What is the difference between quartz sand and silica sand

March.08,2022

Silica sand and quartz sand are not the same substance, both of which are mainly composed of silica, but quartz sand is a crystalline body, which is made of quartz stone. Silica sand is prepared from sand and gravel containing silica, and their appearance is different Larger, the manufacturing process is also different.

quartz sand

The content of quartz sand in China is higher than that of silica sand, which is the main raw material for making glass. Silica sand includes ordinary silica sand, refined silica sand and high-purity silica sand. The content of silica in ordinary silica sand is between 90% and 99%, and the content of iron oxide is less than 0.02%.

The content of silica in refined silica sand is between 99% and 99.5%, and the content of iron oxide is less than 0.015%; the content of silica in high-purity silica sand is between 99.5% and 99.9%, and the content of iron oxide is less than 0.001%. Silica sand with higher purity is milky white. When the impurity content is large, silica sand will appear brownish red, light brown and other colors.

silica sand

The melting point of silica sand is about 1750°C, and the particle size is between 0.02mm and 3.35mm. It is insoluble in acids other than hydrofluoric acid, and has good chemical stability, electrical insulation, wear resistance and other characteristics. The world’s major glass consumer countries, such as Russia, the United States, Belgium and other countries, mostly use natural silica sand for glass siliceous raw materials. The quality of natural silica sand in China is relatively poor. Generally, silica sand crushed and processed by quartz sandstone is used as the raw material of glass.