What is the tonnage threshold for REACH on n-butanol (butan-1-ol)?

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

CAS 71-36-3 · REACH · European Union

n-Butanol (butan-1-ol) under REACH

C4H10O · 正丁醇

Status: Registered. n-Butanol is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: oxo-process from propylene batch 53 plus syngas / CO plus H2 production route (~85 percent globally; via n-butyraldehyde hydrogenation) plus fermentation route (~5 percent declining; ABE process legacy) + n-butyl acetate batch 24 ester chain (~30 percent of demand) plus butyl acrylate ester chain (~25 percent) plus glycol ethers / butyl glycols (~15 percent) plus plasticiser intermediates (~15 percent) plus solvent applications (~15 percent) + Flam. Liq. 3 plus Acute Tox. 4 oral plus Skin Irrit. 2 plus Eye Dam. 1 plus STOT SE 3 + sister to 2-ethylhexanol oxo-alcohol chain (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised: Flam. Liq. 3 (H226) plus Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302) plus Skin Irrit. 2 (H315) plus Eye Dam. 1 (H318) plus STOT SE 3 (H335 plus H336). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin n-butanol currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing).

n-Butanol is fully REACH-registered with **moderate hazard profile** (Eye Dam. 1 plus Acute Tox. 4 oral plus Flam. Liq. 3). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case. **n-Butyl acetate batch 24 ester chain dominates** (~30 percent of demand) plus butyl acrylate (~25 percent) plus glycol ethers (~15 percent) plus plasticiser intermediates (~15 percent) plus solvent (~15 percent). Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao. Production: oxo-process via propylene plus syngas (~85 percent globally).

Listing and threshold

Substance	n-Butanol (butan-1-ol) (CAS 71-36-3), C4H10O
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

Harmonised CLP classification: Flam. Liq. 3 (H226), Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302), Skin Irrit. 2 (H315), Eye Dam. 1 (H318), STOT SE 3 (H335 plus H336)
Signal word: DANGER. GHS pictograms: GHS02 + GHS05 + GHS07
IARC: not separately classified (no Monograph covers n-butanol as primary agent; verify against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications before relying on negative listing)
NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
ADR / RID transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1120 (n-butanol), Packing Group III

Restrictions and conditions of use

NOT on REACH Annex XIV (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/authorisation-list)
NOT classified as SVHC (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table)
NOT subject to any Annex XVII restriction at industrial-grade level
NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin n-butanol currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing; periodic petitions historically)
NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope

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). Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao oxo-alcohol capacity (verify each producer-site pair against the producer's public website before relying on a specific plant).

Required documents

REACH registration number on EU side
SDS reflecting H226 / H302 / H315 / H318 / H335 / H336 classification
CLP labelling with GHS02 + GHS05 + GHS07 + DANGER
Customs entry HS code 290513 (n-butanol)
ADR consignment note Class 3, UN 1120, PG III

Common compliance traps

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

**n-Butyl acetate batch 24 ester chain** (~30 percent of demand) plus butyl acrylate ester chain (~25 percent) plus glycol ethers (~15 percent) plus plasticiser intermediates (~15 percent) plus solvent (~15 percent)
NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NO active EU AD
Major Chinese producers: Sinopec multi-site, CNPC, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Tongling Henghao; China dominates global n-butanol capacity (verify percent-of-global share against ICIS or S&P Commodity Insights before quoting; prior reports cited approximately 40 percent at ~3 to 4 Mt/yr)
Production: oxo-process via propylene batch 53 plus syngas / CO plus H2 (~85 percent globally; n-butyraldehyde hydrogenation) plus fermentation route (~5 percent declining; ABE process legacy)

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for n-butanol (butan-1-ol), see the CAS 71-36-3 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the n-butanol (butan-1-ol) 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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