Hydrofluoric acid: no countertop rated “No effect”
For 48% hydrofluoric acid, none of the 5 boards in the countertop chemical resistance table is rated “No effect”; two say “Do not use”. Test date unknown.
Renggli TeamEditorial teamPublished: Updated Reading time: 10 min read
Contents
A laboratory that uses hydrofluoric acid usually asks two things: which countertop to work on and where to keep the bottle. When choosing laboratory countertops, the resistance table is often the first source, but for this reagent it gives more caveats than ratings. For 2 boards the editors of the base dataset replaced the test result with “do not use” (test date unknown). The polypropylene column is withheld, because nobody knows where its ratings come from. The question of storage is answered by the safety data sheet (SDS) of the specific solution, not by the table.
What the resistance table does not say about hydrofluoric acid#
The table says only how the look of a board's surface changed after a test whose temperature, method and date are unknown. It says nothing about etching, hardness, long contact or other concentrations of hydrofluoric acid.
For this reagent, no board is rated “No effect”. The “do not use” recommendation for two boards is a decision of the base dataset's editors, based on safety data sheets, occupational safety guidance and manufacturers' instructions, not a measurement. The ratings of all five boards, together with the base dataset's notes, are given in the section on results and data below.
How to store hydrofluoric acid#
How to store a hydrofluoric acid solution is stated in its supplier's safety data sheet, in the section on handling and storage. That is the document for a specific solution, and the countertop resistance table says nothing about storage.
An open Polish source describes hydrogen fluoride in its anhydrous form. For it, the CHEMPYŁ database of the Central Institute for Labour Protection (opens in a new tab) gives the statements P403 “Store in a well-ventilated place” and P405 “Store locked up”. This is the institute's recommendation for the anhydrous form. It does not apply directly to a 48% solution, so it does not replace the safety data sheet.
When choosing a cabinet from the range of safety storage cabinets, the starting point is the same safety data sheet: what it says about ventilation, locking and the materials of the container.
What this means when choosing a countertop for hydrofluoric acid#
For hydrofluoric acid the resistance table does not point to a board, so the laboratory decides on the countertop on the basis of the board manufacturer's data.
Write down how hydrofluoric acid reaches the countertop
The workstation, the concentration of the solution and whether spilled acid may stay on the countertop for longer than a moment.
Check the rating of each board in the table
A rating other than “No effect” or a withheld cell calls for a decision by the laboratory. For 48% hydrofluoric acid, this applies to all five boards in the table.
Ask the board manufacturer for data on this reagent
The table says nothing about etching, long contact or working temperature. The requirement therefore rests on the board manufacturer's data for the solution the laboratory uses.
Put the requirement in the description of the subject of the contract
For example: “Working countertop of the hydrofluoric acid workstation: suitability of the board for the solution used described in the board manufacturer's data.” The contractor attaches these data to the bid. How to fit such a requirement into bid scoring is described in the article on tender evaluation criteria for laboratory furniture.
Settle storage from the safety data sheet of the solution
48% hydrofluoric acid in the table: results, method and data#
No board in the table has the rating “No effect” for 48% hydrofluoric acid (0 of 5). The notes below come from the base dataset.
Epoxy resin and phenolic resin are rated “Discoloration” for 48% hydrofluoric acid, the strongest grade on the scale.
Quartz-granite composite and monolithic ceramic have the value “Do not use” for 48% hydrofluoric acid. This is an editorial correction by the editors of the base dataset, that is, a recommendation in place of a test result. The dataset's note for the composite: The source test recorded slight discoloration here. Manufacturers of materials of this class state that the reagent attacks the surface of these materials or rule out contact with it. The safety data sheet or safety guidance for this reagent states that it attacks materials of this class. The results conflict, so we publish the more cautious recommendation: do not use. The dataset's note for the ceramic: The source test recorded discoloration here. The safety data sheet or safety guidance for this reagent states that it attacks materials of this class. We publish the recommendation: do not use. Erratum: the source table gives “Discoloration”; the Renggli table mistranscribed it here as “No effect”. The “Renggli table” in the ceramic note is the previously published PDF of the table; the extract has the recommendation “Do not use” for the ceramic.
Polypropylene has the status “withheld: source of ratings unknown” for 48% hydrofluoric acid, so this text gives no rating for it. The dataset's note: This column is not in the source table, so the source of its ratings is unknown.
| Reagent | Epoxy resin | Quartz-granite composite | Phenolic resin | Monolithic ceramics | Polypropylene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrofluoric acid 48% | Discoloration | Do not use | Discoloration | Do not use | withheld: source of ratings unknown |
This text rests on an extract of the countertop chemical resistance table: one row, 48% hydrofluoric acid, for all 5 boards of the table. In this row there are 2 ratings from the scale and 2 editorial corrections. 1 cell is withheld, that of polypropylene.
The Annex VI entry was read on 11 October 2026 from the hydrofluoric acid page in PubChem (opens in a new tab): for the solution it is the entry 009-003-00-1 “hydrofluoric acid ... %” of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP). PubChem is the place it was read, not the text of the regulation. PubChem does not have the concentration limits of this entry (SCL), so this text does not state which hazards the entry assigns to a 48% hydrofluoric acid solution.
Frequently asked questions#
As stated in the safety data sheet of the supplier of the specific solution. For hydrogen fluoride in its anhydrous form, the CHEMPYŁ database of CIOP-PIB (opens in a new tab) gives the statements P403 “Store in a well-ventilated place” and P405 “Store locked up”. These statements do not apply directly to a 48% solution.
For hydrogen fluoride in its anhydrous form, the CHEMPYŁ database of CIOP-PIB gives the statements H300 “Fatal if swallowed”, H310 “Fatal in contact with skin” and H330 “Fatal if inhaled”. H314 “Causes severe skin burns and eye damage” is added to these. The hazards of a specific solution are described in its safety data sheet.
None of the five boards of the countertop chemical resistance table. Two have the recommendation “do not use” as an editorial correction, one column is withheld, and the other two are rated “Discoloration”.
No. The table's scale describes only a change in the look of the surface after a test with unknown conditions. Etching, long contact and other concentrations are covered by the board manufacturer's data.