DrillingFluidAdditives.com is an independent reference on drilling fluids and their additives, such as barite, bentonite and polyanionic cellulose, and every figure on it names its source, such as API Spec 13A, 40 CFR 435 or an SPE paper.
The reference serves mud engineers, drilling and HDD contractors, water-well, geothermal and exploration drillers, procurement staff and distributors. Each of them works with drilling fluid, and each needs a number with a source behind it.
The reference covers seven areas, from fluid systems to offshore discharge rules. Its figures come from standards bodies, regulators, public records and papers. Each figure is checked against the issuing document and dated, no company pays for placement, the Drilling Fluid Additives Editorial Team writes every page, and corrections go to editorial@drillingfluidadditives.com.
What Is DrillingFluidAdditives.com?#
DrillingFluidAdditives.com is a vendor-neutral technical reference that sells no product and explains drilling fluid systems, additive classes, materials, properties, tests, problems and the rules that govern them. It is a reference, not a shop or a service company, and the site brand is the publisher.
Additive classes, such as weighting agents, viscosifiers and fluid-loss additives, are the entry point. The drilling fluid additives section groups every class with its materials and states doses with their basis, in oilfield units first, for example 10 lb/bbl (28.5 kg/m3) of the fluid being treated.
What the Reference Covers and Where It Stops#
Seven areas make up the reference, from fluid systems to offshore discharge and notification rules.
- Fluid systems (water-based, oil-based, synthetic-based, pneumatic, brine)
- Additive classes and materials (weighting agents, viscosifiers, fluid-loss additives, shale inhibitors, lost circulation materials)
- Properties and tests (mud weight, rheology, filtration)
- Problems (lost circulation, differential sticking, shale instability, bit balling, contamination)
- Applications (oil and gas, HDD, water wells, geothermal, mineral exploration, foundation support fluids, offshore, HPHT)
- Drill cuttings and drilling waste
- Discharge and notification rules (40 CFR 435, OSPAR, OCNS)
Completion and production chemistry and well cementing are separate fields; the reference covers cement only where it contaminates a mud. Equipment reviews, mud logging, jobs and training, and well-control procedure are not covered.
Where the Figures Come From#
Figures on the reference come from standards bodies, regulators, public records and peer-reviewed or society papers, and a supplier data sheet is cited only for the product it describes. A standard or regulator outranks a data sheet, and a newer official source replaces an older one.
The table below lists one source type per row, with a dated example instrument and what that source supplies.
| Source | Example instrument | Supplies |
|---|---|---|
| American Petroleum Institute (API) | API Spec 13A, 19th edition (2019), the current edition (API Standards Plan, checked 2026-10-27); API RP 13B-1, 6th edition (2026); API RP 13B-2, 6th edition (2023); API RP 13D, 8th edition (2026) | Material grades and requirement values; field test procedures; rheology and hydraulics |
| ISO | ISO 13500:2008 with Cor 1:2009 and Amd 1:2010, the ISO counterpart of API Spec 13A | International material specification |
| US EPA (through eCFR) | 40 CFR 435, Subpart A, section 435.13 (offshore discharge); 40 CFR 261.4(b)(5) (exclusion of exploration and production wastes from hazardous waste) | US discharge limits and waste status |
| OSPAR Commission | OSPAR Decision 2000/3 (in force 16 January 2001); OSPAR Agreement 2013-06, Update 2026 (the PLONOR list) | North-East Atlantic rules on oil-based fluids and cuttings; substances that pose little or no risk |
| Cefas | Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme (OCNS), UK and Netherlands | Offshore chemical hazard ranking |
| Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljodirektoratet) | Offshore chemical color categories green, yellow, red and black | Norwegian offshore chemical status |
| ECHA | EU CLP harmonized entries and C&L notifications | Classification and labeling of materials |
| USGS | Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (February 2026) | Dated supply and unit-value records |
| IADC | Drilling fluids chapter of the IADC drilling manual | Field formulas, such as hydrostatic pressure on true vertical depth |
| SPE and AADE | Papers cited by number and year, for example AADE-24-FTCE-102 | Laboratory and field results |
| Supplier data sheets | Label "typical value of {product} ({company}) data sheet" | One product's typical values, never a requirement |
Each figure on the reference names its source and edition in the sentence that states it.
An API or ISO value is a requirement, while a data-sheet value is printed as "typical value of {product} ({company}) data sheet" and never as a requirement or a class limit. ISO 13500 is the ISO counterpart of API Spec 13A, not an identical text.
How Figures Are Checked, Dated and Corrected#
Every figure is checked against the issuing document before it is published, and every standard is cited with its edition and year, for example API RP 13B-1, 6th edition (2026), and API RP 13B-2, 6th edition (2023).
Regulations are cited with instrument and section, such as 40 CFR 435.13, and an edition check carries its check date, such as API Standards Plan, checked 2026-10-27. Units run oilfield first with SI in brackets, so a temperature reads 250 degF (121 degC).
Sources are read and conflicting values are resolved under the published methodology and fact-checking rules.
Readers report an error to editorial@drillingfluidadditives.com. A corrected figure carries the date of the correction, and a value that cannot be confirmed against its source is left out, not hedged.
Independence: No Paid Rankings and No Products Sold#
No company pays to appear, to be ranked or to be described on DrillingFluidAdditives.com, and the reference sells no drilling fluid product.
Company names appear only as sourced market facts or as the named source of one product value, and no company is ranked or promoted. The quote and service request forms forward each request to independent suppliers and service providers; the reference does not name the recipients and promises no response time or number of replies. Requests are forwarded to independent suppliers and service providers. No company pays to be listed or ranked here; see the editorial policy.
Grades and doses are written against the standard, not against a brand.
Who Writes the Reference#
The Drilling Fluid Additives Editorial Team writes and maintains every page, and the site brand is the publisher. The byline on every page is the team name, and no individual author is named.
A reader checks the cited source, edition and date next to each figure instead of a name.
How to Reach the Editors#
The editors read every message sent to editorial@drillingfluidadditives.com, the address for corrections, source suggestions and questions about a page. The contact page gives the same address for corrections and source suggestions. The address does not take product orders, because the reference sells no product.
A correction report helps most with the page URL, the figure and the source the reader holds.
Where to Start in the Reference#
A drilling fluid system, an additive class or a rule is the natural starting point for a new reader, and ten starting points are listed below.
- types of drilling fluids: water-based, oil-based, synthetic and brine systems
- drilling fluid materials A to Z: every material with grade and safety
- drilling fluid properties: density, rheology, filtration
- drilling fluid problems: losses, sticking, instability
- drilling fluids by application: oil and gas, HDD, water wells, geothermal
- drilling fluids and the environment: cuttings, waste, discharge
- drilling fluid standards and rules: API, ISO, EPA and OSPAR
- drilling fluid companies: how to compare suppliers and service companies
- mud engineer: how mud engineering services are scoped
- request quotes from drilling fluid additive suppliers: the supplier request page, a text link with no form
Material quote requests go through the supplier request page in the last item, and this page carries no form.
How Reader Data Is Handled#
The site runs no analytics or advertising vendor and keeps data sent through its forms for 24 months. The privacy policy sets out how form data is kept and for how long.