What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on vinyl acetate monomer (vam)?

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

CAS 108-05-4 · REACH · European Union

Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) under REACH

C4H6O2 · 醋酸乙烯酯

Status: Registered. Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: closes acetic acid batch 19 chain (~30% of acetic acid demand globally, world's largest single end-use) + Carc 2 + IARC Group 2B + ethylene + acetic acid (batch 19) + oxygen direct gas-phase route (~95% globally) + PVA / PVAc / EVA polymer chain primary downstream (~95% combined) + Sinopec Sichuan Vinylon legacy acetylene + acetic acid route in China (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised: Carc 2 + Flam. Liq. 2 + STOT SE 3 + Eye Irrit. 2 + Skin Irrit. 2. NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NOT a drug precursor. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin VAM currently.

VAM is fully REACH-registered with **Carc 2 + Flam. Liq. 2 + STOT SE 3 hazard profile**. **Closes acetic acid batch 19 chain**: VAM consumes ~30% of acetic acid demand globally (world's largest single end-use). NOT SVHC despite Carc 2 (kept off because of essential industrial use). NO active EU AD case. NOT in CBAM Phase 1. Major Chinese producers: **Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Beijing + Sichuan Vinylon; Sichuan Vinylon is unique acetylene-route legacy plant)**, Wacker Chemicals Nanjing JV, Celanese Nanjing JV. Production routes: ethylene + acetic acid + oxygen direct gas-phase route (~95% globally); acetylene + acetic acid legacy route (~5% in China only at Sichuan Vinylon). End-use mix: PVA / polyvinyl alcohol (~50%), PVAc (~30%), EVA / ethylene-vinyl acetate (~15%, with rapid growth from solar PV cell encapsulation), other (~5%). TBC inhibitor critical for storage (200-300 ppm spec).

Listing and threshold

Substance	Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) (CAS 108-05-4), C4H6O2
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

Harmonised CLP classification: Flam. Liq. 2 (H225), Carc. 2 (H351), STOT SE 3 (H335), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319), Skin Irrit. 2 (H315)
Signal word: WARNING
GHS pictograms: GHS02 (flame), GHS07 (exclamation mark), GHS08 (health hazard, carcinogen)
**IARC: Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) since 1995 IARC Monograph 63** (verify Volume 63 against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications)
NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
ADR / RID transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1301, Packing Group II

Restrictions and conditions of use

NOT on REACH Annex XIV (Authorisation list)
NOT classified as SVHC
NOT subject to any Annex XVII restriction
NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin VAM currently
NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope
EU Reg 10/2011 food-contact: VAM specific migration limit (SML 12 mg/kg food) for plastic food-contact materials

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). NOT a drug precursor. NO active EU AD case. Major Chinese producers: **Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Beijing + Sichuan Vinylon)**, Wacker Chemicals Nanjing JV, Celanese Nanjing JV. EU domestic producers: Wacker Chemie Burghausen + Cologne, Celanese Frankfurt + Pampa Argentina + Singapore, Ineos Hull, BP / Hull, Synthomer Roebuck. The dominant economic story for Chinese-origin VAM is **acetic acid (batch 19) + ethylene feedstock cost flow-through**.

Required documents

REACH registration number on the EU side (registrant or OR-appointed)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with REACH Annex II in destination Member State language(s) reflecting H225 / H315 / H319 / H335 / H351 classification
CLP-compliant labelling with GHS02 + GHS07 + GHS08 pictograms and WARNING signal word
Customs entry with HS code 291532 (vinyl acetate)
ADR consignment note for transport (Class 3, UN 1301, PG II)

Common compliance traps

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

**Closes acetic acid batch 19 chain**: VAM consumes ~30% of acetic acid demand globally; world's largest single acetic acid end-use
**Carc 2 + IARC Group 2B** drives workplace exposure-control overhead
NOT SVHC despite Carc 2 (kept off because of essential industrial use)
NO active EU AD case on Chinese VAM currently
NOT in CBAM Phase 1
Production routes: ethylene + acetic acid + oxygen direct gas-phase route (~95% globally); acetylene + acetic acid (legacy, ~5% in China only at Sinopec Sichuan Vinylon)
Major Chinese producers: **Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Beijing + Sichuan Vinylon)** (Sichuan Vinylon is unique acetylene-route legacy plant; rest are gas-phase ethylene route), Wacker Chemicals Nanjing JV, Celanese Nanjing JV
End-use mix: PVA / polyvinyl alcohol (~50%, water-soluble film + adhesive + textile sizing), PVAc / polyvinyl acetate (~30%, adhesive + paint + coating), EVA / ethylene-vinyl acetate (~15%, footwear sole + solar PV cell encapsulation + cable), other (~5%)
EVA solar PV cell encapsulation is rapidly growing end-use (China's solar PV manufacturing dominance drives EVA demand)
TBC (4-tert-butylcatechol) inhibitor is critical for safe storage and transport (prevents thermal-runaway polymerisation); typical 200-300 ppm spec (higher than styrene batch 25 + butadiene batch 27)

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for vinyl acetate monomer (vam), see the CAS 108-05-4 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the vinyl acetate monomer (vam) 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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