[12][13] Dietary sources of stearic acid include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and foods prepared with fats; beef tallow, lard, butterfat, cocoa butter, and shea butter are rich fat sources of stearic acid.

[9][12] In terms of its biosynthesis, stearic acid is produced from palmitoyl-CoA, with malonyl-CoA a two-carbon building block (after decarboxylation).

Stearic acid is obtained from fats and oils by the saponification of the triglycerides using hot water (about 100 °C).

In general, the applications of stearic acid exploit its bifunctional character, with a polar head group that can be attached to metal cations and a nonpolar chain that confers solubility in organic solvents.

[9][15] Examples of the use of stearic acid in food manufacturing include baked goods, frozen dairy products, gelatins, puddings, hard candy, and nonalcoholic beverages.

In this use, powdered stearic acid is mixed in water and the suspension is brushed onto the surface to be parted after casting.

Stearic acid is a common lubricant during injection molding and pressing of ceramic powders.

[18] Being inexpensive, nontoxic, and fairly inert, stearic acid finds many niche applications.

[9][14] Varied examples of stearic acid use in manufacturing include soaps and greases, household soap products, synthetic rubber, cosmetic and pharmaceutical creams and lotions, candles, phonograph records, lubricants, shoe and metal polishes, food packaging, and rubber compounds.

It also reduces the extension of oxidation of the freshly formed lead (negative active material) when the plates are kept for drying in the open atmosphere after the process of tank formation.