Carbon dioxide (CO2) under REACH
CO2 · 二氧化碳
Status: Registered. Carbon dioxide is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: Industrial CO2 sourced predominantly as captive by-product (ammonia-plant decarbonator vent + steam-methane-reforming SMR vent + ethanol-fermentation vent + ethylene-oxide-plant tail gas + flue-gas capture) rather than primary production + completes industrial-gas chain alongside hydrogen batch 47 plus future N2 + O2 entries + EU CBAM Phase 1 carbon currency (Reg (EU) 2023/956, verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/) since 1 October 2023 transitional reporting and 1 January 2026 financial obligations + EU ETS scope (Directive 2003/87/EC for stationary emitters, verify against EUR-Lex) + food-grade E290 (carbonated beverage carbonation + MAP packaging + dry ice food-cold-chain) plus supercritical CO2 (decaffeination + hop extraction + dry-cleaning) plus shielding-gas welding plus enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) plus carbon-capture-utilisation-storage (CCUS) downstream chains + low hazard profile (NOT classified as hazardous under CLP at industrial-grade purity beyond simple-asphyxiant compressed-gas / refrigerated-liquid handling).** No harmonised CLP entry for carbon dioxide; ECHA C&L Inventory aggregates notifier classifications: Press. Gas (compressed) or Press. Gas (refrigerated liquefied) per CLP Annex I §2.5 (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals before relying). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NOT subject to AD/CVD measures (CO2 itself is not a tradable customs commodity at scale; CBAM emission-allowance pricing flows downstream into cement + iron-and-steel + aluminium + fertiliser + hydrogen + electricity scope per Reg (EU) 2023/956).
Carbon dioxide is fully REACH-registered with **low hazard profile** (Press. Gas + simple-asphyxiant only). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO direct AD/CVD on CO2 itself. **EU CBAM Phase 1 (Reg 2023/956) is the dominant trade-policy structure** since 1 October 2023 transitional reporting and 1 January 2026 financial obligations; CBAM pricing flows downstream into cement + iron-and-steel + aluminium + fertiliser + hydrogen + electricity scope. Industrial CO2 is captive-by-product (ammonia + SMR + ethanol-fermentation vents). Food-grade E290 + supercritical CO2 + shielding-gas + EOR + CCUS downstream chains.
Listing and threshold
| Substance | Carbon dioxide (CO2) (CAS 124-38-9), CO2 |
|---|---|
| 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
- Press. Gas (compressed) UN 1013 OR Press. Gas (refrigerated liquefied) UN 2187 per CLP Annex I §2.5: H280 / H281 (verify against ECHA C&L Inventory before relying)
- IARC: Not classified
- NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
- ADR / RID: UN 1013 (compressed) Class 2.2 OR UN 2187 (refrigerated liquefied) Class 2.2
- **Food-grade E290 carbonation / MAP / dry-ice cold-chain** (verify against EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 food additive Annex II at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ for current scope)
- **EU Pharmacopoeia monograph** for pharma-grade medical CO2 (verify monograph reference against EDQM / Ph. Eur. before relying)
- Simple-asphyxiant workplace exposure considerations (oxygen displacement); typically national OEL 5000 ppm 8-hr TWA + 30000 ppm STEL (verify against national OEL lists before relying)
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
- NOT subject to EU AD/CVD (CO2 itself is not a tradable customs commodity at scale)
- **EU CBAM Phase 1 (Reg (EU) 2023/956) carbon currency** since 1 October 2023 transitional reporting and 1 January 2026 financial obligations; CBAM emission-allowance pricing flows downstream into cement + iron-and-steel + aluminium + fertiliser + hydrogen + electricity scope (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/956/oj before invoicing)
- **EU ETS (Directive 2003/87/EC)** stationary emitter scope applies to CO2 emitters above thresholds (verify against EUR-Lex before relying)
- **EU F-gas Regulation (Reg (EU) 2024/573, replacing Reg 517/2014)** does NOT cover CO2 itself but governs refrigerant fluorocarbons that CO2 (R-744) is now displacing in retail-refrigeration / heat-pump applications (verify against EUR-Lex)
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). Industrial CO2 is rarely traded as merchant cross-border cargo at scale because of low value-density and regional captive-by-product structure; merchant CO2 cargoes are dominated by EU-domestic industrial-gas majors (Linde, Air Liquide, Messer, Nippon Gases / Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Europe, SOL Group). Major Chinese industrial-CO2 producers tied to ammonia-plant + ethanol-fermentation + SMR captive sources at Sinopec + CNPC + Yara China + COFCO Biochemical + Henan Jindian Chemical; 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 (Press. Gas + simple-asphyxiant handling notes)
- Customs entry HS code 281121 (carbon dioxide)
- ADR documentation for UN 1013 Class 2.2 (compressed) or UN 2187 Class 2.2 (refrigerated liquefied)
- Food / pharma grade certifications where applicable (E290 / Ph. Eur.)
- EU CBAM CBAM-declarant import documentation for downstream CBAM-scope products embedding CO2 emissions
Common compliance traps
The pitfalls that have bitten importers on this lane in the past. None of these is theoretical.
- **Industrial CO2 is captive-by-product structure: ammonia-plant decarbonator vent + SMR vent + ethanol-fermentation vent + EO-plant tail gas + flue-gas capture**
- **Completes industrial-gas chain alongside H2 batch 47** (and forthcoming N2 + O2)
- NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NO direct AD/CVD
- **EU CBAM Phase 1 (Reg 2023/956) since 1 October 2023; financial obligations from 1 January 2026** flow downstream into cement + iron-and-steel + aluminium + fertiliser + hydrogen + electricity scope
- **EU ETS (Directive 2003/87/EC)** stationary emitter scope
- **Food-grade E290 carbonation / MAP / dry-ice + supercritical CO2 (decaffeination + hop extraction) + shielding-gas welding + EOR + CCUS downstream chains**
- Major Chinese sources (captive by-product): Sinopec + CNPC ammonia / SMR vents, Yara China, COFCO Biochemical ethanol-fermentation, Henan Jindian Chemical (verify each producer-site pair)
Where to read next
For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for carbon dioxide (co2), see the CAS 124-38-9 sourcing reference.
For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the carbon dioxide (co2) 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.
Read next
Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references
Regulatory
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under TSCA
United States of America listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under IECSC
People's Republic of China listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under AICIS
Australia listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
Regulatory
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under K-REACH
Republic of Korea listing status, classifications, importer obligations.
CAS
CAS 124-38-9 sourcing reference
Identifiers, hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and supplier geography for Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Glossary
REACH, Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
EU chemical regulation requiring importers and manufacturers to register every substance manufactured or imported into the EU above 1 tonne per year. Registration is identity-based and dossier-based, not inventory-lookup-based, which makes it stricter than TSCA in the US.
Referenced in
5 pages across the Sourzi moat
This term shows up in 4 regulatory pages, 1 CAS profiles. Sample backlinks per content type below.
Regulatory (4)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under TSCA
United States of America compliance profile for Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under IECSC
People's Republic of China compliance profile for Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under AICIS
Australia compliance profile for Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Plus 1 more regulatory pages.
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.