How Effective is Rock Salt?
Pavement Temp(F) | How Much One Pound of Salt Melts | Melting Time |
---|---|---|
30 | 46.3 lbs of ice | 5 minutes |
25 | 14.4 lbs of ice | 10 minutes |
20 | 8.6 lbs of ice | 20 minutes |
15 | 6.3 lbs of ice | 1 hour |
10 | 4.9 lbs of ice | Salt becomes ineffective and will most likely blow away before it melts anything. |
5 | 4.1 lbs of ice | Salt becomes ineffective and will most likely blow away before it melts anything. |
0 | 3.7 lbs of ice | Salt becomes ineffective and will most likely blow away before it melts anything. |
-6 | 3.2 lbs of ice | Salt becomes ineffective and will most likely blow away before it melts anything. |

Key Points:
- Everthing is based off of pavement temperature. Air temperature and wind chill has no bearing on effectiveness of salt.-
- As the temperatures decrease, you have to decide whether to apply more salt per area, which is not cost-effective or sometimes practical, or choose another form of de-icer.