Oil reference

Soapmaking oils: SAP values, fatty acids and sources

Name: Soap Ledger oil reference: saponification (SAP) values and fatty-acid profiles
Creator: Soap Ledger
License: https://soapledger.com/oils/#license

The saponification (SAP) value says how much lye one gram of an oil needs to become soap. Here are the values Soap Ledger uses for 131 oils, butters and waxes, with the published source behind every number.

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131 oils

SAP values in grams of pure alkali per gram of oil, iodine value and INS
Oil	SAP NaOH	SAP KOH	Iodine	INS
Abyssinian oil (crambe seed oil)	0.119	0.166	—	—
Almond butter (cosmetic blend)	0.134	0.188	—	—
Aloe butter (coconut oil + aloe blend)	0.175	0.245	—	—
Andiroba oil	0.135	0.189	59	130
Apricot kernel oil	0.135	0.190	102	88
Argan oil	0.138	0.194	101	94
Avocado butter (cosmetic blend)	0.134	0.188	—	—
Avocado oil	0.135	0.189	88	102
Babassu oil	0.179	0.251	14	237
Baobab seed oil	0.135	0.190	—	—
Beeswax	0.064	0.090	—	—
Black cumin seed oil (nigella)	0.139	0.195	—	—
Black currant seed oil	0.135	0.190	—	—
Borage seed oil	0.134	0.188	—	—
Brazil nut oil	0.136	0.191	—	—
Broccoli seed oil	0.127	0.178	—	—
Buriti fruit oil	0.135	0.190	76	114
Camelina seed oil	0.132	0.186	—	—
Camellia (tea seed) oil	0.136	0.191	85	106
Candelilla wax	0.038	0.054	—	—
Canola oil (low-erucic rapeseed)	0.134	0.188	116	72
Canola oil, high oleic	0.133	0.187	—	—
Carrot seed oil (cold-pressed)	0.136	0.191	—	—
Castor oil	0.129	0.182	85	97
Chicken fat (schmaltz)	0.136	0.190	81	109
Cocoa butter	0.137	0.192	39	153
Coconut oil	0.183	0.257	9	248
Coconut oil, 92°F (hydrogenated)	0.184	0.258	—	—
Corn (maize) oil	0.136	0.191	119	72
Cottonseed oil	0.138	0.194	112	82
Cranberry seed oil	0.135	0.190	—	—
Cupuaçu butter	0.134	0.188	—	—
Deer tallow (venison fat)	0.139	0.194	—	—
Emu oil	0.138	0.194	60	134
Evening primrose oil	0.135	0.189	155	34
Flaxseed (linseed) oil	0.136	0.191	—	—
Fractionated coconut oil (MCT, caprylic/capric triglyceride)	0.239	0.335	—	—
Ghee (clarified butter)	0.160	0.224	—	—
Goat tallow (goat fat)	0.139	0.194	—	—
Goose fat	0.137	0.192	83	110
Grapeseed oil	0.136	0.191	139	52
Hazelnut oil	0.136	0.191	85	106
Hemp seed oil	0.136	0.191	—	—
Horse oil (horse fat)	0.143	0.200	80	120
Illipe butter (Borneo tallow)	0.135	0.190	32	159
Japan wax (sumac wax)	0.153	0.215	—	—
Jatropha oil (physic nut)	0.138	0.194	105	89
Jojoba oil (liquid wax)	0.065	0.092	—	—
Karanja oil (pongamia)	0.136	0.191	76	114
Kokum butter	0.135	0.189	36	153
Kpangnan butter (Pentadesma)	0.130	0.182	57	126
Kukui nut oil (candlenut)	0.135	0.190	168	23
Lanolin (wool wax)	0.070	0.098	—	—
Lard (pork fat)	0.141	0.198	60	138
Laurel berry oil (bay laurel fruit oil)	0.143	0.200	—	—
Lauric acid	0.200	0.280	0	280
Luffa (loofah) seed oil	0.137	0.192	108	84
Macadamia nut oil	0.139	0.195	75	120
Mafura butter (Trichilia emetica)	0.135	0.190	45	145
Mamey sapote seed oil (sapuyul)	0.141	0.198	60	138
Mango seed butter	0.135	0.189	45	145
Mango seed oil (liquid fraction)	0.137	0.192	—	—
Marula oil	0.137	0.192	73	119
Meadowfoam seed oil	0.119	0.168	—	—
Milk fat (butterfat)	0.162	0.228	36	192
Milk thistle seed oil	0.134	0.188	104	84
Mink oil	0.143	0.200	—	—
Monoï de Tahiti (tiare-infused coconut oil)	0.182	0.255	9	247
Moringa seed oil (ben oil)	0.128	0.180	68	112
Mowrah butter (mahua / Indian illipe)	0.137	0.192	64	128
Murumuru butter	0.168	0.235	10	225
Mustard seed oil (kachi ghani)	0.125	0.176	109	68
Myristic acid	0.175	0.245	0	245
Neatsfoot oil	0.141	0.198	—	—
Neem seed oil	0.139	0.196	74	122
Oat kernel oil	0.136	0.191	—	—
