CAS 75-56-9 · K-REACH · Republic of Korea

Propylene oxide (1,2-epoxypropane) under K-REACH

C3H6O · 环氧丙烷

Status: Registered. PO is registered under K-REACH and listed as a Priority Existing Chemical (PEC). Korean GHS classification matches REACH (Carc 1B + Muta 1B + Acute Tox. 3 + Flam. Liq. 1). **PO IS on Korea TCCA Toxic Chemicals list**: TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit at destination facility required (parallel layer to K-REACH chemical registration; mirror of phenol batch 13 + sulfuric acid batch 2 + formaldehyde batch 18 + benzene batch 22 + aniline batch 26 + butadiene batch 27 + EO batch 28 patterns). NOT on Korean Drug Management Act precursor list. NO active Korean AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin PO. **Korea has substantial domestic PO production**: SKC (Ulsan, HPPO + chlorohydrin), Lotte Chemical (Yeosu, HPPO), Hyundai Chemical (Daesan, HPPO joint with HD); structurally balanced. KCFTA preferential zero-duty applies for Chinese-origin imports.

K-REACH treats PO as a routine PEC-registered substance but **TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit at destination facility is the dominant practitioner overhead**. Korea has **substantial domestic PO production**: SKC (Ulsan, HPPO plus chlorohydrin; verify Korean PO nameplate ranking against the SKC corporate site before quoting world-leading capacity), Lotte Chemical (Yeosu, HPPO), Hyundai Chemical (Daesan, HPPO joint with HD); structurally balanced. NO active Korean AD/CVD case. KCFTA preferential zero-duty supports Chinese-origin supplemental supply. Korean downstream consumers: SKC (polyether polyol chain), KumhoMitsui Chemicals (PU chain), Korean automotive sector (PU foam). **Propylene oxide distinguishing pattern across all 5 regimes**: lighter sister of EO batch 28 (Carc 1B vs EO Carc 1A; IARC Group 2B vs EO IARC Group 1) + polyether polyol → polyurethane chain (~70% of demand) + HPPO emerging as preferred production route + Wanhua Chemical Yantai HPPO leadership; Chinese PO is exportable as bulk (vs EO batch 28 which is structurally captive).

Listing and threshold

Substance Propylene oxide (1,2-epoxypropane) (CAS 75-56-9), C3H6O
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

  • Korean GHS classification: Flam. Liq. 1 (H224), Carc. 1B (H350), Muta. 1B (H340), Acute Tox. 3 oral / dermal / inhalation (H301 / H311 / H331), Skin Irrit. 2 (H315), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319), STOT SE 3 (H335)
  • Signal word: DANGER. GHS pictograms: GHS02 + GHS06 + GHS08
  • Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) workplace exposure standard: 20 ppm 8-hr TWA, 50 ppm STEL
  • **Listed in Korea TCCA Toxic Chemicals list**
  • NOT on Korean Drug Management Act precursor list
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) HS code: 291020
  • **IARC: Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans)**

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • **TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit at destination facility required**
  • Chemical Accident Prevention Plan (CAPP) may be required at handling facilities
  • Korea Industrial Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) MSDS in Korean required at workplace
  • Korea Customs Service requires K-REACH registration number on import declaration
  • NO active Korean AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin PO currently
  • KCFTA preferential zero-duty applies to Chinese-origin PO (HS 291020)

Importer obligations

The Korean importer of record must hold K-REACH registration. **TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit at destination facility is the dominant practitioner-facing overhead**. Korea has substantial domestic PO production: SKC (Ulsan, HPPO plus chlorohydrin; verify Korean PO nameplate ranking against the SKC corporate site before quoting world-leading capacity), Lotte Chemical (Yeosu, HPPO), Hyundai Chemical (Daesan, HPPO joint with HD); supplemental imports flow during plant outages. Korean downstream consumers: SKC (polyether polyol chain), KumhoMitsui Chemicals (PU chain), Korean automotive sector (PU foam). The Korean PO → polyether polyol → polyurethane chain is among world's largest alongside Chinese capacity.

Required documents

  • K-REACH registration number on Korean side (registrant or OR-appointed)
  • Korean-language MSDS compliant with Korean GHS reflecting H224 / H301 / H311 / H315 / H319 / H331 / H335 / H340 / H350 classification
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) declaration with HS code 291020
  • **TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit** at destination facility
  • China-Korea FTA Form CO certificate of origin for preferential treatment
  • Industrial-grade specification certificate (minimum 99.95% purity)

Common compliance traps

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

  • Korean GHS hazard-statement codes use H-codes mapped to Korean translations; SDS in English-only is rejected
  • **TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit at destination facility is the dominant practitioner overhead**
  • Korea has substantial domestic PO production: SKC (Ulsan, HPPO plus chlorohydrin; verify Korean PO nameplate ranking against the SKC corporate site before quoting world-leading capacity), Lotte Chemical (Yeosu, HPPO), Hyundai Chemical (Daesan, HPPO joint with HD)
  • KCFTA preferential zero-duty applies; verify producer-specific eligibility
  • No active Korean AD/CVD case on Chinese PO currently
  • Korean downstream consumers: SKC (polyether polyol chain), KumhoMitsui Chemicals (PU chain), Korean automotive sector (PU foam)
  • The Korean PO → polyether polyol → polyurethane chain is among world's largest alongside Chinese capacity

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for propylene oxide (1,2-epoxypropane), see the CAS 75-56-9 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the propylene oxide (1,2-epoxypropane) 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.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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