Product comparisons
Water Softener Salt compared, with a verified Canadian price.
9 products verified · checked Oct 7, 2026
For anyone who already owns a salt-based softener — any brand, not just the six compared on our water softeners page — and needs to keep buying salt. Southwestern Ontario well water is hard and often carries clear-water iron alongside it, so this page covers plain pellets, plain crystals, solar-evaporated rock crystals, rust-fighting pellets, and sodium-free potassium chloride, each priced per kilogram so a $179 bag and a $9 bag of the same-sized salt are actually comparable. Several rows below show the identical product sold by two different Canadian retailers at two different prices the same week — proof that the bag price on any one page is a snapshot, not a floor.
Evaporated salt — pellets & crystals
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
| Product | Type | Bag weight | Price per kg | Purity | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windsor Clean and Protect 4-in-1 Water Softener Salt Pellets (18.1 kg) Windsor Salt | Pellet (evaporated salt) | 18.1 kg (39.9 lb) | $0.50/kg | 99.7% pure, vacuum-granulated (stated on the product page) | $8.99as of Oct 7, 2026 Rona.ca → | The everyday pellet bag Southwestern Ontario hardware stores sell by the pallet — 99.7% pure, vacuum-granulated, and the cheapest verified bag in this whole table by a wide margin. More+ Lowest verified price per kg of any bag in this table — about one-fifteenth the per-kg cost of the same-brand pellets bought through Amazon – Sold online-only through RONA at this exact price — check your nearest Home Depot, Canadian Tire, or Giant Tiger too, since big-box salt pricing moves around with local promotions |
Sifto Crystal Plus Water Softener Salt (20 kg) Sifto | Crystal (evaporated salt) | 20 kg (44.1 lb) | $0.42/kg (Home Depot) · $1.00/kg (Costco.ca) | Pure 99.8% evaporated salt (stated on the product page) | $8.48as of Oct 7, 2026 Home Depot Canada →$19.99as of Oct 7, 2026 Costco.ca → | A 99.8%-pure evaporated salt crystal with a rust-inhibiting "ResinClean" formula, sold at two very different prices by two different Canadian big-box chains the same week — the clearest case in this table for comparing before you buy. More+ Inhibits rust build-up and stains despite being the plain-crystal option, per Home Depot's own product copy – Costco.ca's online price is more than double Home Depot's for the exact same bag, and Costco's delivery option requires a 3-unit minimum order — check in-warehouse pricing before buying online |
Morton Salt 1499 System Saver Pellets (25 lb) Morton | Pellet (granular evaporated salt) | 25 lb (11.3 kg) | $7.25/kg | Not stated on the product page | A smaller, lighter 25 lb bag aimed at households that use less salt or can't lift a full 40 lb bag — contains resin-cleaning additives and is endorsed by several softener brands, per Morton's own listing. More+ Easier to lift and handle than a 40 lb bag, with resin-cleaning additives built in to reduce iron build-up – Among the most expensive salt in this table per kilogram on Amazon — the Windsor Clean and Protect pellets above are $0.50/kg through RONA, and multiple Canadian reviewers on this listing itself say they pay far less for an equivalent bag at a local hardware store | |
Diamond Crystal Water Softener Salt Pellets (50 lb) Diamond Crystal (Cargill) | Pellet (evaporated salt) | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | $17.07/kg | Up to 99.8% pure (stated on the product page) | A well-known U.S. softener-salt brand's largest bag in this table, 99.8% pure and NSF certified — but priced so far above its Home Depot/RONA-sold competitors on Amazon.ca that even the product's own Canadian reviewers call out the markup. More+ NSF certified, compacted pellets formulated to resist mushing and bridging in the brine tank, per the manufacturer's own description – By far the most expensive salt per kilogram in this entire table — a Canadian reviewer on the listing itself asks "combien de poche pas 357 pour une poche" (how is this not $357 for one bag); the Windsor and Sifto pellet/crystal bags above are ordinary evaporated salt at $0.42-$0.50/kg, roughly a thirty-fourth of this bag's per-kg price — buy this specific brand in person if you can, not on Amazon |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Solar & natural rock crystals
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
| Product | Type | Bag weight | Price per kg | Purity | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windsor Pure and Natural Water Softener Crystals (18.1 kg) Windsor Salt | Crystal (natural salt) | 18.1 kg (39.9 lb) | $0.55/kg | Described as "high purity" and "all natural" on the product page — no numeric percentage stated | $9.97as of Oct 7, 2026 Home Depot Canada → | Windsor's all-natural crystal salt, sold in-stock at ordinary Canadian hardware-store prices — the honest comparison point against the solar crystal bag below that Amazon prices nearly 20 times higher per kilogram. More+ Natural crystal salt at the same low per-kg price range as Windsor's own pellet bag — no reason to pay Amazon's solar-salt markup if a crystal product is what's needed – No numeric purity percentage published, unlike the 99.7-99.8% figures the pellet brands in this table state outright |
