n-Butyl acetate under IECSC
C6H12O2 · 乙酸正丁酯
Status: Listed. n-Butyl acetate is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational acetate ester solvent. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. **n-Butyl acetate IS on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals** (Flam. Liq. 3 + STOT SE 3 classification). Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required for production / storage / distribution. NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog. NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog. 13% China VAT export rebate. China dominates global capacity (~50%, ~1.5 Mt/yr) with somewhat less fragmentation than ethyl acetate batch 23: Wanhua Chemical Yantai + Sinopec Yangzi + Sinopec Shanghai + Wujing Chemical Shanghai SECCO + Yangmei Coal-Hengtian + Tianjin Bohua are dominant producers.
n-Butyl acetate is comfortably IECSC-listed but IS on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain required). NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog. NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog. 13% China VAT export rebate is structural margin support. China dominates global capacity (~50%, ~1.5 Mt/yr) with somewhat less fragmentation than ethyl acetate batch 23 market: Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Sinopec Yangzi + Sinopec Shanghai, Wujing Chemical Shanghai SECCO, Yangmei Coal-Hengtian, Tianjin Bohua are dominant producers. Production route: esterification of n-butanol + acetic acid (~95% of Chinese capacity). **Acetic acid (batch 19) + n-butanol feedstock cost flow-through is dominant**: esterification (CH3COOH + n-BuOH → CH3COO-n-Bu + H2O). n-Butanol price cycle exposure: oxo-process via propylene + CO + H2 (~70% globally) or fermentation (~30%).
Listing and threshold
| Substance | n-Butyl acetate (CAS 123-86-4), C6H12O2 |
|---|---|
| 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 3729-2007 specification applies for industrial-grade n-butyl acetate (Chinese national standard)
- GB/T 3729-2007 covers minimum 99.5% purity (industrial-grade), water content, acidity, color (APHA), distillation range
- GACC export classification: HS 291533 (n-butyl acetate)
- China dominates global capacity (~50%, ~1.5 Mt/yr); Wanhua + Sinopec + Wujing + Yangmei-Hengtian + Tianjin Bohua are dominant
- GB 6944-2012 dangerous-goods transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1123
- Production route: esterification of n-butanol + acetic acid (~95% of Chinese capacity)
Restrictions and conditions of use
- **Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required** for any party producing, storing, or distributing n-butyl acetate
- Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit required for road shipment of bulk n-butyl acetate
- Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
- No specific export-restriction or quota system applies
- VAT export rebate currently 13% for n-butyl acetate (HS 291533) per organic chemicals chapter rebate schedule; verify before invoicing
- GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
Importer obligations
For Chinese-origin n-butyl acetate 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 3 transport documentation. Major Chinese producers (Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Sinopec Yangzi, Sinopec Shanghai, Wujing Chemical Shanghai SECCO, Yangmei Coal-Hengtian, Tianjin Bohua) compete with EU producers (Celanese, BP / Ineos, BASF, Eastman), Korean producers (LG Chem Yeosu, Lotte Chemical Yeosu), Japanese producers (Mitsui Chemicals, Sumitomo Chemical), Indian + Brazilian + Indonesian producers. The dominant economic story for Chinese-origin n-butyl acetate is **acetic acid (batch 19) + n-butanol feedstock cost flow-through**.
Required documents
- GACC export declaration with HS code 291533
- Industrial-grade certificate per GB/T 3729-2007 (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 3 dangerous-goods transport documentation
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
- 13% VAT rebate is structural margin; verify rebate filing on each shipment
- NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than phenol batch 13 + formaldehyde batch 18 + benzene batch 22)
- NOT on Easily-Made Drugs Catalog (lighter than acetone batch 15 + methanol batch 3)
- Major Chinese producers more concentrated than ethyl acetate batch 23 market: Wanhua Chemical Yantai (Shandong), Sinopec Yangzi (Nanjing) + Sinopec Shanghai (Pudong), Wujing Chemical (Shanghai SECCO), Yangmei Coal-Hengtian (Shanxi inland coal-route), Tianjin Bohua (Tianjin)
- Production route: esterification of n-butanol + acetic acid (~95% of Chinese capacity)
- **Acetic acid (batch 19) + n-butanol feedstock cost flow-through is dominant**
- n-Butanol price cycle exposure: oxo-process via propylene + CO + H2 (~70% of n-butanol capacity globally) or fermentation (~30%)
Where to read next
For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for n-butyl acetate, see the CAS 123-86-4 sourcing reference.
For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the n-butyl acetate 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
n-Butyl acetate under REACH
European Union listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
n-Butyl acetate under TSCA
United States of America listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
n-Butyl acetate under AICIS
Australia listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
n-Butyl acetate 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
This term shows up in 4 regulatory pages, 1 topic clusters. Sample backlinks per content type below.
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.