Oleic acid	0.142	0.200	—	—
Olive oil	0.135	0.190	85	106
Olive pomace oil	0.134	0.188	84	104
Ostrich oil	0.140	0.197	71	125
Palm kernel flakes (hydrogenated palm kernel oil)	0.178	0.250	—	—
Palm kernel oil	0.173	0.242	18	224
Palm oil	0.142	0.200	53	147
Palm olein	0.141	0.198	58	140
Palm stearin	0.142	0.199	36	164
Palmitic acid	0.155	0.217	0	217
Papaya seed oil	0.138	0.194	80	114
Passion fruit seed oil (maracuja)	0.132	0.185	97	87
Peach kernel oil	0.136	0.191	—	—
Peanut (groundnut) oil	0.137	0.192	97	95
Pecan oil	0.133	0.187	—	—
Perilla seed oil	0.137	0.192	200	-8
Pistachio oil	0.137	0.192	—	—
Plum kernel oil	0.135	0.190	105	85
Pomegranate seed oil	0.133	0.187	—	—
Poppy seed oil	0.138	0.193	137	57
Pracaxi seed oil	0.127	0.178	—	—
Pumpkin seed oil	0.138	0.193	117	76
Red palm oil / butter (unbleached palm oil)	0.142	0.200	53	147
Red raspberry seed oil	0.134	0.188	—	—
Rice bran oil	0.135	0.190	103	87
Rosehip seed oil	0.135	0.189	170	19
Sacha inchi oil	0.138	0.194	193	1
Safflower oil (high-linoleic / standard)	0.137	0.192	142	50
Safflower oil, high oleic	0.135	0.190	90	100
Sal butter (sal seed fat)	0.135	0.190	—	—
Salmon oil	0.131	0.184	—	—
Saw palmetto extract (lipophilic fruit extract)	0.164	0.230	—	—
Sea buckthorn oil (fruit and seed)	0.136	0.191	—	—
Sea buckthorn seed oil	0.135	0.190	—	—
Sesame oil	0.136	0.191	112	79
Shea butter	0.130	0.182	59	123
Shea oil (fractionated shea olein)	0.130	0.183	—	—
Sheep tallow (mutton fat)	0.140	0.196	47	150
Sour cherry kernel oil (Prunus cerasus)	0.131	0.184	—	—
Soy wax (fully hydrogenated soybean oil)	0.134	0.188	—	—
Soybean oil	0.137	0.192	132	61
Soybean oil, partially hydrogenated (27.5%)	0.136	0.191	—	—
Stearic acid	0.145	0.203	—	—
Sunflower oil, high oleic	0.134	0.188	84	104
Sunflower seed oil	0.136	0.191	130	62
Sweet almond oil	0.139	0.195	99	96
Sweet cherry kernel oil (Prunus avium)	0.137	0.192	—	—
Tallow (edible, beef)	0.140	0.196	47	150
Tamanu oil (kamani)	0.139	0.195	—	—
Tucuma seed butter	0.168	0.236	—	—
Ucuuba butter	0.164	0.231	—	—
Walnut oil	0.138	0.193	143	50
Watermelon seed oil	0.140	0.196	—	—
Wheat germ oil	0.134	0.189	123	66
Yangu oil (cape chestnut)	0.137	0.193	—	—

SAP in grams of pure NaOH or KOH per gram of oil, rounded here to 3 decimals (each oil's page shows the full value). “—” means we have no sourced value yet.

Where these numbers come from

Each SAP value starts from a published saponification value in mg KOH per gram: the midpoint of the range in a primary standard (Codex Alimentarius or a pharmacopoeia) where one exists, otherwise the median of the published sources we checked. It is converted with the molar masses of KOH (56.106) and NaOH (39.997):

g KOH per g oil = mg KOH/g ÷ 1000
g NaOH per g oil = g KOH per g oil × 39.997 ÷ 56.106

No values were copied from other soap calculators. Oils whose value we could not source, or that we withheld after checking, are not listed here. Fatty-acid profiles come from food standards, the USDA, papers and supplier specifications, and are shown as % of total fatty acids.

Real oils vary by origin, grade and lot. Your supplier's certificate of analysis beats any table, including this one. Use the free lye calculator to work out a recipe with these values.

Using these numbers

You're welcome to quote these values; please link to the oil's page here and credit the original sources listed on it. They are offered as reference facts with no warranty and are not a safety or compliance certification. The full list is also available as JSON.

Catalog catalog-2026.10.1. Last updated October 12, 2026.