CAS 50-00-0 · AICIS · Australia

Formaldehyde under AICIS

CH2O · 甲醛

Status: Listed. Formaldehyde is on the AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme; replaced NICNAS on 1 July 2020 under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, verify against https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-do) Inventory of Industrial Chemicals as a Listed Industrial Chemical. Australia adopted the GHS classification matching REACH (Carc 1B + Muta 2 + Acute Tox. 3 + Skin Corr. 1B + Skin Sens 1). **SUSMP Schedule 6 (Poison) applies for retail mixtures above concentration cutoffs**; **Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) applies for industrial-grade formaldehyde solutions above concentration cutoffs** (heavier than caustic soda batch 1 / KOH batch 17 SUSMP Schedule 6 only). NOT on Australian Drug Control Act precursor list. NO active Australian AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin formaldehyde. Australia has no major domestic formaldehyde production capacity; imports primarily flow to wood-panel + furniture + MDF / particleboard manufacturers. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty applies for Chinese-origin imports.

AICIS treats formaldehyde as a routine listed industrial chemical with **SUSMP Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) scheduling for industrial-grade solutions above concentration cutoffs** (heavier than caustic soda batch 1 / KOH batch 17 SUSMP Schedule 6 only). The operational compliance work is substantial (annual AICIS registration, WHS-compliant SDS, ADG 7.7 Class 8 transport, corrosion-resistant tankage for bulk, Schedule 7 labelling). NO active Australian AD/CVD case. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes Chinese-origin formaldehyde competitive vs Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian alternatives. Australia has **no major domestic formaldehyde production**; imports primarily flow to wood-panel + furniture + MDF / particleboard manufacturers (Borg Manufacturing, Shaw Group, Boral Plywood, Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products). **AS/NZS 4859 emission limits** for wood-panels (Australian / New Zealand E0 / E1 / E2 system) drive downstream demand for low-emission formaldehyde-resin grades; converging with EU Annex XVII Restriction 77 (effective August 2026) and US TSCA Section 6 risk-management rule (expected 2026-2027) trajectory.

Listing and threshold

Substance Formaldehyde (CAS 50-00-0), CH2O
Regime Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), administered by the Department of Health
Jurisdiction Australia
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold AICIS introducer registration required for any business introducing >100 kg/year of any industrial chemical

Classifications under this regime

  • Listed Industrial Chemical on AICIS Inventory
  • Australian GHS classification: Carc. 1B (H350), Muta. 2 (H341), Acute Tox. 3 oral / dermal / inhalation (H301 / H311 / H331), Skin Corr. 1B (H314), Eye Dam. 1 (H318), Skin Sens. 1 (H317), STOT SE 3 (H335)
  • Signal word: DANGER. GHS pictograms: GHS05 + GHS06 + GHS08
  • **SUSMP Schedule 6 (Poison)** applies for retail mixtures above concentration cutoffs
  • **SUSMP Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison)** applies for industrial-grade formaldehyde solutions above concentration cutoffs
  • NOT on Australian Drug Control Act precursor list
  • Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG 7.7): Class 8 (corrosive), UN 1198 (formaldehyde solutions, flammable) / UN 2209 / UN 1199
  • Safe Work Australia workplace exposure standard: 1 ppm peak (ceiling); reduced from 1.5 ppm previous
  • **IARC Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans)**

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No AICIS-specific use restrictions for industrial-grade formaldehyde above concentration cutoffs
  • SUSMP Schedule 6 retail packaging rules apply for retail mixtures
  • SUSMP Schedule 7 retail packaging rules apply for industrial-grade formaldehyde solutions
  • NO active Australian AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin formaldehyde currently
  • WHS Regulation 2011 hazardous-chemicals handling requirements apply at workplaces handling formaldehyde bulk above declared thresholds
  • NFPA-equivalent corrosive liquid storage requirements apply for bulk; corrosion-resistant tankage
  • ChAFTA preferential zero-duty applies to Chinese-origin formaldehyde (HS 291211)
  • TGA approves formaldehyde for limited pharmaceutical-formulation applications under Therapeutic Goods Act 1989; Schedule 4 if >37% concentration
  • AS/NZS 4859 emission limits for wood-panels (Australian / New Zealand E0/E1/E2 system)

Importer obligations

The Australian importer of record must be registered with AICIS (online registration is straightforward and annual). For Listed Industrial Chemicals like formaldehyde no individual chemical assessment is required. **SUSMP Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) compliance is the dominant practitioner overhead**. Workplace handling SDS drives WHS hazardous-chemicals register entry at handling facilities; corrosion-resistant tankage applies for bulk receipt. Australia has no major domestic formaldehyde production; imports primarily flow to wood-panel + furniture + MDF / particleboard manufacturers (Borg Manufacturing, Shaw Group, Boral Plywood, Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products). **AS/NZS 4859 emission limits** for wood-panels (Australian / New Zealand E0 / E1 / E2 system) drive downstream demand for low-emission formaldehyde-resin grades. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes Chinese-origin formaldehyde competitive vs Korean (Korean Chemical Yeosu, Hyosung Chemical), Indonesian (Wilmar International), and Malaysian (BASF) alternatives.

Required documents

  • AICIS introducer registration certificate (annual)
  • WHS-compliant Safety Data Sheet (Safe Work Australia model code format) reflecting H301 / H311 / H314 / H317 / H318 / H331 / H335 / H341 / H350 classification
  • Customs entry (ICS / ABF) with HS code 291211 (formaldehyde 37% solution)
  • **SUSMP Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) labelling compliance** for industrial-grade above cutoffs
  • ChAFTA Form CO certificate of origin for preferential treatment
  • Industrial-grade specification certificate (minimum 37% formaldehyde content)
  • ADG 7.7 Class 8 dangerous-goods transport documentation
  • AS/NZS 4859 emission-limit conformity declaration for downstream wood-panel exports

Common compliance traps

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

  • AICIS registration must be CURRENT at customs clearance; lapsed registrations trigger holds
  • WHS hazardous-chemicals register entry required at handling facilities; corrosion-resistant tankage applies for bulk
  • **SUSMP Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) compliance is the dominant practitioner overhead** for industrial-grade above cutoffs (heavier than caustic soda batch 1 / KOH batch 17 SUSMP Schedule 6 only)
  • Carc 1B + Muta 2 + Acute Tox. 3 + Skin Sens 1 hazard profile drives substantial WHS workplace exposure-control overhead
  • NO active Australian AD/CVD case on Chinese formaldehyde currently. Australian Anti-Dumping Commission has had periodic petrochemical-intermediate investigations but no active orders on formaldehyde
  • ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes Chinese-origin formaldehyde competitive vs Korean (Korean Chemical Yeosu, Hyosung Chemical), Indonesian (Wilmar International), Malaysian (BASF) alternatives
  • Australian end-use is dominated by wood-panel + furniture + MDF / particleboard manufacturers (Borg Manufacturing, Shaw Group, Boral Plywood, Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products)
  • **AS/NZS 4859 emission limits** for wood-panels drive downstream demand for low-emission formaldehyde-resin grades; converging with EU Annex XVII Restriction 77 trajectory

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for formaldehyde, see the CAS 50-00-0 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the formaldehyde cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of AICIS, see the AICIS 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

Referenced in

6 pages across the Sourzi moat

This term shows up in 4 regulatory pages, 1 topic clusters, 1 CAS profiles. Sample backlinks per content type below.

Regulatory (4)

Plus 1 more regulatory pages.

Topic cluster (1)

CAS (1)

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.