FX Degreaser
The workhorse your whole workshop runs on
One drum, most jobs — oils, grease and grime off steel at 5–15%, day after day.
The workhorse your whole workshop runs on
Most cleaning jobs in a workshop are not exotic: machining oil on fixtures, grease on fasteners, handling grime on parts heading to inspection. FX Degreaser exists for exactly that middle of the bell curve — a general-purpose alkaline that runs lean at 5–15%, works from 50 °C, and rinses clean without fuss.
Running lean is the quiet advantage. At 10% working strength, a 20-litre drum makes 200 litres of bath — which is why FX costs less per cleaned basket than almost anything else in the range. Pair it with the weir and filtration on a Misonics tank and one make-up runs for weeks.
Its limit is deliberate: FX is built for ferrous and stainless work. When the soil turns to baked carbon it hands over to MetalTek 100; when the substrate turns to alloy, to the ALLOYSolve system. What it does, it does cheaply, predictably and without drama — which is precisely what a default should do.
Where it earns its keep
General workshop degreasing; pre-inspection cleaning; maintenance washdown parts.
Dose: 5–15% v/v (normal use 10%). The trial sets your exact process values; the TDS governs.
The working process
A freshly cleaned ferrous part is chemically active — protective films gone, surface warm and wet, rinse ions acting as electrolyte. Rust bloom can start within the hour. DI water rinsing slows it; protection stops it.
Inhibitor in the final rinse before hot-air drying, an Anti-Rust dip between processes, or a water-displacing film for storage — matched to the next process. Tell us what happens next and the protection specifies itself.
Right product, right job
FX — everyday soils
Oils, grease, workshop grime at lowest cost per basket.
MetalTek 100
Baked carbon, paint and rust — the heavy step up
View →Delivered within Australia. Outside Australia, request a delivered price.
Anti-RustStops flash rust on cleaned steelView & buy →
| Mild & carbon steel | Safe in prescribed use |
| Stainless steel | Safe in prescribed use |
| Cast iron | Safe in prescribed use |
| Aluminium & titanium | Aluminium only inside the window: 5% v/v max, 50 °C max, 5 min, then rinse at once; titanium on the list |
| Magnesium & soft alloys | Do not use |
| Zinc & galvanised | Do not use |
| Copper & brass | Copper and brass tarnish in alkali — test first |
| Plated finishes (Cd·Cr·Ni) | Chrome plating and nickel listed; cadmium attacked |
| Plastics & rubbers | HDPE · PP · PVC · nitrile · EPDM · Viton on the TDS list |
| Painted / coated surfaces | May be affected — test first |
| Transport | Not classified as Dangerous Goods for road and rail |
This is not a single-use chemical
A common misconception treats industrial chemistry like dishwater — used once, tipped out. A defended bath of FX Degreaser works for weeks of production: weir oil separation and filtration defend the bath, solids leave through the filter, and the chemistry keeps working until genuine depletion.
Change out on evidence, not anxiety: when cycle times stretch or results fade at correct concentration, the bath has earned its retirement. Top-ups at specification carry it between changes.
- Skim or weir oils continuously — oil load is bath killer #1
- Filter solids; drain settled sludge from the sump
- Verify concentration on schedule per the TDS check method
- Log it — the trend predicts top-ups before cleaning fades
Drum and bath, both looked after
- Handling: Avoid eye contact and skin contact.
- Avoid inhalation of vapour, mist or aerosols.
- Storage: Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place and out of direct sunlight.
- Store away from foodstuffs.
- Store away from incompatible materials described in Section 10.
- Store away from sources of heat and/or ignition.
- Keep container standing upright.
- Keep containers closed when not in use - check regularly for leaks.
Lid the tank between shifts — holds temperature, limits evaporation, keeps dust out.
Idle periods: a warm, stagnant aqueous bath can support biological growth over extended stagnation. Circulate periodically, keep concentration at specification, never leave an open tank standing for weeks.
Extended shutdown: drain to sealed, labelled containers — or schedule changeover for restart day.
