CAS 9002-88-4 · TSCA · United States of America

Polyethylene (PE; LDPE / LLDPE / HDPE / UHMWPE) under TSCA

(C2H4)n · 聚乙烯

Status: Listed. Polyethylene is on the TSCA Inventory and is currently listed as TSCA Active. Light-regulatory profile. NOT on EPA RMP threshold list. NOT on DEA scheduling. NOT on Cal Prop 65. NOT on TRI Section 313 list. NO active US AD case on Chinese-origin PE currently. Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies on Chinese-origin PE (HS 39011000 / 39012000 / 39014000). FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 indirect food-additive applications. State-level single-use plastics + recycled-content legislation (California + Maine + New York + Washington EPR; California SB 54 mandates 65% recycled-content by 2032).

The US PE lane has **light regulatory profile** but with substantial state-level EPR + recycled-content legislation (California SB 54 65% recycled by 2032 + Maine + New York + Washington EPR). **US is structurally net-EXPORTER** through combined ExxonMobil + LyondellBasell + Dow Chemical + Chevron Phillips + INEOS + Sasol + Westlake + Saudi Aramco / Motiva ~25-30 Mt/yr capacity. US shale gas advantage drives ethylene + PE cost-competitiveness globally.

Listing and threshold

Substance Polyethylene (PE; LDPE / LLDPE / HDPE / UHMWPE) (CAS 9002-88-4), (C2H4)n
Regime US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), administered by EPA
Jurisdiction United States of America
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold CDR (Chemical Data Reporting) threshold: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg) manufactured or imported per site per year

Classifications under this regime

  • OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS): not classified at industrial-grade (polymer)
  • NOT subject to TSCA Section 6 Risk Evaluation
  • NOT on EPA RMP threshold list
  • NOT on DEA List I or List II
  • NOT on California Proposition 65 list (verify against OEHHA https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list before relying on negative listing)
  • NOT on TRI Section 313 list
  • IARC: not classified
  • FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 indirect food-additive applications
  • **California SB 54 Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act 2022**: source plastic packaging recycling and source-reduction targets including a 65 percent rate by 2032 (verify the exact statutory percentages and dates against California Public Resources Code Section 42040 et seq. and CalRecycle implementation guidance before relying)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • NO active US AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin PE currently
  • Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies on Chinese-origin PE (HS 39011000 / 39012000 / 39014000)
  • **State-level EPR + recycled-content legislation**: California SB 54 (65% recycled by 2032), Maine LD 1541 EPR, New York EPR + bottle bills

Importer obligations

TSCA is a self-certification regime. Light-regulatory profile. Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies. **US is structurally net-EXPORTER of PE**: ExxonMobil + LyondellBasell + Dow Chemical + Chevron Phillips + INEOS Olefins & Polymers + Sasol Lake Charles + Westlake Chemical + Saudi Aramco / Motiva combined US PE capacity ~25-30 Mt/yr exceeds domestic demand (US shale gas advantage drives ethylene + PE cost-competitiveness).

Required documents

  • TSCA Section 13 Import Certification statement on customs entry
  • Customs entry CBP Form 7501 with HS code 39011000 / 39012000 / 39014000 (PE primary form) and Section 301 List 3 25% duty applied
  • FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 conformity declaration for food-contact applications

Common compliance traps

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

  • **Light-regulatory profile**: polymer; NOT on TRI, NOT on Cal Prop 65, NOT on RMP, NOT on DEA, NO active AD
  • Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies; only tariff-stack layer
  • **US is structurally net-EXPORTER of PE**: combined ~25-30 Mt/yr capacity exceeds domestic demand; US shale gas advantage drives ethylene + PE cost-competitiveness globally
  • Major US producers: ExxonMobil, LyondellBasell, Dow Chemical, Chevron Phillips, INEOS Olefins & Polymers, Sasol Lake Charles, Westlake Chemical, Saudi Aramco / Motiva
  • **California SB 54** drives 65% recycled-content by 2032 + state-level EPR

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for polyethylene (pe; ldpe / lldpe / hdpe / uhmwpe), see the CAS 9002-88-4 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the polyethylene (pe; ldpe / lldpe / hdpe / uhmwpe) cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of TSCA, see the TSCA 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

Referenced in

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