CAS 7647-01-0 · K-REACH · Republic of Korea

Hydrochloric acid under K-REACH

HCl · 盐酸

Status: Restricted. Hydrochloric acid is registered under K-REACH and listed as a Priority Existing Chemical (PEC). Concentrations >10% are also regulated under the parallel Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TCCA, 화학물질관리법) which sits alongside K-REACH and applies the more restrictive precursor and accident-prevention framework. Korean importers handling bulk HCl above thresholds must hold both K-REACH registration AND a Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit from the Ministry of Environment.

Korea applies the TCCA overlay to HCl, similar to sulfuric acid. The China-Korea HCl lane is structurally important because Korean semiconductor sector demand at Samsung and SK Hynix sites for electronic-grade HCl (Pyongtaek, Hwaseong fabs) drives premium-pricing tonnage. Steel-pickling at POSCO and Hyundai Steel is the technical-grade bulk-tonnage demand. Every Korean buyer holds the TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit in-house and the CAPP plan, so the export side just needs to provide the K-REACH-compliant documentation pack and the China-Korea FTA Form CO. Verify electronic-grade vs technical-grade spec before invoicing; semiconductor-grade premium can be 5-20x technical-grade pricing.

Listing and threshold

Substance Hydrochloric acid (CAS 7647-01-0), HCl
Regime Korea Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (Act No. 11789, "K-REACH" amended 2018)
Jurisdiction Republic of Korea
Status Restricted
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). TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit thresholds vary by use-class.

Classifications under this regime

  • Korean GHS classification: Skin Corr. 1B, STOT SE 3, Met. Corr. 1; gas form adds Acute Tox. 3 inhalation
  • Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) workplace exposure standard: Peak limit 5 ppm
  • Korea TCCA Toxic Chemicals list: HCl >10% concentration is included (same TCCA overlay as sulfuric)
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) HS code: 28061000
  • Listed in K-REACH database under "general industrial use with TCCA overlay"
  • Korea Drug Management Act: HCl is a Type 2 listed precursor (마약류 관리에 관한 법률); distribution chain reporting requirements apply

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit (유독물질취급허가) required for storage and sale above thresholds
  • TCCA Chemical Accident Prevention Plan (CAPP, 화학사고예방관리계획) required for sites above accident-risk threshold
  • Korea Industrial Safety and Health Act (KOSHA) MSDS in Korean required at workplace
  • Korea Customs Service requires K-REACH registration number plus TCCA permit verification on import declaration
  • Korea Drug Management Act Type 2 distribution-chain reporting
  • Korean semiconductor-grade HCl (electronic-grade UN 1050 anhydrous gas) commands separate quality-certification audits at Samsung / SK Hynix sites

Importer obligations

The Korean importer of record must hold K-REACH registration in their own name or rely on an Only Representative (OR). For HCl specifically, the TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit is the practitioner-facing layer that catches new importers; K-REACH registration alone is insufficient. The TCCA permit must be in hand at the destination handling facility before customs releases bulk shipments. The CAPP (Chemical Accident Prevention Plan) is required for industrial-scale storage. Korean semiconductor-grade demand (Samsung, SK Hynix) drives premium-pricing differentiation between technical-grade and electronic-grade.

Required documents

  • K-REACH registration number on Korean side (registrant or OR-appointed)
  • TCCA Toxic Chemicals Handling Permit (유독물질취급허가) at destination facility
  • Chemical Accident Prevention Plan (CAPP) submitted and approved for industrial-scale storage
  • Korean-language MSDS compliant with Korean GHS
  • Korea Drug Management Act distribution-chain report (Type 2 precursor)
  • Korean Customs Service (KCS) declaration with HS code 28061000
  • China-Korea FTA Form CO certificate of origin for preferential treatment
  • Electronic-grade quality certification (where buyer is semiconductor fabricator)

Common compliance traps

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

  • TCCA permit is per-facility, per-handler: the manufacturer, importer, distributor, and end-user chain each need the permit at their address; brokers without facility addresses cannot satisfy TCCA
  • K-REACH registration alone is insufficient for HCl >10%; the TCCA overlay is the binding constraint
  • CAPP (Chemical Accident Prevention Plan) is reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Environment; turnaround can take 60-90 days for a new site
  • Korean GHS hazard-statement codes use H-codes mapped to Korean translations; SDS in English-only is rejected at workplace inspection
  • TCCA penalties for handling without permit are severe: 10 years imprisonment maximum, KRW 100M (~USD 75,000) fines
  • Korean semiconductor-grade HCl (UN 1050 anhydrous, electronic-grade) is the lane-defining premium; Samsung and SK Hynix audit suppliers on heavy-metal contamination spec
  • China-Korea FTA preferential zero-duty treatment requires Form CO from the Chinese exporter

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for hydrochloric acid, see the CAS 7647-01-0 sourcing reference.

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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