Sodium chlorate is used in

Sodium chlorate (NaClO₃) is a powerful oxidizing agent with several industrial applications. In the textile industry, it is primarily used as an oxidizing agent in the dyeing and printing processes, specifically for the production of aniline black and other dyes.

• Match Industry: While chlorates are used in matches, potassium chlorate (KClO₃) is preferred over sodium chlorate because sodium chlorate is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air), which would make matches difficult to strike.
• Antiseptics/Disinfectants: Sodium chlorate is generally too toxic and reactive for use as a standard antiseptic or disinfectant; compounds like sodium hypochlorite are typically used for those purposes instead.

Beyond textiles, its largest industrial use is in the pulp and paper industry to generate chlorine dioxide for bleaching wood pulp, and it is also widely used as a non-selective herbicide.