CAS 57-13-6 · K-REACH · Republic of Korea

Urea under K-REACH

CH4N2O · 尿소

Status: Registered. Urea is registered under K-REACH and listed as a Priority Existing Chemical (PEC). Urea is NOT TCCA-restricted, NOT on the Korean Drug Management Act precursor list, NOT subject to the Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit framework. The regulatory profile in Korea is among the lightest of any high-volume industrial chemical, similar to Australia.

K-REACH treats urea as a routine PEC-registered substance with no TCCA overlay; the regulatory work is light. The 2021 Korea urea-shortage crisis (Chinese export-license freeze causing Korean DEF supply collapse) is the practitioner-relevant historical lesson: Korea is critically dependent on Chinese urea supply, and the alternative supply (Russia, Belarus) is constrained by sanctions screening. Korean RDA fertiliser registration covers the agricultural channel; ISO 22241 certification covers AdBlue / DEF. Verify both before committing agricultural-channel pricing.

Listing and threshold

Substance Urea (CAS 57-13-6), CH4N2O
Regime Korea Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (Act No. 11789, "K-REACH" amended 2018)
Jurisdiction Republic of Korea
Status Registered
Tonnage threshold K-REACH registration required for existing chemicals manufactured or imported >1 tonne/year (verified per Korean Ministry of Environment / NIER guidance, https://chemical.chemlinked.com/chempedia/k-reach; threshold for new substances was reduced from 0.1 t/y to 1 t/y effective 1 January 2025 per K-REACH 2025 amendment)

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT classified as hazardous under Korean GHS
  • Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) workplace exposure standard: nuisance dust thresholds
  • NOT on Korea TCCA Toxic Chemicals list
  • NOT on Korea Drug Management Act precursor list
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) HS code: 31021000
  • Listed in K-REACH database under "general industrial use, low-hazard"

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit required
  • No Chemical Accident Prevention Plan (CAPP) required at typical industrial concentrations
  • Korea Industrial Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) MSDS in Korean required at workplace (brief because minimal hazards)
  • Korea Customs Service requires K-REACH registration number on import declaration
  • Korean fertiliser registration applies (Rural Development Administration, RDA) for agricultural distribution
  • AdBlue / DEF specification applies for diesel-exhaust applications (ISO 22241 baseline)

Importer obligations

The Korean importer of record must hold K-REACH registration in their own name or rely on an Only Representative (OR). For urea specifically, no TCCA overlay applies; K-REACH registration plus Korean RDA fertiliser registration covers the agricultural distribution channel. The 2021 Korea urea-shortage crisis (caused by Chinese export-license freeze affecting AdBlue / DEF supply for Korean diesel vehicles) demonstrated Korea's strategic dependence on Chinese urea supply.

Required documents

  • K-REACH registration number on Korean side (registrant or OR-appointed)
  • Korean-language MSDS compliant with Korean GHS (brief, minimal hazards)
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) declaration with HS code 31021000
  • China-Korea FTA Form CO certificate of origin for preferential treatment
  • Korean RDA (Rural Development Administration) fertiliser registration (where distributed agricultural channel)
  • ISO 22241 / API DEF certification if marketed as AdBlue / DEF

Common compliance traps

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

  • **Korea is critically dependent on Chinese urea for AdBlue / DEF supply.** The 2021 export-license freeze caused a national diesel-vehicle DEF shortage that prompted government intervention and emergency supply contracts
  • Korean LCFS-equivalent rules apply for diesel-exhaust applications; coal-route Chinese urea has higher carbon-intensity than gas-route Russian or Middle East alternatives
  • Korean GHS hazard-statement codes use H-codes mapped to Korean translations; SDS in English-only is rejected at workplace inspection (despite minimal hazard content)
  • Russian and Belarusian alternative supply is constrained by Korean sanctions screening since 2022
  • China-Korea FTA preferential zero-duty treatment requires Form CO from the Chinese exporter
  • Korean RDA fertiliser registration is independent of K-REACH; verify both before invoicing agricultural channel

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for urea, see the CAS 57-13-6 sourcing reference.

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

For the structure and history of K-REACH, see the K-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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