UNSPSC 12170000: Colorants

A substance that colors materials.

UNSPSC 12170000 Colorants, a Family code, encompasses chemical additives and treatment agents that state and local governments procure for infrastructure maintenance, water treatment, and facility operations—most notably rock salt treated with magnesium chloride for winter road de-icing, liquid calcium chloride for ice control, and copper sulfate for algae control in water systems. The code is being actively solicited by cities and counties with significant winter operations or water management responsibilities; Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Pasco County, Florida represent the primary recent buyers. Beyond de-icing salts and water-treatment chemicals, the code captures herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and turf-care colorants procured by school districts and county maintenance operations, though the scope remains dominated by seasonal de-icing and potable-water chemistry applications.

Recent opportunities cluster in the Midwest, Southeast, and coastal regions where winter weather or algae management drive consistent demand. The City of Pittsburgh Office of Management and Budget issued IFB 2026-IFB-127 on October 2, 2026, seeking 25,000 to 75,000 tons of bulk rock salt (dyed or non-dyed, treated with magnesium chloride) for a two-year term with firm fixed pricing and delivery to eight city locations; bids were due September 17, 2026. The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement (on behalf of the Public Works Department) released RFQ 551467 on September 30, 2026, for liquid calcium chloride—200,000 gallons for vendor-site loading and 100,000 gallons for delivery to city storage—with quotes due October 14, 2026; Detroit's equalization credit policy favors local vendors with pricing credits up to 5 percent. Pasco County, Florida solicited large copper sulfate crystals and liquid copper sulfate on an as-needed basis under RFQFP261004 (proposals due June 26, 2026) and herbicides, fertilizers, and pesticides under IFB-SP-26-074 (bids due June 16, 2026, for delivery to two county maintenance facilities). Both Pittsburgh and Detroit require firm fixed pricing with no escalation; Pittsburgh mandates MBE/WBE/VBE participation targets, and both impose strict insurance and bonding requirements typical of municipal procurement in high-volume commodity buys.