CAS 57-13-6 · TSCA · United States of America

Urea under TSCA

CH4N2O · 尿素

Status: Listed. Urea is on the TSCA Inventory as a grandfathered pre-1979 substance and is currently listed as TSCA Active. No PMN is required. Urea is NOT subject to DEA precursor scheduling, NOT on EPA RMP, NOT on EPCRA Tier reporting at typical industrial volumes; the regulatory profile is the lightest of all the substances in this batch series.

Urea has the lightest TSCA / OSHA / EPA regulatory profile of any substance in the regulatory matrix series. The operator-relevant complexity sits in trade-policy (Section 301 25%, anti-dumping investigation cycles) and downstream-application certification (AdBlue / DEF, USDA fertiliser registration). The China-US urea lane is volume-niche because the US imports primarily from Trinidad, Qatar, Russia (pre-2022), and Algeria, with Chinese supply competing on price during seasonal peaks. India DOF tender system and Brazil registration drive global pricing more than US-specific dynamics.

Listing and threshold

Substance Urea (CAS 57-13-6), CH4N2O
Regime US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), administered by EPA
Jurisdiction United States of America
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold CDR (Chemical Data Reporting) threshold: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg) manufactured or imported per site per year triggers reporting in the next CDR cycle

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT subject to TSCA Section 4 test rule
  • NOT currently subject to TSCA Section 6 unreasonable-risk evaluation
  • NOT on the TSCA Section 5(a)(2) Significant New Use Rule list
  • OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS, 29 CFR 1910.1200): minimal hazards; urea dust falls under the Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated (PNOR) category at 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1 (PEL 15 mg/m³ total dust, 5 mg/m³ respirable fraction; verify against https://www.osha.gov/annotated-pels/table-z-1)
  • NOT on EPA RMP threshold list
  • NOT on DEA List I or List II
  • NOT on CERCLA hazardous-substance list

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No TSCA-specific use restrictions for urea
  • OSHA workplace exposure limits: PNOR / nuisance-dust thresholds at 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1 (PEL 15 mg/m³ total, 5 mg/m³ respirable; verify against https://www.osha.gov/annotated-pels/table-z-1)
  • DOT and US Coast Guard rules: urea is NOT a regulated dangerous good for transport
  • EPA NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) rules apply for urea-containing wastewater discharge from industrial sites
  • USDA / FDA fertiliser registration applies for fertiliser-grade product distributed to agricultural channels
  • AdBlue / DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) market subject to ISO 22241 specification and API Diesel Exhaust Fluid certification

Importer obligations

TSCA is a self-certification regime: importers attest at customs entry that the substance is on the TSCA Inventory. The TSCA Section 13 Import Certification statement is filed via the customs broker on the entry summary (CBP Form 7501). For urea specifically, the regulatory work is light from TSCA / EPA / OSHA standpoint; the operator-relevant complexity sits in trade-policy and downstream-application certification (AdBlue / DEF, USDA fertiliser registration, anti-dumping investigations).

Required documents

  • TSCA Section 13 Import Certification statement on customs entry
  • OSHA-compliant SDS (Safety Data Sheet) in 16-section GHS format (brief; minimal hazards)
  • CDR filing every 4 years if site exceeds 25,000 lb/yr threshold (next cycle 2026)
  • USDA / state-level fertiliser registration if distributed to agricultural channels
  • API Diesel Exhaust Fluid certification if marketed as AdBlue / DEF
  • ISO 22241 specification compliance if AdBlue / DEF

Common compliance traps

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

  • Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies to Chinese-origin urea (HS 3102.10.0000)
  • US is structurally a net importer of urea; major suppliers are Russia (pre-2022), Trinidad, Qatar, and increasingly Algeria; Chinese supply is volume-niche
  • AdBlue / DEF market quality requirements far exceed fertiliser-grade specs; do not commingle product classifications
  • EPA NPDES violations for urea-containing wastewater are common at fertiliser-blending plants; verify discharge permits
  • Anti-dumping investigations on Chinese urea have been intermittent; 2025 investigation status varies by Administration trade-policy stance
  • India DOF tender system and Brazil ANVISA / IBAMA / MAPA registration drive global urea pricing more than US merchant demand

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 TSCA, see the TSCA 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.