N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a clear liquid that has been widely used in industries as a solvent, an additive, or an intermediate because of its extensive miscibility with water and most common organic solvents.

Dimethylformamide is primarily used as an industrial solvent.  Dimethylformamide solutions are used toprocess polymer fibers, films, and surface coatings; to permit easy spinning of acrylic fibers; to produce wire enamels, and as a crystallization medium in the pharmaceutical industry.

DMF can also be used for formylation with alkyllithium or Grignard reagents.

It is used as a reagent in Bouveault aldehyde synthesis and also in Vilsmeier-Haack reaction. It acts as a catalyst in the synthesis of acyl chlorides. It is used for separating and refining crude from olefin gas. DMF along with methylene chloride acts as a remover of varnish or lacquers. It is also used in the manufacture of adhesives, fibers and films.

N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a solvent with a low evaporation rate, useful for preparing solutions with a variety of hydrophobic organic compounds used in molecular biology applications.

N,N-Dimethylformamide was used to solubilize MTT crystals in cell viability assays.It was also used in feruloyl esterase activity assay in molds exhibiting high activity of the enzyme.

The world-wide consumption of DMF in 2001 was approximately 285, 000 metric tonnes and most of that was used as an industrial solvent.