What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on ammonium nitrate (an)?

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

CAS 6484-52-2 · REACH · European Union

Ammonium nitrate (AN) under REACH

NH4NO3 · 硝酸铵

Status: Restricted. Ammonium nitrate is fully registered under REACH. **Distinguishing pattern: closes nitric acid batch 40 + ammonia batch 37 chains directly (NH3 + HNO3 → NH4NO3) + dual-use civil plus military explosives precursor + **EU Explosives Precursors Reg (EU) 2019/1148** (verify the current retail concentration cutoff and authorisation regime against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1148/oj before relying; prior dataset cited >16 percent N retail-restricted) + Beirut 2020 + Texas City 1947 + Oklahoma City 1995 + Toulouse 2001 disaster legacy driving security regulation + **IN CBAM PHASE 1 SCOPE effective 1 January 2026** (verified V22 audit, Reg (EU) 2023/956 plus Implementing Reg 2023/1773) + 4 fertiliser-grade variants (CAN + AN-fuel grade + porous prilled + ANFO) + Annex XVII Restriction 58 (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised: Ox. Sol. 2 (H272, oxidiser). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV.

Ammonium nitrate carries **substantial regulatory burden**: Ox. Sol. 2 + **EU Explosives Precursors Reg (EU) 2019/1148** (verify current retail concentration cutoffs and authorisation regime against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1148/oj before relying on a specific N-percent cutoff) + Annex XVII Restriction 58 + **EU CBAM Phase 1 effective 1 January 2026** (verified V22 audit, Reg (EU) 2023/956 plus Implementing Reg 2023/1773) + dual-use civil + military explosives precursor. **Closes nitric acid batch 40 + ammonia batch 37 chains directly**. Major Chinese producers: Sichuan Lutianhua, Anqing Petrochemical, Hubei Yihua, Ningxia Coal Industry. China dominates global AN capacity (verify the most recent Mt/yr figure and percent-of-global share against ICIS or USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries before quoting; prior dataset cited ~30 percent share at ~25-30 Mt/yr fertiliser-grade equivalent). End-use: fertiliser (~80%, CAN + ASN + AN-prilled), explosives ANFO (~15%, mining + construction), technical-grade (~5%). 4 fertiliser-grade variants: CAN (less explosive-prone, EU preferred for retail), AN-fuel grade, porous prilled (explosives-grade), AN-melt (intermediate). Disaster legacy: Beirut 2020 + Texas City 1947 + Oklahoma City 1995 + Toulouse 2001 (verify each event against CSB.gov or national investigation reports before quoting individual fatality counts).

Listing and threshold

Substance	Ammonium nitrate (AN) (CAS 6484-52-2), NH4NO3
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	Restricted
Tonnage threshold	Registration required for any importer or manufacturer placing >1 t/year on the EU market

Classifications under this regime

Harmonised CLP classification: Ox. Sol. 2 (H272, "may intensify fire; oxidiser"), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319)
Signal word: WARNING
GHS pictograms: GHS03 (oxidiser flame over circle), GHS07 (exclamation mark)
IARC: not assigned
**EU Explosives Precursors Regulation (EU) 2019/1148**: AN is a regulated explosives precursor with retail concentration thresholds (verify the current limit values, authorisation regime, and 16% N plus 28% N cutoffs against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1148/oj before relying)
EU CBAM Phase 1 (Reg (EU) 2023/956 plus Implementing Reg 2023/1773): YES, AN is in CBAM Phase 1 fertiliser scope effective 1 January 2026 (verified V22 audit)
ADR / RID transport classification: Class 5.1 (oxidising substance), UN 1942 (technical-grade), UN 2067 (fertilisers), UN 2071 (compound mixtures), UN 0222 (explosive grade)

Restrictions and conditions of use

NOT on REACH Annex XIV (Authorisation list)
NOT classified as SVHC
**Annex XVII Restriction 58**: ammonium nitrate retail-restriction (verify the consolidated Annex XVII text and Restriction 58 scope including the 16 percent N cutoff against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2006/1907/oj before relying)
**EU Explosives Precursors Regulation (EU) 2019/1148**: AN >16% N restricted; >28% N requires authorisation
**EU CBAM Phase 1 effective 1 January 2026** (transitional reporting since 1 October 2023; same as ammonia batch 37 + DAP batch 11 + urea batch 5)
NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin AN currently
EU Reg 2003/2003 + amended Reg 2019/1009 Fertiliser Regulation: AN-based fertiliser specifications

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). The dominant practitioner-facing layer is **EU Explosives Precursors Reg 2019/1148 + Annex XVII Restriction 58 retail-restriction overhead + EU CBAM Phase 1 carbon-cost from January 2026 (coal-fed Chinese ammonia upstream carries higher embedded CO2)**. Major Chinese producers (verify each company-site pair against the producer's public website before relying): Sichuan Lutianhua, Anqing Petrochemical (Sichuan), Hubei Yihua, Ningxia Coal Industry.

Required documents

REACH registration number on the EU side (registrant or OR-appointed)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with REACH Annex II reflecting H272 / H319 classification
CLP-compliant labelling with GHS03 + GHS07 pictograms and WARNING signal word
Customs entry with HS code 310230 (ammonium nitrate)
ADR consignment note for transport (Class 5.1, UN 1942 / 2067 / 2071 / 0222)
**Explosives Precursors operator + customer documentation** per Reg 2019/1148
**CBAM Phase 1 carbon-intensity verification** for EU importer (transitional reporting since October 2023; full carbon-cost levy from January 2026)

Common compliance traps

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

**EU Explosives Precursors Reg 2019/1148 + Annex XVII Restriction 58** retail-restriction overhead
**EU CBAM Phase 1 effective 1 January 2026** (same as ammonia batch 37)
**Closes nitric acid batch 40 + ammonia batch 37 chains directly** (NH3 + HNO3 → NH4NO3)
**Dual-use civil + military explosives precursor**: Beirut 2020 + Texas City 1947 + Oklahoma City 1995 + Toulouse 2001 disaster legacy drives security regulation
Major Chinese producers (verify each company-site pair against the producer's public website before relying): Sichuan Lutianhua, Anqing Petrochemical (Sichuan), Hubei Yihua, Ningxia Coal Industry. China dominates global AN capacity (verify the most recent Mt/yr figure and percent-of-global share against ICIS or USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries before quoting; prior dataset cited ~30 percent share at ~25-30 Mt/yr fertiliser-grade equivalent)
Production: NH3 + HNO3 acid-base neutralisation (~99% globally)
End-use mix: fertiliser (~80%, calcium ammonium nitrate / CAN + ammonium sulfate nitrate ASN + AN-prilled), explosives ANFO ammonium-nitrate-fuel-oil (~15%, mining + construction), technical-grade (~5%)
4 fertiliser-grade variants: CAN (calcium ammonium nitrate; less explosive prone, EU preferred for retail), AN-fuel grade, porous prilled (explosives-grade), AN-melt (intermediate)

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for ammonium nitrate (an), see the CAS 6484-52-2 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the ammonium nitrate (an) 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.

Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

Referenced in

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