Automotive · Head-to-head

CRC Industries BRAKLEEN Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, 50 State Formula (05050) vs Berryman Products Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, VOC Compliant (2420C)

Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Brake Cleaners: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.

CRC's 50 State can is the one to reach for by default: it is legal everywhere, evaporates fast, and carries no chlorinated chemistry to worry about near a torch. Berryman's VOC-compliant can does nearly the same job with a simpler formula and comes in gallon and five gallon sizes if you go through it quickly.

CRC Industries BRAKLEEN Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, 50 State Formula (05050)

CRC Industries BRAKLEEN Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, 50 State Formula (05050)

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An acetone-based can that CRC states is compliant for use in all 50 states, with no chlorinated residue to worry about.

  • CRC's safety data sheet puts VOC content at 9.2 percent and states the product is compliant for use in all 50 states.
  • Acetone at 65 to 85 percent flashes off quickly, and CRC's spec sheet lists a fast evaporation rate and no residue.
  • No perchloroethylene, so there is no chlorinated residue left on parts to decompose near heat.
  • Sold in gallon, five gallon and drum sizes as well as the 14 ounce aerosol.
  • Flash point below 0 F and a GHS Flammable Aerosol Category 1 rating, so it is a genuine fire hazard.
  • CRC lists Plastic Safe: No for this product, so keep it off plastic and rubber components.
  • Classified Aspiration Hazard Category 1, and the can carries a Proposition 65 cancer and reproductive harm warning.
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Berryman Products Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, VOC Compliant (2420C)

Berryman Products Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, VOC Compliant (2420C)

Buy it

The simplest formula in the group: acetone, isohexane and carbon dioxide, with a published 10 percent VOC figure and no state restrictions on the label.

  • Berryman's safety data sheet lists only three components: acetone at 80 to 90 percent, isohexane under 10 percent and carbon dioxide under 10 percent.
  • VOC content is stated as 10 percent by weight under EPA Method 24, and Berryman sells it as compliant in all 50 states.
  • Section 10 of the sheet lists no known hazardous decomposition products.
  • Available in 14 ounce and 19 ounce aerosols plus gallon and five gallon containers under matching part numbers.
  • Closed-cup flash point below 20 F and a Flammable Aerosol Category 1 classification with the Danger signal word.
  • Berryman still directs South Coast air district users to a different part number, 2414SC, so it is not literally unrestricted everywhere.
  • No plastics or rubber guidance is published for this SKU.
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Side by side

CRC Industries BRAKLEEN Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, 50 State Formula (05050)Berryman Products Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, VOC Compliant (2420C)
Our verdictBuyBuy
Best forAnyone who wants one can that is legal in every state and leaves nothing chlorinated behind.Someone who buys brake cleaner by the case and wants a short, legible ingredient list.
Price tier$$ · mid-range$ · budget

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the CRC Industries BRAKLEEN Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, 50 State Formula (05050) - An acetone-based can that CRC states is compliant for use in all 50 states, with no chlorinated residue to worry about. Choose the Berryman Products Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner, VOC Compliant (2420C) instead if someone who buys brake cleaner by the case and wants a short, legible ingredient list.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Brake Cleaners: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).