Chalk vs. Lime — What's the Difference?

Composed mainly of calcium carbonate, ideal for temporary markings.

A chemical compound used primarily in building and soil management.

Used in its natural form for various artistic and educational purposes.

Derived from limestone through heating and chemical processes.

Naturally occurring and mined from the earth.

Used to reduce soil acidity, promoting better crop growth.

Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton which had fallen to the sea floor. Chalk is common throughout Western Europe, where deposits underlie parts of France, and steep cliffs are often seen where they meet the sea in places such as the Dover cliffs on the Kent coast of the English Channel.

Requires careful handling due to its caustic nature.

A white soft earthy limestone (calcium carbonate) formed from the skeletal remains of sea creatures.

A white caustic alkaline substance consisting of calcium oxide, which is obtained by heating limestone and which combines with water with the production of much heat; quicklime.

Short for French chalk

Birdlime.

Write or draw with chalk

A rounded citrus fruit similar to a lemon but greener, smaller, and with a distinctive acid flavour

Charge (drinks bought in a pub or bar) to a person's account

The evergreen citrus tree which produces limes, widely cultivated in warm climates.

A soft compact calcite, CaCO3, with varying amounts of silica, quartz, feldspar, or other mineral impurities, generally gray-white or yellow-white and derived chiefly from fossil seashells.

A bright light green colour like that of a lime

A piece of chalk or chalklike substance in crayon form, used for marking on a blackboard or other surface.

A deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant yellowish blossom, native to north temperate regions. The pale timber is used for carving and inexpensive furniture.

(Games) A small cube of chalk used in rubbing the tip of a billiard or pool cue to increase its friction with the cue ball.

An informal social gathering characterized by semi-ritualized talking.

A mark made with chalk.

Treat (soil or water) with lime to reduce acidity and improve fertility or oxygen levels

Chiefly British A score or tally.

Catch (a bird) with birdlime

To mark, draw, or write with chalk

Sit or stand around talking with others

To rub or cover with chalk, as the tip of a billiard cue.

Any of several evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Citrus having edible green or greenish-yellow fruit, especially the Mexican lime and the Persian lime.

To make pale; whiten.

The fruit of any of these plants, having a pulpy interior and usually acid juice.

To treat (soil, for example) with chalk.

See linden.

(uncountable) A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO3).

See calcium oxide.

(countable) A piece of chalk, or nowadays processed compressed gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO4), that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard (chalkboard).

Any of various mineral and industrial forms of calcium oxide differing chiefly in water content and percentage of constituents such as magnesia, silica, alumina, and iron.

Tailor's chalk.

Birdlime.

A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, or losing grip in weight-lifting or gymnastics, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk, often magnesium carbonate (MgCO3).

To treat with lime.

A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.

To smear with birdlime.

The favorite in a sporting event.

To catch or snare with or as if with birdlime.

The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win.

(chemistry) Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).

To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue.

(poetic) Any gluey or adhesive substance; something which traps or captures someone; sometimes a synonym for birdlime.

To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.

(theatre) A spotlight.

To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.

A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, especially Tilia × europaea; the linden tree.

(figuratively) To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard.

The wood of this tree.

To manure (land) with chalk.

Any of several green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.

To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.

Any of the trees that bear limes, especially Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia.

A soft, earthy substance, of a white, grayish, or yellowish white color, consisting of calcium carbonate, and having the same composition as common limestone.

(uncountable) A brilliant, sometimes yellowish, green colour associated with the fruits of a lime tree.

Finely prepared chalk, used as a drawing implement; also, by extension, a compound, as of clay and black lead, or the like, used in the same manner. See Crayon.

(fandom) A fan fiction story which contains sexual references, but stops short of full, explicit descriptions of sexual activity (coined by analogy with lemon).

To rub or mark with chalk.

A casual gathering to socialize.

To manure with chalk, as land.

(transitive) To treat with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide (lime).

To make white, as with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.

(transitive) To smear with birdlime.

A soft whitish calcite

(rare) To ensnare, catch, entrap.

A pure flat white with little reflectance

(transitive) To apply limewash.

Amphetamine used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant

To hang out/socialize in an informal, relaxed environment, especially with friends, for example at a party or on the beach.

A piece of chalk (or similar substance) used for writing on blackboards or other surfaces

Containing lime or lime juice.

Write, draw, or trace with chalk

Having the aroma or flavor of lime.

A soft, white, porous sedimentary rock used primarily for writing and drawing.

Lime-green.

Commonly associated with classroom settings.

A thong by which a dog is led; a leash.

The linden tree. See Linden.

The fruit of the Citrus aurantifolia, allied to the lemon, but greener in color; also, the tree which bears it.

The color of the lime{1}, a yellowish-green.

Birdlime.

Oxide of calcium, CaO; the white or gray, caustic substance, usually called quicklime, obtained by calcining limestone or shells, the heat driving off carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming slaked lime, and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar, etc.

To smear with a viscous substance, as birdlime.

To entangle; to insnare.

To treat with lime, or oxide or hydrate of calcium; to manure with lime; as, to lime hides for removing the hair; to lime sails in order to whiten them; to lime the lawn to decrease acidity of the soil.

To cement.

Having a yellowish-green color like that of the lime (the fruit).

A caustic substance produced by heating limestone

A white crystalline oxide used in the production of calcium hydroxide

A sticky adhesive that is smeared on small branches to capture small birds

Any of various related trees bearing limes

Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Tilia with heart-shaped leaves and drooping cymose clusters of yellowish often fragrant flowers; several yield valuable timber

The green acidic fruit of any of various lime trees

Spread birdlime on branches to catch birds

Cover with lime so as to induce growth;

Acts as an essential component in cement and mortars.

Lime is used in agriculture to reduce soil acidity, which can enhance soil quality and crop yields.

Chalk is commonly used for writing on blackboards in educational settings and for art, especially temporary street and sidewalk drawings.

Chalk is generally too soft and crumbly for construction purposes, unlike lime, which is a key ingredient in many construction materials.

Chalk is composed primarily of calcium carbonate, whereas lime includes calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide.

Lime is primarily used in construction for making mortar and plaster, and in agriculture to adjust soil pH.

Yes, chalk is non-toxic and safe for general use, including by children in classrooms and playgrounds.

Lime is made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) to decompose it into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide, a process called calcination.

Yes, there are several types of lime, including quicklime (calcium oxide) and hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide), each with specific properties and uses.

Lime production involves high-temperature processes that can release significant amounts of CO2 and other emissions.

The soft and crumbly texture of chalk makes it ideal for temporary markings but unsuitable for uses requiring durability, such as in construction materials like lime.