1,3-Butadiene under IECSC
C4H6 · 1,3-丁二烯
Status: Listed. 1,3-Butadiene is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational steam-cracker C4 product. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. **1,3-Butadiene IS on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals** (Carc 1A + Muta 1B + Flam. Gas 1A + Press. Gas classification matching EU REACH harmonised). 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 + aniline batch 26; butadiene is gaseous and not on Highly Toxic Catalog despite Carc 1A). NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog. **0% China VAT export rebate** for butadiene (HS 290124) reflects Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal. China dominates global capacity (~30%, ~5-6 Mt/yr).
1,3-Butadiene 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 + aniline batch 26; butadiene is gaseous so not on Highly Toxic Catalog despite Carc 1A). NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog. **0% China VAT export rebate** is structural Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal. China dominates global capacity (~30%, ~5-6 Mt/yr) led by Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Maoming + Yueyang), CNPC (Daqing + Karamay), Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC. Production: steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction (~95% globally). **Steam-cracker capacity additions drive coupled butadiene supply growth**: Chinese steam-cracker capacity additions 2024-2026 extend Chinese butadiene supply growth. Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A drives refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas storage + ATEX-zoned warehousing overhead.
Listing and threshold
| Substance | 1,3-Butadiene (CAS 106-99-0), C4H6 |
|---|---|
| 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 7717-2008 specification applies for industrial-grade 1,3-butadiene (Chinese national standard)
- GB/T 7717-2008 covers minimum 99.5% purity (industrial-grade), water content, dimer content, oxygen content, TBC inhibitor specification
- GACC export classification: HS 290124 (1,3-butadiene)
- China dominates global capacity (~30%, ~5-6 Mt/yr); ~95% via steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction (oxidative dehydrogenation route at Sinopec Yueyang + smaller scale)
- GB 6944-2012 dangerous-goods transport classification: Class 2.1 (flammable gas), UN 1010 (refrigerated liquefied or compressed)
Restrictions and conditions of use
- **Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required** for any party producing, storing, or distributing 1,3-butadiene
- Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit required for road shipment of bulk 1,3-butadiene
- Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
- No specific export-restriction or quota system applies
- **0% China VAT export rebate** for 1,3-butadiene (HS 290124); reflects Beijing aromatic-petrochemical export-discouragement signal
- GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
- MEE 2024 guidance: butadiene is steam-cracker C4 by-product so capacity is determined by steam-cracker C2 / C3 / C4 economics structurally
Importer obligations
For Chinese-origin 1,3-butadiene 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, and ADG 7.7 Class 2.1 transport documentation (refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas). Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Yangzi + Sinopec Shanghai + Sinopec Maoming + Sinopec Yueyang, CNPC Daqing + CNPC Karamay, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC) compete with EU producers (BASF Ludwigshafen, Shell Chemicals Pernis + Wesseling, INEOS Köln, ExxonMobil Antwerp), US producers (TPC Group, LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil), Korean producers (Kumho Petrochemical Yeosu, LG Chem Yeosu, Lotte Chemical Yeosu, S-Oil Onsan).
Required documents
- GACC export declaration with HS code 290124
- Industrial-grade certificate per GB/T 7717-2008 (minimum 99.5% 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 2.1 dangerous-goods transport documentation (refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas)
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 + aniline batch 26)
- NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog
- Major Chinese producers concentrated at coastal Sinopec + CNPC + Hengli + Wanhua + Zhejiang Petrochemical / ZRCC mega-complexes
- Production route: steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction (~95% globally); ~30-40% of C4 fraction is butadiene
- **Steam-cracker capacity additions drive coupled butadiene supply growth**; Chinese steam-cracker capacity additions 2024-2026 (Hengli Petrochemical Phase 4, Zhejiang Petrochemical Phase 3, Wanhua Chemical Yantai expansion) extend Chinese butadiene supply growth
- TBC (4-tert-butylcatechol) inhibitor is critical for safe storage and transport (prevents thermal-runaway dimerisation); typical 50-150 ppm spec
- Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A drives refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas storage + ATEX-zoned warehousing overhead
Where to read next
For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for 1,3-butadiene, see the CAS 106-99-0 sourcing reference.
For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the 1,3-butadiene 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.
Read next
Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references
Regulatory
1,3-Butadiene under REACH
European Union listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
1,3-Butadiene under TSCA
United States of America listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
1,3-Butadiene under AICIS
Australia listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
1,3-Butadiene under K-REACH
Republic of Korea listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Glossary
IECSC, Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China
The Chinese national chemical inventory listing substances legally manufactured, imported, used, or sold in China before 2003. A substance not on IECSC requires a New Chemical Substance Notification (NCSN) under MEE Order 12 before it can be manufactured or imported into China. Functionally similar to TSCA in the US and REACH in the EU but with distinct procedural requirements.
Referenced in
5 pages across the Sourzi moat
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Free download
Free PDF: the same MSDS verification template the Sourzi team uses to cross-reference factory documents against TSCA, REACH, AICIS, and CDR before booking.