Calcium acetate

E number E263INS 263CAS 62-54-4

Used as a preservative — Codex also lists it as acidity regulator, stabilizer.

Calcium acetate is an acidity regulator, firming agent and mould inhibitor, used in bread and in some canned vegetables.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Calcium acetate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1185retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

3 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 01.2.1.2 Fermented milks (plain), heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — GMP
  • 13.2 Complementary foods for infants and young children — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 263and 3 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by neutralising acetic acid with calcium carbonate or hydroxide.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
62-54-4
InChIKey
VSGNNIFQASZAOI-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 6116

Every name it appears under

55 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E263

INS number

  • 263

CAS registry number

  • 62-54-4

As it appears in regulation

  • Calcium acetate

Other names

  • Acetate of lime
  • acetatedecalcium
  • Acetic acid, calcium salt
  • Acetic acid, calcium salt (2:1)
  • Aceticacid,calciunsalt
  • Brown acetate
  • Brown Acetate of Lime
  • C4H6CaO4
  • Ca(OAc)2
  • Calcarea acetica
  • Calcium acetate
  • Calcium acetate (USP)
  • Calcium acetate (water < 5%)
  • Calcium Acetate 667 mg
  • Calcium acetate anhydrous
  • Calcium Acetate Capsules 667 mg
  • CALCIUM ACETATE EXTRA PURE, FCC, E 263
  • CALCIUM ACETATE HYDRATE PURE
  • CALCIUM ACETATE HYDRATE, 99.99%
  • calcium acetate salt
  • CALCIUM ACETATE SIGMAULTRA
  • Calcium diacetate
  • calcium ethanoate
  • calcium(II) acetate
  • calciumacetate
  • Calphron
  • CCRIS 4921
  • E 263
  • Eliphos
  • Everose
  • FEMA No. 2228
  • Gray acetate
  • Gray Acetate of Lime
  • HSDB 928
  • INS NO.263
  • INS-263
  • Lime acetate
  • Lime pyrolignite
  • mineral supplement containing calcium acetate
  • Phosex
  • PhosLo
  • Phoslo (TN)
  • Phoslo Gelcaps
  • Phoslyra
  • Renacet
  • Sanopan
  • Sorbo-calcion
  • Teltozan
  • vinegarsalts
  • Y882YXF34X

Systematic names

  • Calcium diacetate

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/calcium-acetate.json