Industrial Chemicals

What Industrial Chemicals does

Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL) is a privately held, family-run UK chemical manufacturer and distributor founded in March 1976, headquartered in Warley (Brentwood), Essex, and operating across seven UK sites with 450+ employees. The company manufactures and distributes approximately 25 industrial chemical products — including coagulants (Ferric Sulphate, Aluminium Sulphate, Polyaluminium Chloride), acids (Hydrochloric, Sulphuric, Phosphoric), alkalis (Caustic Soda), iron-based chemistries, and spray-dried specialties — using membrane cell chlor-alkali technology, spray drying, and on-site jetty/mixing/blending/packing capabilities. It handles over 1 million tonnes of specialty chemicals annually and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, REACH, BPR, COMAH, FEMAS, Halal, and Kosher certifications.

The business serves eight primary verticals — water treatment & utilities, agriculture & feed, food & drink, cleaning & detergents, power & energy, metal treatment, paper, and clean energy — with named long-tenured enterprise customers including Anglian Water, Severn Trent Water, and Tata Steel (Llanwern). Its go-to-market is sales-led, with a 63+ vehicle owned fleet for UK-wide delivery, dedicated account managers for key accounts, and an in-house logistics operation including a Thames-side jetty for sea-fed raw material imports. Pricing is quote-based on volume and specification, with packaging ranging from 20kg bags to 28-tonne bulk loads.

In 2025, ICL is pursuing a significant growth and decarbonisation programme: a £20m+ new Polyaluminium Chloride plant at West Thurrock, a 200,000+ tonnes/year Ferric Sulphate capacity expansion across three sites, a £2.3m fleet investment, and an October 2025 50:50 joint venture with AFC Energy to produce low-carbon hydrogen from ammonia at Port Clarence. The company has set Scope 1/2 net-zero by 2030 and Scope 3 -20% by 2040 targets, supported by partnerships with Autoflame, Microlise, and Engine Carbon Clean. Revenue, funding, and ownership splits are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Industrial Chemicals

Legal name

Industrial Chemicals Limited

Website

https://icgl.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Industrial Chemicals Limited is a privately held UK manufacturer and distributor of industrial chemicals (coagulants, acids, alkalis, iron-based chemistries) serving water utilities, agriculture, food & drink, cleaning, power, metal, and paper sectors across seven UK sites with 450+ employees and a 1 million+ tonnes annual throughput.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grays

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Chemical Manufacturing & Distribution: ICL manufactures and distributes a wide range of industrial chemicals including aluminium chloride, ferric sulphate, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and specialty products. They handle over one million tonnes of specialty chemicals annually, serving diverse industries from water treatment to agriculture.
2. Bulk Chemical Supply: Supply of bulk chemicals in various forms - liquids in bulk up to 28 tonnes, packaged products from 25L to 1000L, and powder forms in bulk bags up to 500kg or 20kg bags.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL) manufactures and distributes a wide range of industrial chemicals — including coagulants, acids, alkalis, iron-based compounds and specialty chemicals — at seven UK sites using membrane cell and spray drying technologies. The company handles over one million tonnes of specialty chemicals annually and serves industries such as water treatment, agriculture, food and drink, cleaning and detergents, power and energy, metal treatment, and paper, supplying customers in bulk (up to 28 tonnes), packaged and powder forms via its own logistics fleet.

