These are used to clean up minor spills around the work site. It should be noted that some low cost, low quality brands on the market offer minimal absorption rates, not much better than paper shop towels. As a general consideration, ours can handle 1L absorption per pad. There are also very thin (1.0-1.5mm) melt blown, non-dimpled pads available, however we do not stock at this time. ES-698/702 White pads are used for oil, fuel, hydrocarbon, or lubricant cleanup; they will float on water and only absorb oil. ES-690S/700 Grey Universal pads can be used for oil, fuel, hydrocarbons, lubricants, water, antifreeze, coolants, fertilizers, and non-aggressive solvents. Not for marine oil spills (absorbs water). ES-699/704 Yellow Hazmat Chemical pads can be used for all water based and oil based fluids, but also designed for aggressive liquids like acids and bases.