What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on glycerol (glycerine, propane-1,2,3-triol)?

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

CAS 56-81-5 · REACH · European Union

Glycerol (glycerine, propane-1,2,3-triol) under REACH

C3H8O3 · 甘油

Status: Registered. Glycerol is fully registered under REACH. **Distinguishing pattern: closes biodiesel transesterification chain (KOH batch 17 catalyst + methanol batch 3 reactant; ~10% of methanol demand globally + ~25% of KOH demand) + 1 mole glycerol per ~3 moles methyl ester biodiesel produced + light-hazard food / pharmaceutical / cosmetic + light IARC profile claimed in earlier drafts but no published IARC Monograph evaluation has been verified (verify against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications before relying) (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008: NOT classified as carc / mut / repr / acute tox / corrosive / sens / aquatic; effectively **second light-regulatory profile in the dataset alongside sodium chloride batch 16** (REACH-exempt). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NOT a drug precursor. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin glycerol currently (verify against https://access.trade.gov/ and https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing). NOT in CBAM scope.

Glycerol is fully REACH-registered with **light-regulatory profile** (NOT classified under harmonised CLP at industrial-grade). **Closes biodiesel transesterification chain** (KOH batch 17 catalyst + methanol batch 3 reactant). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NOT a drug precursor, NOT in CBAM scope. NO active EU AD case. Major Chinese producers: small + medium-scale biodiesel-byproduct + soap-byproduct + epichlorohydrin-route synthesis producers (Sinopec + Wanhua Chemical Yantai for epichlorohydrin route). Production routes: biodiesel byproduct (~60% globally, expanding), soap-byproduct (~15%, declining), epichlorohydrin synthesis (~25%). End-use: food + pharmaceutical + personal-care (~40%), epichlorohydrin upstream feedstock (~20%, closing back to BPA-epoxy chain), polyols / polyether polyol (~15%), tobacco moistening (~10%), cosmetics (~15%).

Listing and threshold

Substance	Glycerol (glycerine, propane-1,2,3-triol) (CAS 56-81-5), C3H8O3
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

NOT classified under harmonised CLP at industrial-grade level
No GHS pictograms required at standard industrial-grade
NOT classified as carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive toxicant
NOT classified as hazardous to the aquatic environment
IARC: glycerol has not been the subject of a published IARC Monograph evaluation (verify against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications); any "Group 3" attribution in earlier dataset drafts is unverifiable
NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
ADR / RID transport classification: not regulated as DG (high-flash-point liquid)
EU food additive E 422 permitted under Reg 1333/2008
European Pharmacopoeia / Ph. Eur. monograph for pharmaceutical-grade glycerol

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 glycerol currently
NOT in CBAM scope
EU Reg 10/2011 food-contact: glycerol permitted as plastic food-contact additive + processing aid
EU Reg 1223/2009 cosmetic-product: glycerol permitted as humectant + emollient
European Pharmacopoeia / Ph. Eur. monograph for pharmaceutical-grade specification

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; routine compliance work. Major Chinese producers: small + medium-scale biodiesel-byproduct producers + soap-byproduct producers + epichlorohydrin-route synthesis producers (Sinopec, Wanhua Chemical Yantai for epichlorohydrin route; Sinograin and many small biodiesel producers for biodiesel byproduct route).

Required documents

REACH registration number on the EU side (registrant or OR-appointed)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with REACH Annex II
Customs entry with HS code 152000 (crude glycerol) or HS 290545 (refined glycerol)
Certificate of analysis for industrial-grade or food-grade or pharmaceutical-grade specification
European Pharmacopoeia conformity declaration for pharmaceutical-grade lots

Common compliance traps

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

**Light-regulatory profile**: NOT classified under harmonised CLP at industrial-grade; second light profile in dataset alongside sodium chloride batch 16
**Closes biodiesel transesterification chain** (KOH batch 17 catalyst + methanol batch 3 reactant); ~10% of methanol demand globally + ~25% of KOH demand. 1 mole glycerol per ~3 moles methyl ester biodiesel produced
NOT a drug precursor, NOT in CBAM scope
NO active EU AD case on Chinese glycerol currently
Production routes: biodiesel byproduct (~60% globally, expanding with biodiesel demand growth), soap-byproduct (~15%, declining), epichlorohydrin synthesis route (~25%, dominant in China at Sinopec + Wanhua scale)
Major Chinese producers: small + medium-scale biodiesel-byproduct producers + soap-byproduct producers + epichlorohydrin-route synthesis producers
End-use mix: food + pharmaceutical + personal-care (~40%, humectant + emollient + sweetener + preservative), epichlorohydrin upstream feedstock (~20%, closing back to BPA-epoxy chain via epichlorohydrin), polyols / polyether polyol (~15%), tobacco moistening (~10%), cosmetics + toothpaste + other (~15%)
Glycerol is the simplest sugar-alcohol: triol with three primary OH groups; readily biodegradable

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for glycerol (glycerine, propane-1,2,3-triol), see the CAS 56-81-5 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the glycerol (glycerine, propane-1,2,3-triol) cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of REACH, see the REACH glossary entry.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

Referenced in

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