What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on magnesium oxide (magnesia)?

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

CAS 1309-48-4 · REACH · European Union

Magnesium oxide (magnesia) under REACH

MgO · 氧化镁

Status: Registered. Magnesium oxide is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: Three commercial grades (CCM caustic-calcined magnesia at ~700 to 1000 C, DBM dead-burned magnesia at ~1700 to 2000 C, FM fused magnesia at electric arc ~2800 C) produced from magnesite (MgCO3) calcination or seawater / brine extraction route + completes alkaline-earth oxide chain alongside calcium oxide batch 67 (MgO + CaO joint refractory chemistry) + refractory linings (steel + cement + glass) plus animal feed plus pharma antacid plus food-grade E530 plus magnesium metal feedstock downstream chains + low hazard profile (NOT classified as hazardous under CLP at industrial-grade purity beyond inhalable / respirable particulate dust).** No harmonised CLP entry for non-nano magnesium oxide; ECHA C&L Inventory aggregates notifier classifications: NOT typically classified as hazardous (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 magnesium oxide currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing).

Magnesium oxide is fully REACH-registered with **low hazard profile** (NOT typically classified as hazardous beyond respirable-dust handling and fume metal-fume-fever potential). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD. **Three commercial grades (CCM, DBM, FM)** from magnesite calcination or seawater / brine extraction. **Completes alkaline-earth oxide chain alongside CaO**. **Refractory plus animal feed plus pharma antacid plus E530 plus Mg-metal feedstock** downstream chains. Major Chinese producers concentrated in Liaoning Province magnesite belt.

Listing and threshold

Substance	Magnesium oxide (magnesia) (CAS 1309-48-4), MgO
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 for non-nano magnesium oxide; notifier classification (per ECHA C&L Inventory): NOT typically classified as hazardous at industrial-grade purity (verify against ECHA C&L Inventory before relying)
IARC: Not classified
NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
ADR / RID transport classification: NOT regulated
**Food-grade E530 anti-caking / acidity regulator** (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 magnesium oxide antacid / laxative use (verify monograph reference against EDQM / Ph. Eur. before relying)
Inhalable / respirable particulate dust workplace exposure considerations apply (verify against ECHA REACH registration dossier and national OEL lists before relying)
Magnesium oxide fume (welding / smelting context): metal-fume-fever potential at high acute exposure (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
NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin magnesium oxide currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing)
NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope

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 MgO producers concentrated in Liaoning Province magnesite belt (Haicheng plus Dashiqiao region; verify each producer-site pair against the producer's public website before relying on a specific plant): Haicheng Magnesite Group, Liaoning Jinding Magnesite, Liaoning Jiamei Magnesite, Liaoning Beihai Refractory Materials, Yingkou Beihai Refractory.

Required documents

REACH registration number on EU side
SDS (low hazard profile, with respirable dust handling notes)
Customs entry HS code 251990 (magnesia, calcined / dead-burned / fused)
No ADR documentation required
Food / pharma grade certifications where applicable (E530 / Ph. Eur.)

Common compliance traps

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

**Three commercial grades: CCM caustic-calcined ~700-1000 C, DBM dead-burned ~1700-2000 C, FM fused ~2800 C electric arc**
**Completes alkaline-earth oxide chain alongside CaO batch 67** (MgO + CaO joint refractory chemistry)
NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NO active EU AD
**Refractory (steel + cement + glass) plus animal feed plus pharma antacid / laxative plus food-grade E530 plus magnesium metal feedstock downstream chains**
Major Chinese producers concentrated in Liaoning Province magnesite belt (Haicheng + Dashiqiao)
Magnesium oxide fume metal-fume-fever potential at high acute exposure

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for magnesium oxide (magnesia), see the CAS 1309-48-4 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the magnesium oxide (magnesia) 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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