Product overview

Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL) operates as a chemical manufacturing and distribution company offering a portfolio of industrial chemicals and related services. The core product portfolio includes approximately 25 chemical products including coagulants (Aluminium Chloride, Aluminium Sulphate, Polyaluminium Chloride, Ferric Sulphate), acids (Hydrochloric Acid, Sulphuric Acid, Phosphoric Acid), alkalis (Caustic Soda, Sodium Hydroxide), iron-based products (Ferric Chloride, Ferrous Sulphate, Ferric Ammonium Citrate), and specialty chemicals (Sodium Hypochlorite, Calcium Acetate, Potassium Acetate, Zinc Acetate). These products serve water treatment (drinking water, wastewater, process water), agriculture & feed, food & beverage, cleaning & detergents, metal treatment, power & energy, and paper industries. ICL provides manufacturing services including spray drying and mixing/blending/packing operations at multiple UK sites, supported by jetty services and nationwide logistics. A joint venture with AFC Energy (announced October 2025) is deploying hydrogen production from ammonia cracking using Hy-5 technology, positioning ICL in the clean energy sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aluminium Chloride Solution (Iclor) Clear to yellowish viscous liquid used as a coagulant in water treatment, flocculation agent, and raw material in chemical manufacture; sold to water utilities and industrial customers.
• Aluminium Sulphate White crystalline powder used as coagulant for water treatment, textile fixing agent, and paper sizing agent; sold to water utilities, textile and paper manufacturers.
• Battery Acid (Sulphuric Acid) Highly corrosive mineral acid used in batteries, metal treatment, and pH control applications; sold to battery makers, metal processors and industrial customers.
• Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide) Colourless to slightly turbid liquid used in cleaning, metal treatment, food and beverage, and chemical manufacturing; sold to industrial and commercial customers.
• Ferric Chloride Brown-red acidic solution used for etching in metal treatment and bonding of hydrogen sulphide in biogas applications; sold to metal processors and biogas producers.
• Ferric Sulphate Brown-yellow acidic solution and ICL's largest manufactured product in the UK, used as coagulant in water treatment and raw material in pigment production; sold to water utilities and pigment manufacturers.
• Ferrous Sulphate Green liquid or blue-green crystals used for removal of suspended solids, phosphates, and in agriculture to lower soil pH; sold to water treatment operators and agricultural customers.
• Hydrochloric Acid Strong mineral acid used in construction, food and beverage, metal treatment, and water treatment applications; sold to construction, food processing, metal and water industry customers.
• Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC) Acidic solution used as coagulant in drinking water, wastewater, and process water treatment; manufactured at Grays, Essex site and sold to water utilities and industrial water treatment customers.
• Sodium Hypochlorite (Thycal) Green-yellow alkaline liquid used for disinfection across agriculture, cleaning, food and beverage, and water treatment sectors; sold to disinfection and water treatment customers.
• Sulphuric Acid Highly corrosive mineral acid used in batteries, metal treatment, and chemical manufacturing; sold to industrial manufacturers across multiple sectors.
• Calcium Acetate Clear colourless solution or white powder used as preservative in animal feed applications; sold to feed manufacturers.
• Cerium-Lanthanum Chloride Pale-yellow acidic solution used for rapid and stable phosphorus precipitation in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment; sold to municipal and industrial wastewater operators.
• Deionised Water / Demineralised Water Purified water with most ions removed, used in automotive batteries, chemical manufacture, and power generation applications; sold to automotive, chemical and power industry customers.
• Ferric Ammonium Citrate Dark brown solution or orange-red powder used as iron, nitrogen, and sulphur source in agricultural and horticultural applications; sold to agricultural and horticultural customers.
• Ferrous Chloride Brown-green/yellow liquid used for removal of suspended solids, particularly chromates, and in biogas for hydrogen sulphide removal; sold to water treatment operators and biogas producers.
• Monosodium Phosphate Clear colourless liquid used for prevention of plumbosolvency in water treatment by creating protective lead-phosphate coating on pipes; sold to water utilities.
• Phosphoric Acid Colourless liquid primarily used in fertilizers with applications in food and beverage, metal treatment, and water treatment; sold to fertilizer producers and multiple industrial sectors.
• Potassium Acetate Clear colourless solution used for de-icing (especially airport runways), fire extinguishers, and chemical manufacture; sold to airports, fire equipment suppliers and chemical manufacturers.
• Salt / Sodium Chloride White crystalline material used in chemical manufacture (chlor-alkali process), water softening, de-icing, and food preservation; sold to industrial and food industry customers.
• Zinc Acetate

