Calcium stearate

Calcium stearate is an anticaking agent and release agent, used to keep powders free-flowing and to stop sweets sticking to moulds.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Calcium stearate 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 184.1229retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Made by reacting stearic acid with a calcium source. The stearic acid may be from vegetable oil or from animal tallow, and the label will not say which.

  • Vegan status depends on the source
  • Vegetarian status depends on the source
  • May raise a halal question
  • May raise a kosher question

This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.

InChIKey
CJZGTCYPCWQAJB-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 15324

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 1592-23-0
  • 8000-75-7

As it appears in regulation

  • Calcium stearate

Other names

  • 6.6-7.4% Ca basis
  • Aquacal
  • AULABRITE CA 65
  • BAERLOCHER 5862
  • C36H70CaO4
  • CALCII STEARAS [WHO-IP LATIN]
  • Calcium bis(stearate)
  • calcium dioctadecanoate
  • Calcium distearate
  • Calcium distearate, pure
  • Calcium octadecanoate
  • Calcium octadecanoate, Calcium distearate
  • CALCIUM STEARATE
  • Calcium stearate (JP17/NF)
  • calcium stearate powder
  • CALCIUMSTEARATE
  • Calstar
  • E-470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT
  • Flexichem
  • Flexichem CS
  • HSDB 905
  • INS NO.470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT
  • INS-470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT
  • NISSAN CALCIUM STEARATE S
  • Nopcote C 104
  • Octadecanoic acid, calcium salt
  • Stavinor 30
  • STAVINOR CECAVON CA
  • Stearic acid, calcium salt
  • Witco G 339S

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

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

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