清代鹽產分佈很廣，但是沿海鹽場所產的食鹽，佔全國總產量的百分之八十。食鹽的原料來源有六：海水、鹽湖、鹽井、鹽岩、石膏礦、及鹹土。主要生產方法爲火煎和日曬。火煎方法簡單容易，廣泛採用。由於大多數鹽場燃料缺乏，最終大多數鹽場改用日曬，取代火煎。與其他地區比較，華北自然條件較好，比較有利食鹽的生產。清代食鹽產量的增加，與人口的增加平行。食鹽産量的地理變遷，反映區域間人口成長的差異。
Qing china's salt supply was widely dispersed, although more than four-fifths of the salt produced came from the seacoast. There were six sources of salt: seawater, salt lakes, brine wells, saline rock, gypsum mines and salty earth. Boiling and solar evaporation were the major production methods. The simplicity of the boiling method favored its wide use. Nevertheless, the solar evaporation eventually took the place of the boiling method, as fuels became scarcer in most salt-producing areas. A better natural resource base stimulated the production of salt along the North China seacoast to a greater extent than elsewhere in the nation, The increasing trend of salt production paralleled China's population growth. Geographical changes in salt production also reflected regional differences in this growth.