Morton Solar Salt Water Softening Crystals (40 lb) Morton | Crystal (solar salt) | 40 lb (18.4 kg) | $9.75/kg | Not stated on the product page | Solar-evaporated salt crystals rather than mechanically compacted pellets — the traditional, less-processed form, sold on Amazon.ca at a price its own Canadian and American reviewers repeatedly flag as a huge markup over in-store. More+ Traditional solar-evaporated crystal form, for softeners or owners who prefer crystal salt over compacted pellets – One U.S. reviewer on this exact listing writes "the product is great but please buy from your local retailer, e.g. Home Depot — it is much cheaper there than Amazon"; a Canadian reviewer calls the Amazon price "a +2000% premium" — the Windsor Pure and Natural crystals above are the same crystal form at $0.55/kg through Home Depot, about a seventeenth of this bag's per-kg price |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Iron-fighting / rust-removing pellets
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
| Product | Type | Bag weight | Price per kg | Purity | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windsor Clean and Protect Clean Care Water Softener Salt Pellets (18.1 kg) Windsor Salt | Pellet (evaporated salt, iron-fighting additive) | 18.1 kg (39.9 lb) | $0.61/kg | Not stated as a numeric percentage; same pellet line as Windsor's standard Clean and Protect | $10.99as of Oct 7, 2026 Rona.ca → | The rust-fighting variant of Windsor's standard 4-in-1 pellets — RONA's own product copy states it removes 15 times more iron, aimed at exactly the clear-water-iron staining Southwestern Ontario well water is known for. More+ RONA's own description states it removes 15 times more iron than standard pellets, directly targeting rust stains on faucets and tubs – Rust-removing salt pellets help with staining caused by clear-water iron passing through the resin bed — they are not a substitute for a dedicated iron filter if your water has heavier iron or sulphur odour; see our water softeners comparison for that distinction |
Morton Rust Remover Super Pellets Salt (40 lb) Morton | Pellet (evaporated salt, iron-fighting additive) | 40 lb (18.1 kg) | $4.69/kg | Not stated on the product page | Morton's own iron-fighting pellet line, sold on Amazon.ca at a price closer to the rest of this table than some of its Amazon-only competitors above, though still well above what the same brand's plain pellets cost at retail. More+ Same Morton Rust Remover formula sold at Canadian hardware stores, available with Amazon delivery for anyone without easy access to one – Still roughly nine times the per-kg price of Windsor's rust-fighting pellets bought through RONA — compare the per-kg figures above before choosing a retailer |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Potassium chloride (sodium-free)
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
| Product | Type | Bag weight | Price per kg | Purity | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nature's Own Water Softener Potassium Chloride Crystals (20 kg) Nature's Own (Sifto) | Crystal (potassium chloride, sodium-free) | 20 kg (44.1 lb) | $2.06/kg (Home Depot) · $2.20/kg (Canadian Tire) | 99% sodium-free (stated on the Home Depot product page) — not a sodium chloride purity figure | $41.24as of Oct 7, 2026 Home Depot Canada →$43.99as of Oct 7, 2026 Canadian Tire → | A sodium-free alternative for households on a sodium-restricted diet or with a septic system sensitive to sodium discharge — sold under the same Nature's Own name at two different Canadian retailers, at two different prices, the same week. More+ Reduces sodium in softened water and in the chloride discharged to a septic field or municipal system, versus an ordinary sodium chloride softener salt – Roughly four times the per-kg price of ordinary sodium chloride pellets bought at the same kind of store (compare against the Windsor and Sifto rows above) — budget for that before switching, and most softener manuals ask for a higher hardness-setting dial once you switch to potassium chloride, since it exchanges hardness less efficiently per pound than sodium chloride does |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Also on Amazon.ca
A few things most owners of the systems above end up buying anyway — verified on Amazon.ca's own page, same rules as the table.
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
Savant Salt Level Detector for Water Softener (SD-559)
A wireless sensor that alarms before the brine tank runs dry, so a salt bridge or an empty tank doesn't quietly let hard water back into the house between top-ups.
Res Care F-RO12N Rust Out Water Softener Cleaner and Iron Remover (1.5 lb)
Even rust-fighting salt pellets need periodic help — this cleaner strips iron and buildup from the resin bed that salt alone, pellet or crystal, can't remove on its own.
Water Hardness Test Kit, 5-Pad Strips (150 count, 0-425 ppm)
Switching salt type or brand is a guess without knowing your actual hardness in grains per gallon first — these strips read it directly from a glass of tap water.
Remco Heavy-Duty Scoop, 82 oz
A dedicated scoop for pouring pellets or crystals into the brine tank, sized to lift a useful amount per scoop without straining a 40-50 lb bag.
Reviewed by John Moelker
Founder, CompareLocal.ca · Oxford County, Ontario · Updated Oct 7, 2026 · How we choose
Near you: Woodstock, Stratford, St. Thomas — local water, utility and installer notes for water.
