CAS 1310-58-3 · REACH · European Union

Potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) under REACH

KOH · 氢氧化钾

Status: Registered. Potassium hydroxide is fully registered under REACH at the 100,000 to 1,000,000 t/year tonnage band as the K-analogue of caustic soda (NaOH, batch 1). **Distinguishing pattern: K-analogue of caustic soda (batch 1 mirror) at much smaller market scale (~30:1 NaOH-to-KOH global production ratio).** Same harmonised CLP classification as NaOH (Skin Corr. 1A, Met. Corr. 1, Acute Tox. 4 oral). Same lightest-trade-policy posture. NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NOT subject to Annex XVII at industrial-grade. NOT on Drug Precursors Reg 273/2004. NOT on Explosives Precursors Reg 2019/1148. NOT on CBAM. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin KOH. End-use mix: biodiesel transesterification catalyst (~25%, alongside methanol batch 3), soft-soap manufacture (~25%), specialty K2CO3 production (~20%), alkaline-battery electrolyte (~15%), agriculture and other (~15%).

Potassium hydroxide is fully REACH-registered as the **K-analogue of caustic soda (batch 1)** at much smaller market scale (~30:1 NaOH-to-KOH global production ratio: NaOH ~95 Mt/yr vs KOH ~3-4 Mt/yr). Same hazard profile (Skin Corr. 1A + Met. Corr. 1 + Acute Tox. 4 oral); same lightest-trade-policy posture. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin KOH. NOT in CBAM Phase 1. End-use mix is structurally distinct from NaOH: biodiesel transesterification catalyst (~25%, alongside methanol batch 3), soft-soap manufacture (~25%), specialty K2CO3 production (~20%), alkaline-battery electrolyte (~15%), agriculture and other (~15%). Major Chinese producers: Sinopec Beijing, Wansheng Chemical Anhui, Hubei Sanonda, Qingdao Soda Industry Shandong, Hubei Yihua. China dominates global production (~50%, ~3-4 Mt/yr KOH equivalent). Israeli ICL Group (Sodom Dead Sea brine) is largest non-Chinese producer and structural alternative for EU buyers. **Biodiesel transesterification chain** (KOH catalyst + methanol) links KOH economics to methanol economics (batch 3) and biodiesel demand cycle.

Listing and threshold

Substance Potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) (CAS 1310-58-3), KOH
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: Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302, "harmful if swallowed"), Skin Corr. 1A (H314, "causes severe skin burns and eye damage"), Met. Corr. 1 (H290, "may be corrosive to metals")
  • Signal word: DANGER
  • GHS pictograms: GHS05 (corrosion), GHS07 (exclamation mark)
  • NOT classified as carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive toxicant
  • NOT classified as hazardous to the aquatic environment at standard CLP cutoffs
  • IARC: not assigned (not evaluated)
  • NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
  • ADR / RID transport classification: Class 8 (corrosive substance), UN 1813 (solid) / UN 1814 (solution), 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 at standard industrial-grade level
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin potassium hydroxide
  • Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): KOH is NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope; potential CBAM Phase 2 candidate post-2026 review (similar to caustic soda batch 1)
  • EU food-contact applications via Regulation 10/2011: KOH permitted as processing aid
  • EU Cosmetic Products Regulation 1223/2009: KOH permitted in cosmetic and personal-care products subject to general safety provisions and concentration limits
  • EU Fertiliser Regulation 2019/1009: KOH permitted as feedstock for K-fertiliser production

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). Light occupational hazard profile (Skin Corr. 1A drives engineered controls + ATEX-zoned warehousing for solid lots). NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin KOH (lighter trade-policy posture than caustic soda batch 1 which had no active EU AD either; similar light trade-policy story for both K- and Na- alkali hydroxides). Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Beijing, Wansheng Chemical Anhui, Hubei Sanonda, Qingdao Soda Industry Shandong, Hubei Yihua) compete with EU domestic producers (Solvay, Akzo Nobel, BASF) and Israeli ICL Group (largest non-Chinese producer, Sodom Dead Sea brine).

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 H290 / H302 / H314 classification
  • CLP-compliant labelling with GHS05 + GHS07 pictograms and DANGER signal word
  • Customs entry with HS code 281520 (potassium hydroxide solid) or 281530 (potassium hydroxide solution)
  • ADR consignment note for transport (Class 8, UN 1813 or 1814, PG II)
  • Regulation 10/2011 compliance documentation for food-contact downstream applications

Common compliance traps

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

  • **K-analogue of caustic soda (batch 1)**; same hazard profile (Skin Corr. 1A + Met. Corr. 1 + Acute Tox. 4 oral); same lightest-trade-policy posture
  • Skin Corr. 1A drives engineered controls + ATEX-zoned warehousing for solid lots; standard alkali-hydroxide handling
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope but EU revision may extend; long-term watch-item
  • Major Chinese producers: Sinopec Beijing, Wansheng Chemical Anhui, Hubei Sanonda, Qingdao Soda Industry Shandong, Hubei Yihua. China dominates global production (~50%, ~3-4 Mt/yr KOH equivalent)
  • EU is structurally net-importer of KOH but the KOH market is ~30x smaller than the NaOH market (NaOH ~95 Mt/yr globally vs KOH ~3-4 Mt/yr); lighter trade-flow scale
  • End-use mix: biodiesel transesterification catalyst (~25%, alongside methanol batch 3), soft-soap manufacture (~25%), specialty K2CO3 production (~20%), alkaline-battery electrolyte (~15%), agriculture and other (~15%)
  • Israeli ICL Group (Sodom Dead Sea brine) is largest non-Chinese KOH producer; structural alternative supply for EU buyers
  • Biodiesel transesterification (KOH catalyst + methanol) chain links KOH economics to methanol economics (batch 3) and biodiesel demand cycle

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for potassium hydroxide (caustic potash), see the CAS 1310-58-3 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) 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

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