Quantifiable outcome

• Fleet MPG increased by 20% over 3 years using Microlise Telematic KPIs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Engine Carbon Clean (ECC)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Three-year contract for hydrogen-powered engine cleaning technology. ECC's patented system removes carbon build-up from internal combustion engines, improving performance, reducing fuel consumption, and lowering emissions. Trials showed 7%+ reduction in both emissions and fuel costs. Expanding from West Thurrock to nationwide fleet.
• AFC Energy plccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 202550:50 joint venture to deploy green hydrogen production from ammonia using AFC Energy's proprietary Hy-5 cracking technology. ICL provides chemical industry expertise, logistics infrastructure, ammonia procurement, and customer base. Initial production capacity of up to 400kg/day hydrogen, expandable through containerised Hy-5 crackers (up to 500kg/day each). Located at ICL's Port Clarence facility in Middlesbrough.
• AutoflamecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2025Partnership for advanced combustion and boiler control systems. Autoflame's smart burner and boiler systems help reduce gas consumption while supporting decarbonisation targets. Systems include hydrogen and multi-fuel capability, aligning with ICL's ambitions for cleaner energy sources and hydrogen readiness.
• MicrolisesupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Fleet management technology provider enabling ICL to achieve 20% improvement in fleet MPG over 3 years through telematic KPIs and driver performance monitoring.
• MAN TruckssupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Supplier of 12 new MAN trucks including three 18-tonne rigids and specialized rubber-lined 12-tonne rigid as part of £2.3 million fleet investment.
• Advanced Hydrogen Technologies (AHT)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Partnership for engine carbon-cleaning technology trials. AHT commissioned ICL to pilot hydrogen-based cleaning technology across fleet. Testing conducted at Millbrook testing grounds showed significant improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions reduction.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical and ingredient distribution with a substantial UK footprint distributing industrial and specialty chemicals to water treatment, food, and manufacturing customers — directly comparable to ICL's distribution model but at global scale.
• Solvay: Belgian-headquartered global chemical manufacturer producing soda ash, caustic soda, and specialty inorganic chemicals used in water treatment, detergents, and industrial applications — comparable to ICL's chlor-alkali and inorganic chemical manufacturing.
• Univar Solutions: Major North American-headquartered chemical and ingredients distributor serving industrial, water treatment, and food-grade chemical customers worldwide — overlaps ICL's industrial/water treatment channels but operates at broader geographic and portfolio scale.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company with broad inorganic, water-treatment, and industrial chemical offerings across all global regions — a broad incumbent in the same chemical categories ICL serves but at vastly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-treatment services and chemicals provider serving municipal and industrial water customers — partially comparable to ICL's water-utility chemicals supply, although Veolia's business model centers on services and treatment plants rather than chemical manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Norkem: UK-headquartered manufacturer and distributor of specialty chemicals including metal acetates, iron compounds, and fine chemicals for pharmaceutical, food, and industrial customers — directly comparable to ICL's Selby spray-drying and acetate product lines.
• Kemira: Finnish global leader in water-intensive chemistry including coagulants (ferric sulphate, PAC, aluminium salts) for municipal and industrial water treatment — directly overlaps ICL's primary water-treatment coagulant portfolio.
• Tennants Distribution: UK-based chemical distributor supplying acids, alkalis, solvents, and specialty chemicals to industrial customers across multiple sectors — a close domestic comparable to ICL's distribution business with overlapping product categories.

Regional players

• Hawkins Watertreatment: US-headquartered specialty chemicals distributor focused on water treatment, food, and industrial customers — comparable business model to ICL's bulk-chemical and water-treatment distribution, though primarily serving North American rather than UK customers.
• Tradebe UK: UK-based provider of hazardous-waste management, industrial services, and chemical handling including bulk transfer and reclamation — comparable regional peer in UK industrial chemicals services with overlapping customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/industrial-chemicals-ltd

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Industrial Chemicals