How we chose
We only publish a row once we've opened its actual Canadian retail page ourselves and read the price and bag weight off it — see the "as of" date and source link on every row, and the computed price-per-kilogram figure next to it, since bag sizes range from 11.3 kg to 22.7 kg and the sticker price alone is misleading. Amazon.ca was checked first for every group; several of the Amazon-only rows turned out to be priced far above the identical or equivalent product at Home Depot Canada, RONA, or Costco.ca — we kept those Amazon rows in the table (a product never gets hidden for having a bad price) but say so plainly in each one's cons, because Costco and Canadian Tire sales genuinely do beat Amazon on this category as often as not. We are not water-treatment technicians: this page compares bagged salt, not softener hardware, and a salt bridge, an iron problem heavier than clear-water staining, or a question about which grain capacity you need belongs on our water softeners comparison instead.
Buying the salt is only half the question — see the full comparison of softener units themselves. Compare water softeners with a verified Canadian price →
Need a professional installer instead of a DIY unit? See water treatment installers verified for Woodstock and area →
Frequently asked questions
Pellets, crystals, or solar salt — what's actually the difference?
Pellets are evaporated salt mechanically compacted into a uniform shape, which most manufacturers say dissolves more evenly and resists forming a hard crust (a "salt bridge") in the brine tank better than loose crystals. Evaporated crystals, like Sifto Crystal Plus in our table, are the same evaporated salt in a looser, irregular form, often a little cheaper per kilogram than pellets from the same maker. Solar salt, like the Morton Solar Salt crystals above, is salt evaporated naturally from brine ponds rather than mechanically processed, and is the traditional crystal form some older softener manuals specifically call for. None of the manufacturers in our table publish a lab purity breakdown comparing the three forms directly, so if your softener's manual names a specific form, use that one rather than guessing.
What is a salt bridge, and how do I fix one?
A salt bridge is a hardened crust of salt that forms above the water line inside the brine tank, leaving an air gap underneath so the tank looks full but the softener can't actually draw brine from it — the softener keeps running its regeneration cycle while quietly producing no soft water at all. It tends to form from high humidity, overfilling the tank, or packing too much salt in at once. The usual fix is to carefully break up the crust with a broom handle or similar blunt tool (never anything sharp that could puncture the tank liner) without forcing it, then let the loosened salt dissolve normally; a scoop sized for the tank, like the Remco scoop in our consumables list below, also helps avoid overfilling in the first place.
Should I switch to potassium chloride, and what does it cost?
Potassium chloride removes hardness the same way sodium chloride does, but it adds potassium instead of sodium to your water and to whatever drains out during regeneration — worth considering if someone in the household is on a sodium-restricted diet, or if a septic system's sodium discharge is a concern. The real tradeoff is cost: based on the verified prices above, Nature's Own potassium chloride runs roughly four times the per-kilogram price of an ordinary sodium chloride pellet or crystal bag bought at the same kind of store. Most softener manuals also ask for a higher hardness-setting dial once you switch, since potassium chloride exchanges hardness less efficiently pound-for-pound than sodium chloride — check your specific softener's manual for the exact adjustment rather than assuming one figure fits every model.
How much salt does my softener actually use?
As a rule of thumb, a family of four on moderately hard water and a weekly regeneration cycle typically goes through one 18-20 kg bag every few weeks, though the real number depends entirely on your water's hardness, your household's water use, and how your softener is programmed to regenerate — see our water softeners comparison for the grains-per-day math behind that estimate. The practical answer is to check the brine tank monthly until you know your own household's pace, rather than buying on a fixed schedule; a salt-level sensor like the one in our consumables list below removes the guesswork entirely.
Will rust-remover salt fix orange staining from my well water?
Rust-remover or "iron-fighting" salt pellets, like the Windsor Clean Care and Morton Rust Remover rows above, are formulated to clean clear-water iron out of the resin bed as the softener regenerates — RONA's own listing for the Windsor product states it removes 15 times more iron than its standard pellets. That helps with the mild staining clear-water iron causes, but it is not a substitute for a dedicated iron or sulphur filter if your well water carries heavier iron, a sulphur smell, or visibly rust-coloured water straight from the tap — a softener's resin simply isn't built to handle iron in that quantity. See our water softeners comparison for that distinction in more detail.
Is it worth buying water softener salt on Amazon, or should I go to a store?
Based on the verified prices in this table, usually no — several Amazon-only bags here price out at $4.69 to $17.07 per kilogram, while the identical or equivalent product bought at Home Depot, RONA, or Costco runs $0.42 to $1.00 per kilogram, and more than one product's own Canadian or American reviewers on Amazon say as much directly on the listing. Amazon is worth it mainly for potassium chloride or a specific brand your nearest store doesn't carry, or if the delivery itself (a heavy bag to a door with no vehicle) is the thing you're actually paying for. For plain pellets or crystals, a quick stop at a local hardware store is very likely to beat the Amazon price by a wide margin.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. CompareLocal.ca is independent and Canadian-owned. How we make money.