The icons on the label, and what they mean
These are the manufacturer’s own label marks, not third-party certifications. Where a named approval exists it is listed in full on this page. The compatibility table above is what governs.
The paperwork, on the page
Hazard identification
| H314 | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. |
| P102 | Keep out of reach of children. |
| P103 | Read carefully and follow all instructions. |
| P260 | Do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray. |
| P264 | Wash hands, face and all exposed skin thoroughly after handling. |
| P280 | Wear protective gloves/protective clothing including eye/face protection. |
| P101 | If medical advice is needed, have product container or label at hand. |
PPE & exposure controls
- National occupational exposure limits: TWA STEL NOTICES ppm mg/m3 ppm mg/m3 Potassium hydroxide - 2 Peak - - - limitation As published by Safe Work Australia.
- TWA - The time-weighted average airborne concentration over an eight-hour working day, for a five-day working week over an entire working life.
- STEL (Short Term Exposure Limit) - the average airborne concentration over a 15 minute period which should not be exceeded at any time during a normal eight-hour workday.
- These Exposure Standards are guides to be used in the control of occupational health hazards.
- All atmospheric contamination should be kept to as low a level as is workable.
- These exposure standards should not be used as fine dividing lines between safe and dangerous concentrations of chemicals.
- They are not a measure of relative toxicity.
- If the directions for use on the product label are followed, exposure of individuals using the product should not Product Name:
- FX Degreaser Reference No: KT-CC-FXD Issued: 2023-05-01 Version: 1.1 Safety Data Sheet exceed the above standard.
- The standard was created for workers who are routinely, potentially exposed during product manufacture.
First aid
- If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or Poisons Information Centre (Phone Australia 131 126, New Zealand 0800 764 766).
- Inhalation: Remove victim from exposure - avoid becoming a casualty.
- Remove contaminated clothing and loosen remaining clothing.
- Allow patient to assume most comfortable position and keep warm.
- Keep at rest until fully recovered.
- Seek medical advice if effects persist.
- Skin Contact: If skin or hair contact occurs, remove contaminated clothing and flush skin and hair with running water.
- If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation occurs seek medical assistance.
- For gross contamination, immediately drench with water and remove clothing.
- Continue to flush skin and hair with plenty of water (and soap if material is insoluble).
Storage & handling
- Handling: Avoid eye contact and skin contact.
- Avoid inhalation of vapour, mist or aerosols.
- Storage: Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place and out of direct sunlight.
- Store away from foodstuffs.
- Store away from incompatible materials described in Section 10.
- Store away from sources of heat and/or ignition.
- Keep container standing upright.
- Keep containers closed when not in use - check regularly for leaks.
Disposal
- Persons conducting disposal, recycling or reclamation activities should ensure that appropriate personal protection equipment is used, see "Section 8.
- Exposure Controls and Personal Protection" of this SDS.
- If possible material and its container should be recycled.
- If material or container cannot be recycled, dispose in accordance with local, regional, national and international Regulations.
Transport & dangerous goods
- Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the "Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail" and the "New Zealand NZS5433:
- Transport of Dangerous Goods on Land".
- MARINE TRANSPORT Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) for transport by sea.
- AIR TRANSPORT Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations for transport by air.
Asked at the tank
What dilution and temperature do I run?
Why do my parts flash rust after cleaning?
When do I change the bath?
Can algae grow in the bath if it sits unused?
Can I get the SDS before buying?
See also: Ultrasonic degreaser: how to choose.
Not sure which chemical? See which chemical for which metal and soil.
Prove it on your parts
The trial pairs FX Degreaser with your components — concentration, temperature and cycle documented before you order a drum. Wrong chemistry for your soil? The trial says so.
Filter bags for this bath
The bag is what keeps the bath working — it takes the soil out before it settles back onto the next load. This is a strong alkaline bath, and that rules the media in and out before micron rating comes into it.
Rated to pH 14. This is what it is for. Start at 25 µm unless something downstream needs finer.