CAS 7782-44-7 · REACH · European Union

Oxygen (O2) under REACH

O2 · 氧气

Status: Registered. Oxygen is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: Production via cryogenic air-separation unit (ASU) dominant (co-produces N2 + O2 + Ar from atmospheric air); smaller volumes from PSA + VPSA (vacuum pressure-swing adsorption) for medical / smaller-scale demand + completes industrial-gas chain alongside H2 batch 47 plus CO2 batch 77 plus N2 batch 78 + steel-mill basic-oxygen-furnace (BOF) feedstock primary use (~50% of consumption) plus medical-O2 (anaesthesia + emergency + chronic respiratory) plus oxy-fuel welding / cutting plus pulp-mill bleaching plus semiconductor wafer cleaning / oxidation plus chemical synthesis (EO + propylene oxide + acrylonitrile + caprolactam captive feedstock) downstream chains + moderate hazard profile (Ox. Gas 1 + Press. Gas: combustion-supporting / fire-accelerant in oxygen-enriched atmosphere is the dominant safety concern; verify exact harmonised classification against ECHA Annex VI to CLP Table 3.1 before relying).** No specific harmonised CLP entry; ECHA C&L Inventory aggregates notifier classifications: Ox. Gas 1 + Press. Gas (compressed) UN 1072 OR Press. Gas (refrigerated liquefied) UN 1073 per CLP Annex I §2.4 + §2.5 (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals before relying). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NOT subject to AD/CVD measures (O2 is not a tradable customs commodity at scale; regional captive ASU production dominates).

Oxygen is fully REACH-registered with **moderate hazard profile** (Ox. Gas 1 + Press. Gas; fire-acceleration in oxygen-enriched atmosphere is the dominant safety concern). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV. NO AD/CVD. NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope. **Production: cryogenic ASU dominant** (co-produces N2 + O2 + Ar). **Completes industrial-gas chain alongside H2 + CO2 + N2**. Steel-mill BOF (~50%) + medical-O2 + oxy-fuel + pulp bleaching + semiconductor wafer cleaning + EO / PO / AN / caprolactam captive feedstock downstream chains.

Listing and threshold

Substance Oxygen (O2) (CAS 7782-44-7), O2
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

  • Ox. Gas 1: H270 (may cause or intensify fire; oxidiser) per CLP Annex I §2.4
  • Press. Gas (compressed) UN 1072 OR Press. Gas (refrigerated liquefied) UN 1073 per CLP Annex I §2.5: H280 / H281
  • GHS pictograms: GHS03 (flame over circle, oxidiser), GHS04 (gas cylinder)
  • IARC: Not classified
  • NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
  • ADR / RID: UN 1072 (compressed) Class 2.2 + subsidiary risk 5.1 OR UN 1073 (refrigerated liquefied) Class 2.2 + 5.1
  • **Food-grade E948** (verify against EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 food additive Annex II at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ for current scope)
  • **EU Pharmacopoeia monograph** for pharma-grade medical O2 (verify monograph reference against EDQM / Ph. Eur. before relying)
  • Oxygen-enriched atmosphere (>23.5% O2) presents fire-acceleration hazard

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
  • NOT subject to EU AD/CVD
  • 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). Industrial O2 is rarely traded as merchant cross-border cargo at scale because of low value-density and regional captive ASU structure; merchant O2 cargoes are dominated by EU-domestic industrial-gas majors (Linde, Air Liquide, Messer, Nippon Gases / Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Europe, SOL Group). Major Chinese O2 producers tied to ASU on-site supply at Sinopec + CNPC + Baowu Steel + HBIS Group + Hangzhou Hangyang industrial-gas company + Yingde Gases; 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 (Ox. Gas 1 + Press. Gas + fire-acceleration handling notes)
  • Customs entry HS code 280440 (oxygen)
  • ADR documentation for UN 1072 Class 2.2 + 5.1 (compressed) or UN 1073 Class 2.2 + 5.1 (refrigerated liquefied)
  • Food / pharma grade certifications where applicable (E948 / Ph. Eur.)

Common compliance traps

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

  • **Production: cryogenic ASU dominant (co-produces N2 + O2 + Ar) + PSA + VPSA for medical / smaller-scale**
  • **Completes industrial-gas chain alongside H2 batch 47 + CO2 batch 77 + N2 batch 78**
  • NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NO AD/CVD
  • Ox. Gas 1 + fire-acceleration hazard in oxygen-enriched atmosphere (>23.5% O2)
  • **Steel-mill BOF feedstock ~50% + medical-O2 + oxy-fuel welding / cutting + pulp-mill bleaching + semiconductor wafer cleaning / oxidation + chemical synthesis (EO + PO + AN + caprolactam captive) downstream chains**
  • Major Chinese sources (captive ASU): Sinopec + CNPC + Baowu Steel + HBIS Group + Hangzhou Hangyang + Yingde Gases

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for oxygen (o2), see the CAS 7782-44-7 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the oxygen (o2) 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.

Read next

Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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