CAS 497-19-8 · REACH · European Union

Sodium carbonate (soda ash) under REACH

Na2CO3 · 碳酸钠 / 纯碱

Status: Registered. Sodium carbonate is fully registered under REACH. **Distinguishing pattern: closes NaCl batch 16 chain via Solvay process (NaCl + NH3 + CO2 → Na2CO3 + NH4Cl) + Hou's process Chinese variant (combined ammonia-soda + ammonia-chloride-synthesis route) + trona / natural soda ash US + Turkish dominance + very light hazard (Eye Irrit. 2 only) + glass + detergent + chemicals primary downstream + Tangshan Sanyou world's largest soda ash producer ~5 Mt/yr (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised: Eye Irrit. 2 (H319, mild eye irritation only). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin sodium carbonate currently. Third light-regulatory profile in dataset alongside sodium chloride batch 16 + glycerol batch 35.

Sodium carbonate is fully REACH-registered with **light-regulatory profile** (Eye Irrit. 2 only). **Closes NaCl batch 16 chain via Solvay process + Hou's process Chinese variant**. NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case. NOT in CBAM Phase 1. Major Chinese producers: **Tangshan Sanyou (a leading global soda ash producer; verify the most recent capacity against the Tangshan Sanyou corporate site before quoting world-largest rank or a specific Mt/yr figure)**, Shandong Haihua, Tianjin Soda Plant, Jiangsu Soda. China dominates global capacity (~50%, ~30 Mt/yr). Production routes: Solvay synthetic (~50% globally), Hou's process Chinese variant (~25% in China only), **trona / natural soda ash mining** (~25%, dominant in US Wyoming Green River basin + Turkey Beypazari basins; lighter carbon footprint than Solvay synthetic). End-use: glass manufacturing (~50%, container glass + flat glass + fibreglass + specialty), chemicals (~15%), detergent + soap (~10%), water treatment (~10%), pulp + paper (~5%), other (~10%).

Listing and threshold

Substance Sodium carbonate (soda ash) (CAS 497-19-8), Na2CO3
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: Eye Irrit. 2 (H319, "causes serious eye irritation"; mild irritation only)
  • Signal word: WARNING
  • GHS pictograms: GHS07 (exclamation mark)
  • IARC: not assigned (not evaluated)
  • NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
  • ADR / RID transport classification: not regulated as DG (solid)
  • EU food additive E 500 (sodium carbonates) permitted under Reg 1333/2008

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 sodium carbonate currently
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope
  • EU Reg 10/2011 food-contact: sodium carbonate permitted as plastic food-contact additive + processing aid
  • EU food additive E 500 permitted

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-regulatory profile. Major Chinese producers: **Tangshan Sanyou (world's largest soda ash producer ~5 Mt/yr; integrated upstream NaCl + ammonia + CO2 chain)**, Shandong Haihua, Tianjin Soda Plant, Jiangsu Soda. EU domestic producers: Solvay (Devnya Bulgaria + Rheinberg Germany + Torrelavega Spain), Tata Chemicals Magadi Soda Kenya, Ciech Soda Polska, KemiKa Slovenia.

Required documents

  • REACH registration number on the EU side (registrant or OR-appointed)
  • Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with REACH Annex II reflecting H319 classification
  • CLP-compliant labelling with GHS07 pictogram and WARNING signal word
  • Customs entry with HS code 283620 (sodium carbonate anhydrous) or 283610 (sodium carbonate decahydrate)

Common compliance traps

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

  • **Light-regulatory profile**: Eye Irrit. 2 only; third light profile in dataset alongside sodium chloride batch 16 + glycerol batch 35
  • **Closes NaCl batch 16 chain via Solvay process** (NaCl + NH3 + CO2 → Na2CO3 + NH4Cl): structural integration with sodium chloride supply
  • **Hou's process Chinese variant** (combined ammonia-soda + ammonia-chloride-synthesis): produces both Na2CO3 + NH4Cl as co-products without ammonia recovery cycle; ~50% of Chinese capacity uses Hou's process
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese sodium carbonate currently
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1
  • Major Chinese producers: **Tangshan Sanyou (a leading global soda ash producer; verify the most recent capacity against the Tangshan Sanyou corporate site before quoting world-largest rank or a specific Mt/yr figure)**, Shandong Haihua, Tianjin Soda Plant, Jiangsu Soda. China dominates global capacity (~50%, ~30 Mt/yr)
  • Production routes: Solvay process synthetic (~50% globally + most of China); Hou's process synthetic (~25% in China only); **trona / natural soda ash mining** (~25%, dominant in US Wyoming Green River basin, Turkey Beypazari + Eskisehir basins; lighter carbon footprint than Solvay synthetic route)
  • End-use mix: glass manufacturing (~50%, container glass + flat glass + fibreglass + specialty), detergent + soap (~10%), chemicals (~15%, sodium silicate + sodium phosphate + sodium chromate + others), water treatment (~10%), pulp + paper (~5%), other (~10%)
  • 9% China VAT export rebate

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for sodium carbonate (soda ash), see the CAS 497-19-8 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the sodium carbonate (soda ash) 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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