GB/T 17519

GB/T 17519 is the Chinese national standard governing the format and content of Safety Data Sheets for chemical products. Issued by the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC), the standard specifies the 16-section structure that aligns with GHS for chemicals manufactured, sold, or shipped within China. The latest active revision is GB/T 17519-2013, which superseded the 2005 edition and brought the document into alignment with the United Nations GHS Rev. 4. For Chinese chemical exporters this is the source standard for the SDS document that ships with the product on the China side, and the practical reference even when the export-market SDS follows EU CLP or OSHA HCS format.

The 16 sections required by GB/T 17519

The 16-section structure is identical to GHS and to most country-specific SDS standards. The sequence and numbering match EU CLP, US OSHA HCS, and Korean GHS. The differences are in the content of certain sections, notably Section 15 (regulatory information), which references Chinese regulations rather than foreign equivalents, and Section 14 (transport), which usually references both IMDG and the Chinese domestic transport regulations (GB 30000-series classifications).

How GB/T 17519 differs from EU CLP and OSHA HCS

The core 16-section structure is the same. The differences are in three places:

1. Language and units. GB/T 17519 documents are written in Simplified Chinese with metric units throughout. Export documents typically include parallel English text in Section 1 (identification) and Section 14 (transport) at minimum, with bilingual annexes for the rest.
2. Hazard classification. China classifies hazards under the GB 30000-series national standards, which adopt UN GHS Rev. 4 with some Chinese-specific deviations. The H-codes (hazard statements) and P-codes (precautionary statements) used are the GHS-aligned codes plus Chinese H-class extensions where they exist.
3. Regulatory references in Section 15. Where an EU CLP SDS lists REACH and CLP regulation references, a GB/T 17519 SDS lists Chinese regulations: 《危险化学品安全管理条例》 (Regulations on the Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals), the MEE China chemical inventory (IECSC), and the relevant GB classification for the substance.

How Chinese factories produce dual-language SDS documents

Most Chinese chemical factories that export ship a dual-language SDS document. Common practice:

• A bilingual single-document SDS in two-column format, Chinese on the left and English on the right. This is the easiest format to produce and the most widely accepted at destination customs.
• Two parallel documents, one full GB/T 17519 SDS in Chinese for domestic regulatory use and one GHS-aligned English SDS following the destination-market standard for export. This is more work but cleanly separates the regulatory references.
• A single English SDS following the destination market standard, without the Chinese SDS. This is acceptable for some export-only factories but creates a domestic compliance gap because Chinese transport regulations require Chinese-language SDS for in-China trucking.

The factory that runs both export and domestic distribution usually produces the bilingual single-document format and updates it whenever GB/T 17519 references change.

When the GB/T 17519 SDS is the wrong document for the destination

The GB/T 17519 SDS is the document for the China side. For destination customs clearance and domestic regulatory compliance, the destination-market SDS is required:

• EU shipments require a CLP/REACH-compliant SDS in the relevant local language. A bilingual GB/T 17519 with English is not sufficient, it lacks the REACH registration number references and the EU-specific regulatory citations.
• US shipments require an OSHA HCS-compliant SDS in English. A GB/T 17519 SDS with English may be accepted at customs but creates problems when a US customer’s safety officer reviews the document and finds non-OSHA references.
• Korean shipments require a K-REACH-compliant SDS in Korean.
• Australian shipments require an SDS that meets the AICIS and Safe Work Australia formats.

Factories that ship into multiple regulated markets typically maintain a master SDS in English following the most rigorous standard (usually CLP) and produce country-specific SDS variants from that master.

Common GB/T 17519 SDS errors that cause customs trouble

Three patterns recur in customs holds on Chinese chemical exports because of SDS deficiencies:

1. Section 14 transport classification missing or wrong. The factory’s SDS lists the Chinese GB classification but not the IMDG/UN classification, or lists an outdated UN number. Customs cannot match the cargo to the DG declaration and holds the cargo.
2. Section 3 composition not matching the COA. The SDS lists 99% pure assay but the COA shows 97%. Customs valuation auditors flag the discrepancy.
3. Section 15 missing the IECSC listing reference. A chemical not on IECSC requires special permits; the absence of the reference can flag the cargo for additional scrutiny.

The mitigation: pre-shipment SDS review by a regulatory specialist on the buyer side, especially for new factories or new product lines.

Practical sourcing notes

For chemical shipments out of China, we always confirm the SDS in the bilingual format, with both Chinese sections matching GB/T 17519-2013 and the English sections matching the destination-market standard. The factory’s MSDS or SDS revision date should be within 12 months for active products and within 24 months for legacy products.

Related terms

SDS is the modern GHS-aligned 16-section document. MSDS is the older 9-section format being phased out. GHS is the UN-level harmonised classification scheme. CLP is the EU implementation. OSHA HCS is the US implementation. MEE China administers the IECSC chemical inventory and the regulatory citations referenced in Section 15.