Denatured alcohol vs isopropyl alcohol
Updated: 23 October 2026
The search has put a purple meths bottle next to a clear 99.9% isopropyl, and both pages say alcohol. They are not the same liquid. This denatured alcohol vs isopropyl page says which molecule you are holding and which job wants which bottle. Isopropyl listings were removed from our [denatured alcohol comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/denatured-alcohol). Prices are the amazon.co.uk figures stored on 21 October 2026. Peter F. did not run a lab comparison. If you buy through a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The search has put a purple meths bottle next to a clear 99.9% isopropyl, and both pages say alcohol. They are not the same liquid.
The search has put a purple meths bottle next to a clear 99.9% isopropyl, and both pages say alcohol. They are not the same liquid. This denatured alcohol vs isopropyl page says which molecule you are holding and which job wants which bottle. Isopropyl listings were removed from our denatured alcohol comparison. Prices are the amazon.co.uk figures stored on 21 October 2026. Peter F. did not run a lab comparison. If you buy through a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Class | Denaturants named | Strength listed | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres | Denatured ethyl alcohol | 1% IPA, 1% butanone, 1 g/100 L Bitrex | 96% | 7.6 | about £34.98 | View offer |
 Barrettine Barrettine mineralised methylated spirit, 500 ml | Mineralised methylated spirit | n/a | n/a | 9.0 | about £6.13 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Bird Brand Bird Brand methylated spirits, 500 ml | Methylated spirits | n/a | n/a | 6.6 | about £8.99 | View offer |
Two liquids
Denatured alcohol on a UK shelf is ethanol made unfit to drink. Completely denatured alcohol is the public grade. Excise Notice 473 sets 3 parts isopropyl alcohol and 3 parts methyl ethyl ketone per 100 parts alcohol, plus denatonium benzoate. The bulk is still ethanol. GOV.UK treats isopropyl as its own chemical, used in cleaners, sanitisers and de-icers.
Bartoline's meths sheet shows about 1–5% isopropyl and butanone. Barrettine prints no percentage. The 6 litre B2C bullet prints about 1% isopropyl and 1% butanone, and it is still ethanol. Do not paste a blog's methanol figure onto a UK meths bottle.
What the shop labels are doing
Meths and completely denatured alcohol are the household names. Mineralised is the older wording for CDA. Rubbing alcohol removed from this batch was 70% isopropyl. Alcohol on its own is not an ingredient.
Hexeal 99.9% was £8.49 a litre and £21.49 for five litres. A 70% rubbing alcohol was £6.95. They left because the chemical is isopropanol. IDA is not isopropyl either, and it is not a heating fuel under Notice 473. The 96% check is on the denatured alcohol buying guide.
Which job
French polish wants methylated spirits. Priory's thinning guide is written for meths, not for 99.9% IPA. Violet dye can tint pale timber. That is not a reason to switch to isopropyl.
Electronics pages usually mean IPA, and you still follow the equipment maker. A Trangia in Britain is specified for methylated spirits. Do not fill it with IPA, white spirit or fireplace bioethanol. The fill rules are on methylated spirits for a Trangia.
What not to copy from a blog
UK CDA is not ethanol plus methanol. A 5% methanol line invents an ingredient Barrettine does not state, and it overwrites the 1% bullet on the 6 litre B2C file. Follow the bottle's safety sheet and Notice 473.
The Hexeal prices were real, and those bottles left this set. They can be the right buy for a contact cleaner the label actually is. They are the wrong buy for shellac or a meths burner. The conditional top pick is on best methylated spirits.
Common questions
Is isopropyl alcohol denatured alcohol?
No. Isopropyl alcohol is isopropanol, its own flammable liquid, used in cleaners, disinfectants, sanitisers and de-icers on GOV.UK’s note. Denatured alcohol in a UK meths bottle is ethanol made unfit to drink. Completely denatured alcohol does include some isopropyl as a denaturant, at 3 parts per 100 parts alcohol in Notice 473. That dose does not turn the bottle into isopropyl, and a 99.9% IPA bottle is not meths.
Why were the Hexeal bottles removed?
Because they are not denatured ethanol. The batch included Hexeal 99.9% isopropyl at £8.49 for 1 litre, the same 99.9% as 5 × 1 litre at £21.49, and Hexeal 70% rubbing alcohol at £6.95. Large review counts made them look established. The chemical is isopropanol, so they were taken out of this comparison. A star line cannot convert one alcohol into the other.
Which one thins shellac?
Methylated spirits, which is denatured ethanol, is the solvent French-polish makers specify. Shellac dissolves in that alcohol. A 99.9% isopropyl bottle is the wrong default if the instructions say meths. Violet dye in a meths such as Barrettine can still tint pale timber, so the right fix is a clear CDA, not a swap to IPA. B2C’s 96% listing does not name French polish.
Which one do electronics pages usually mean?
They usually mean isopropyl alcohol, for contacts and a fast dry, and they still expect you to follow the equipment maker. A workshop note that mentions methylated spirit often adds a residue warning and treats it as the other liquid. One B2C review said the denatured ethanol evaporated a little more slowly than IPA. That comment does not make the 96% bottle a contact cleaner, and it does not make IPA into shellac solvent.
Does UK CDA already contain some isopropyl?
Yes. Notice 473 puts 3 parts isopropyl alcohol and 3 parts methyl ethyl ketone into every 100 parts alcohol, plus denatonium benzoate. Bartoline’s retail sheet shows a smaller band, about 1–5% isopropyl and 1–5% butanone, in that brand’s meths. The 6 litre B2C bullet prints about 1% isopropyl and 1% butanone. In each case the isopropyl is an ingredient in an ethanol product. It is not a reason to buy a bottle that is only IPA.
Can you swap them in a Trangia?
Do not. Trangia’s Great Britain fuel line is methylated spirits, an alcohol fuel the burner guide names, with petrol, diesel, kerosene and lamp oil excluded. A 99.9% isopropyl sanitiser is not that line. Use a meths bottle whose listing or manual matches the stove, and follow the fill rules on the camping page. A fireplace that asks for bioethanol is a third fuel again, not a cue to pour IPA or meths into the wrong appliance.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices in the product files were stored on 21.10.2026.
- HMRC, Excise Notice 473 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Denatured Alcohol Regulations 2005, schedule (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- HMRC, DNALC1150 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Bartoline methylated spirits safety data sheet (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Priory Polishes methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Smith & Rodger clear methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Trangia fuel list (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Scouts, FS120348 meths burning stove (retrieved 21.10.2026)