What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on 2-ethylhexanol (2-eh)?

Registration required for any importer or manufacturer placing >1 t/year on the EU market

CAS 104-76-7 · REACH · European Union

2-Ethylhexanol (2-EH) under REACH

C8H18O · 2-乙基己醇

Status: Registered. 2-Ethylhexanol is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: oxo-process from propylene plus syngas / CO plus H2 plus aldol condensation of n-butyraldehyde (~95 percent of global capacity) production route + DEHP plasticiser feedstock chain (the dominant downstream; ~50 to 55 percent of 2-EH demand globally; verify against ICIS or S&P Commodity Insights before quoting) plus 2-EH acrylate ester chain (~15 to 20 percent) plus 2-EH nitrate cetane improver chain (~5 to 10 percent) plus solvent and surfactant intermediates + sister to n-butanol oxo-alcohol chain (NEW combined).** No harmonised CLP entry; ECHA C&L Inventory aggregates notifier classifications: Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302) plus Skin Irrit. 2 (H315) plus Eye Irrit. 2 (H319) plus STOT SE 3 (H335) plus Repr. 2 (H361 in some notifications; verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals before relying). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin 2-EH currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing).

2-Ethylhexanol is fully REACH-registered with **moderate hazard profile** (Acute Tox. 4 oral plus Skin Irrit. 2 plus Eye Irrit. 2 plus STOT SE 3; some notifiers add Repr. 2). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case. **DEHP plasticiser feedstock dominates** (~50 to 55 percent of demand) plus 2-EH acrylate (~15 to 20 percent) plus 2-EH nitrate (~5 to 10 percent). Downstream DEHP IS on Annex XIV; customers face authorisation obligations. Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao. Production: oxo-process via propylene plus syngas plus aldol condensation (~95 percent of global capacity).

Listing and threshold

Substance	2-Ethylhexanol (2-EH) (CAS 104-76-7), C8H18O
Regime	EU Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
Jurisdiction	European Union (EU-27 plus EEA: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)
Status	Registered
Tonnage threshold	Registration required for any importer or manufacturer placing >1 t/year on the EU market

Classifications under this regime

No harmonised CLP entry; notifier classification (per ECHA C&L Inventory): Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302), Skin Irrit. 2 (H315), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319), STOT SE 3 (H335) (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals before relying)
Some notifier entries also include Repr. 2 (H361) (verify against ECHA C&L Inventory before relying)
Signal word: WARNING. GHS pictogram: GHS07
IARC: Group 3 (not classifiable; verify against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications)
NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
ADR / RID transport classification: NOT regulated as Class 3 at ambient (flash point ~73 degrees Celsius); transport per UN 1993 only when heated above flash point

Restrictions and conditions of use

NOT on REACH Annex XIV (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/authorisation-list)
NOT classified as SVHC (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table)
NOT subject to any Annex XVII restriction at industrial-grade level
NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin 2-EH currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing)
NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope
**Downstream DEHP plasticiser IS on REACH Annex XIV** authorisation list (verify DEHP entry against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/authorisation-list before relying); 2-EH itself is NOT, but DEHP-route customers face REACH authorisation obligations

Importer obligations

A non-EU producer cannot register directly under REACH. The EU importer of record must hold a registration or rely on an Only Representative (OR). Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao oxo-alcohol capacity (verify each producer-site pair against the producer's public website before relying on a specific plant).

Required documents

REACH registration number on EU side
SDS reflecting H302 / H315 / H319 / H335 classification
CLP labelling with GHS07 + WARNING
Customs entry HS code 290516 (octan-1-ol and isomers including 2-ethylhexanol)
ADR documentation only when heated above flash point

Common compliance traps

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

**DEHP plasticiser feedstock chain dominates** (~50 to 55 percent of demand globally; verify against ICIS or S&P Commodity Insights before quoting) plus 2-EH acrylate (~15 to 20 percent) plus 2-EH nitrate cetane improver (~5 to 10 percent) plus solvent and surfactant intermediates
NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NO active EU AD
**Downstream DEHP IS on Annex XIV** (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/authorisation-list); customers using DEHP face authorisation obligations even though 2-EH itself does not
Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao; China dominates global 2-EH capacity (verify percent-of-global share against ICIS or S&P Commodity Insights before quoting; prior reports cited China at well above 50 percent of global ~5 to 6 Mt/yr capacity)
Production: oxo-process via propylene plus syngas plus aldol condensation of n-butyraldehyde (~95 percent of global capacity)

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for 2-ethylhexanol (2-eh), see the CAS 104-76-7 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the 2-ethylhexanol (2-eh) cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of REACH, see the REACH 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.

Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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