CAS 100-42-5 · IECSC · People's Republic of China

Styrene (vinylbenzene) under IECSC

C8H8 · 苯乙烯

Status: Listed. Styrene is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational vinyl aromatic monomer. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. **Styrene IS on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals** (Repr 2 + STOT RE 1 + Flam. Liq. 3 + Acute Tox. 4 inhalation classification). Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required for production / storage / distribution. NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than benzene batch 22 + phenol batch 13 + formaldehyde batch 18). NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog. **0% China VAT export rebate** for styrene (HS 290250) reflects Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal. China dominates global capacity (~45%, ~16-18 Mt/yr).

Styrene is comfortably IECSC-listed but IS on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain required). NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than benzene batch 22 + phenol batch 13 + formaldehyde batch 18). NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog. **0% China VAT export rebate** is structural Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal. China dominates global capacity (~45%, ~16-18 Mt/yr) led by Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Maoming + Yueyang), Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC, Lihuayi Yangzhou. Production route: ethylbenzene dehydrogenation (~95% globally); ethylbenzene from benzene (batch 22) + ethylene. **Benzene (batch 22) feedstock cost flow-through is dominant** (~70-80% of styrene production cost). **EU active AD case (Reg (EU) 2024/2003 provisional July 2024; verify current definitive measure on EUR-Lex)** is the dominant trade-policy concern for EU lane; producer-specific rates apply. Capacity additions 2024-2026 extend Chinese dominance toward ~48-50%.

Listing and threshold

Substance Styrene (vinylbenzene) (CAS 100-42-5), C8H8
Regime China Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (IECSC), administered by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
Jurisdiction People's Republic of China
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold No new-substance threshold applies. Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required regardless of volume

Classifications under this regime

  • Listed in China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals
  • NOT on China's Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog
  • NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog
  • GB/T 1257-2017 specification applies for industrial-grade styrene (Chinese national standard)
  • GB/T 1257-2017 covers minimum 99.7% purity (industrial-grade), water content, polymer content, color (APHA), TBC inhibitor specification
  • GACC export classification: HS 290250 (styrene)
  • China dominates global capacity (~45%, ~16-18 Mt/yr); ~95% via ethylbenzene dehydrogenation (PetroChina + Sinopec proprietary processes; some Lummus + Badger licensed)
  • GB 6944-2012 dangerous-goods transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 2055

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • **Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required** for any party producing, storing, or distributing styrene
  • Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit required for road shipment of bulk styrene
  • Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
  • No specific export-restriction or quota system applies
  • **0% China VAT export rebate** for styrene (HS 290250); reflects Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal
  • GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
  • MEE 2024 guidance prefers integrated benzene + ethylbenzene + styrene capacity additions; restricts standalone styrene capacity
  • Chinese capacity additions 2024-2026 (Hengli Petrochemical Phase 4, Zhejiang Petrochemical Phase 3, Sinopec Yangzi expansion, Wanhua Chemical Yantai expansion, Lihuayi Yangzhou expansion) extend Chinese dominance toward ~48-50%

Importer obligations

For Chinese-origin styrene exported abroad, no IECSC obligation falls on the foreign importer. The export-side documentation pack focuses on the Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain, the GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS, ADG 7.7 Class 3 transport documentation, and producer-specific AD margin documentation for EU lane (Reg 2024/2003). Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Yangzi + Sinopec Shanghai + Sinopec Maoming + Sinopec Yueyang, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC, Lihuayi Yangzhou) compete with EU producers (INEOS Styrolution Antwerp, Trinseo Schkopau), US producers (Americas Styrenics, TotalEnergies, INEOS Styrolution, LyondellBasell), Korean producers (LG Chem Yeosu, Lotte Chemical Yeosu, Hanwha Solutions Yeosu, Kumho Petrochemical Yeosu).

Required documents

  • GACC export declaration with HS code 290250
  • Industrial-grade certificate per GB/T 1257-2017 (minimum 99.7% purity)
  • GHS-compliant SDS in Simplified Chinese per GB/T 17519-2013 (effective 31 January 2014, references UN GHS 4th revised edition; verify against the current version of GB/T 17519 at https://www.codeofchina.com/standard/GBT17519-2013.html)
  • Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain documentation (producer / forwarder / port operator)
  • Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit (where road-shipped from inland producers)
  • GB 6944-2012 Class 3 dangerous-goods transport documentation
  • Producer-specific AD margin documentation for EU lane (Reg 2024/2003)

Common compliance traps

The pitfalls that have bitten importers on this lane in the past. None of these is theoretical.

  • Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain is the dominant operational complexity
  • **0% China VAT export rebate** is structural Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal
  • NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than benzene batch 22 + phenol batch 13 + formaldehyde batch 18)
  • NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog
  • Major Chinese producers concentrated at coastal Sinopec + Wanhua + Hengli + Zhejiang Petrochemical / ZRCC + Lihuayi mega-complexes
  • Production route: ethylbenzene dehydrogenation (~95% globally); ethylbenzene from benzene (batch 22) + ethylene
  • **Benzene (batch 22) feedstock cost flow-through is dominant** (~70-80% of styrene production cost): integrated benzene + ethylene + ethylbenzene + styrene capacity is structural for cost-competitive Chinese supply
  • **EU active AD case (Reg (EU) 2024/2003 provisional July 2024; verify current definitive measure on EUR-Lex)** is the dominant trade-policy concern for EU lane; producer-specific rates apply
  • TBC (4-tert-butylcatechol) inhibitor is critical for safe storage and transport (prevents thermal-runaway polymerisation); typical 10-15 ppm spec

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for styrene (vinylbenzene), see the CAS 100-42-5 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the styrene (vinylbenzene) cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of IECSC, see the IECSC glossary entry.

Need cross-jurisdiction compliance support on this substance? Run it through the REACH / TSCA / IECSC / AICIS / K-REACH checker, or send us the substance and the destination and we will quote FOB China and CIF / DDP landed including the regulatory work on the destination side.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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