COMMON ETCHANTS

CAUTION:Safety is very important when etching. Be sure to wear the appropriate protective clothing and observe
all WARNINGS on chemical manufacuters MSDS. Also review the COMMENTS and CONDITIONS Section for
each etchant.

Recommended Etchants

Aluminum alloys High carbon steel

Brasses and Bronzes Stainless steel

Cast Iron Tin alloys

Copper alloys Zinc alloys

Weld or Low carbon steel Ceramics

The following table lists the most commonly used etchants

Etchant Composition Conc. Conditions Comments

Mix Ammonia and

Ammonia
62.5 ml water before adding For etching copper, copper
Hydrogen Peroxide
ASTM No. 30 125 ml peroxide. Must be alloys and copper-silver
(3%)
62.5 ml used fresh. Swab 5- alloys.
DI Water
45 seconds

Copper ammonium
chloride 9 grams
Immersion is For etching 300 series
Hydrochloric acid 150 ml
Adler Etchant recommended for stainless steel and other
Ferric chloride, 45 grams
several seconds superalloys
hydrated 75 ml
DI Water

FeCl3 8.5 grams

Carpenters CuCl2 2.4 grams Immersion etching
For etching duplex and 300
Stainless Hydrochloric acid 122 ml at 20 degrees
series stainless steels.
Steel Etch Nitric acid 6 ml Celsius
Ethanol 122 ml

For etching duplex and 400

CuCl2 5 grams Immersion or
Kalling's No. series stainless steels and
Hydrochloric acid 100 ml swabbing etch at 20
2 Ni-Cu alloys and
Ethanol 100 ml degrees Celsius
superalloys.

Distilled water 190 ml

10-30 second
Nitric acid 5 ml Excellent for aluminum and
Kellers Etch immersion. Use only
Hydrochloric acid 3 ml titanium alloys.
fresh etchant
Hydrofluoric acid 2 ml

Klemm's Sodium thiosulfate 250 ml Etch for a few For etching alpha-beta
Reagent solution Saturated seconds to minutes brass, bonze, tin, cast iron
 Potassium 5 grams phosphides, ferrite,
metabisulfite martensite, retained
austenite, zinc and steel
temper embrittlement.

Distilled water 92 ml
Krolls Excellent for titanium and
Nitric acid 6 ml
Reagent Swab specimen up alloys.
Hydrofluoric acid 2 ml
to 20 seconds

Most common etchant for

Fe, carbon and alloys steels
Ethanol 100 ml Immersion up to a and cast iron - Immerse
Nital
Nitric acid 1-10 ml few minutes. sample up from seconds to
minutes; Mn-Fe, MnNi, Mn-
Cu, Mn-Co alloys.

For etching Ni, Ni-Cu and

CuSO4 10 grams Ni-Fe alloys and
Marble's Immerse or swab for
Hydrochloric acid 50 ml superalloys. Add a few
Reagent 5-60 seconds.
Water 50 ml drops of H2SO4 to increase
activity.

Cr and alloys (use fresh and

immerse); iron and steels
reveals carbides; Mo and
alloys uses fresh and
K3Fe(CN)6 10 grams Pre-mix KOH and
immerse; Ni-Cu alloys for
Murakami's KOH 10 grams water before adding
alpha phases use at 75
Water 100 ml K3Fe(CN)6
Celcius; W and alloys use
fresh and immerse; WC-Co
and complex sintered
carbides.

Recommended for
microstructures containing
Seconds to minutes ferrite, carbide, pearlite,
Ethanol 100 ml Do not let etchant martensite and bainite. Also
Picral
Picric acid 2-4 grams crystallize or dry useful for magnetic alloys,
explosive cast iron, high alloy
stainless steels and
magnesium.

Picric Acid 1 gram Good for ferrite-carbide

Vilellas
Hydrochloric acid 5 ml Seconds to minutes structures (tempered
Reagent
Ethanol 100 ml martensite) in iron and steel