for the lowest-cost industrial use.
Pale Pressed Grade is defined by appearance as much as by chemistry. As the name suggests, it is a pale, well-refined castor oil produced to keep colour low and impurities minimal. It belongs to the premium end of the grade ladder, alongside First Special Grade, and is the grade buyers reach for when the finished product — a cream, a clear coating, a light-coloured surfactant — would reveal any darkness in the raw oil. For the full ladder of grades and where PPG fits, see how to choose the right castor oil grade.
PPG is made by pressing clean castor seed and then refining the oil with care to preserve a light colour — degumming followed by controlled bleaching and filtration to remove colour bodies and trace impurities. The emphasis throughout is on protecting clarity: gentle handling and good-quality seed both feed into the pale result. The underlying ricinoleic-acid chemistry is unchanged; what sets PPG apart is how clean and light the finished oil looks. The broader process is covered in how is castor oil made.
Indicative values for PPG castor oil are below — use them as guidance and confirm the binding figures on the batch Certificate of Analysis.
| Parameter | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Very pale, clear, viscous liquid |
| Colour (Gardner) | ~1–2 |
| Acid value | ~1.0–2.0 mg KOH/g |
| Iodine value | ~82–90 g I₂/100g |
| Hydroxyl value | ~160–168 mg KOH/g |
| Saponification value | ~176–187 mg KOH/g |
| Moisture & volatiles | Max ~0.25% |
| Specific gravity @ 25°C | ~0.957–0.961 |
The three sit close together at the cleaner end of the range; the differences are about colour and degree of refining:
| Factor | FPD | PPG | FSG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refining | Pressed + degummed | Refined, bleached pale | Fully refined |
| Colour (Gardner) | ~3–5 | ~1–2 | ~1–3 |
| Acid value | ~2–3 | ~1–2 | ~1.5–2 |
| Best for | Industrial feedstock | Colour-sensitive uses | Premium, broad use |
A refined, very pale grade of castor oil produced to keep colour low and impurities minimal. It sits at the premium end of the grade ladder, used where appearance and purity matter in the end product.
FPD is degummed but not fully bleached, so it is slightly deeper in colour and aimed at industrial feedstock use. PPG is further refined to a paler colour, for colour-sensitive applications.
Cosmetics and personal care, textile chemicals, specialty lubricants and fine surfactants — applications where a pale, clean base oil is needed.
No. The ricinoleic-acid chemistry is the same across grades; PPG differs in colour and degree of refining, not in its core composition.
