Milk Fat (Butterfat) for Soap Making
Milk Fat (Butterfat) is a hard animal fat dominated by palmitic (28%), oleic (19%), stearic (12%). Its palmitic and stearic acids build a firm, long-lasting bar with a stable, creamy lather, making it a common backbone for cold process recipes.
Quick Facts
How Much Lye for Milk Fat (Butterfat)?
With a SAP value of 0.162, fully saponifying milk fat (butterfat) takes 0.162 grams of sodium hydroxide per gram of oil (at 0% superfat):
| Oil amount | NaOH (0% superfat) | KOH (liquid soap) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 16.2 g | 22.7 g |
| 500 g | 81 g | 113.5 g |
| 1000 g | 162 g | 227 g |
Real recipes use a superfat discount (typically 5%) and almost always blend several oils. Always run your full recipe through the Soaply lye calculator rather than weighing lye from a single-oil table.
Predicted Bar Properties
Derived from the fatty acid profile, for a bar made of 100% milk fat (butterfat):
Fatty Acid Profile
| Fatty acid | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Lauric | 4% |
| Myristic | 11% |
| Palmitic | 28% |
| Stearic | 12% |
| Oleic | 19% |
| Linoleic | 2% |
| Linolenic | 1% |
Substitutes for Milk Fat (Butterfat)
The closest matches by fatty acid profile, which is what actually determines how an oil behaves in soap. Swap by weight and re-run the lye calculation, since SAP values differ:
Build a recipe with Milk Fat (Butterfat)
The free Soaply calculator handles the lye math, water, superfat, and property predictions for any blend of 100 oils.
Open the lye calculatorMore Animal Fats
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