CAS 100-21-0 · IECSC · People's Republic of China

Purified terephthalic acid under IECSC

C8H6O4 · 精对苯二甲酸

Status: Listed. Purified terephthalic acid is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational PET-chain monomer. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. PTA is NOT on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (light hazard profile, dust-only). PTA is NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Catalog. China dominates global PTA production (~70% of global capacity, ~65 Mt/yr) led by Hengli Petrochemical, Yisheng Petrochemical, Tongkun, Wankai New Materials, Xinjiang Wanrui, and Zhejiang Petrochemical.

PTA is comfortably IECSC-listed and NOT on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals so the export-side regulatory work is operationally lighter than for the dual-use precursors (sulfuric, methanol, HCl) or MEG (which IS on Catalog). The structural intelligence layer is destination-market specific: India DGTR ongoing AD investigation, Vietnam VCA active AD case, Pakistan NTC active AD case, Türkiye periodic AD petitions. Producer-specific AD margin tracking is operator-relevant. Major Chinese capacity additions 2024-2026 (Hengli Petrochemical Phase 4 +5 Mt/yr, Wankai New Materials Phase 2 +5 Mt/yr, Tongkun Phase 3 +5 Mt/yr) are extending capacity dominance from ~70% toward ~75% of global. 13% VAT export rebate is structural margin support. Bottle-grade vs fibre-grade vs industrial-grade segmentation matters for downstream PET-resin food-contact compliance.

Listing and threshold

Substance Purified terephthalic acid (CAS 100-21-0), C8H6O4
Regime China Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (IECSC), administered by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
Jurisdiction People's Republic of China
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold No new-substance threshold applies. No Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required (PTA is not on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals)

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT listed in China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals
  • NOT on China's Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog
  • NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog
  • NOT on the Explosives Precursor Catalog
  • GB/T 28122-2011 specification applies for industrial-grade PTA (Chinese national standard)
  • GB/T 28121-2011 specification applies for fibre-grade PTA (PET fibre input)
  • GB/T 14206-2015 specification applies for bottle-grade PTA (food-contact PET resin input)
  • GACC export classification: HS 29173600 (terephthalic acid and its salts)
  • China is largest global producer (~70% capacity) and largest exporter of PTA

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required (PTA is not on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals)
  • No Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Permit required
  • Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
  • No specific export-restriction or quota system applies
  • VAT export rebate currently 13% for PTA (HS 29173600) per organic-chemicals chapter rebate schedule; verify before invoicing as rebates are adjusted periodically
  • GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
  • Chinese capacity additions 2024-2026 (Hengli Petrochemical 5 Mt/yr Phase 4, Wankai New Materials 5 Mt/yr Phase 2, Tongkun 5 Mt/yr Phase 3) are extending Chinese capacity dominance and increasing structural export volumes

Importer obligations

For Chinese-origin PTA exported abroad, no IECSC obligation falls on the foreign importer. The export-side documentation pack is light: no Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain (PTA is not hazardous chemical), no Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Permit, just standard GACC export declaration and GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS. Producer-grade documentation matters because grade segmentation (industrial vs fibre vs bottle) commands different prices and meets different downstream specifications. For destination markets with active AD investigations on PTA (India DGTR, Vietnam VCA, Pakistan NTC, Türkiye), producer-specific routing is the operator-relevant intelligence layer.

Required documents

  • GACC export declaration with HS code 29173600
  • Industrial-grade or fibre-grade or bottle-grade certificate per applicable GB standard (GB/T 28122-2011 / GB/T 28121-2011 / GB/T 14206-2015)
  • GHS-compliant SDS in Simplified Chinese per GB/T 17519-2013 (effective 31 January 2014, references UN GHS 4th revised edition; verify against the current version of GB/T 17519 at https://www.codeofchina.com/standard/GBT17519-2013.html)
  • Producer-grade declaration (industrial / fibre / bottle / colour / impurity profile)
  • For destination-market AD compliance: producer-specific AD margin documentation (used by destination broker for entry filing) where active AD case applies (India / Vietnam / Pakistan / Türkiye / Korea)
  • Certificate of analysis (COA) covering 4-CBA, p-toluic acid, ash, moisture, colour b-value, particle size distribution

Common compliance traps

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

  • PTA is NOT on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals so the export-side regulatory work is lighter than for sulfuric, methanol, HCl, or MEG (all of which require Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain)
  • 13% VAT rebate is structural margin; verify rebate filing on each shipment
  • Multiple destination markets run active AD investigations on Chinese-origin PTA: India DGTR (under review); Vietnam VCA (active); Pakistan NTC (active); Türkiye (periodic petitions). Producer-specific AD margin tracking is the operator intelligence layer
  • Major capacity additions 2024-2026 (Hengli Phase 4, Wankai Phase 2, Tongkun Phase 3) are pushing Chinese self-sufficiency and increasing export volumes; AD investigations in destination markets will likely intensify in response
  • Grade segmentation (industrial / fibre / bottle) commands different prices; bottle-grade (GB/T 14206-2015) carries 4-CBA spec ≤25 ppm and is required for food-contact PET resin downstream
  • GACC sometimes blocks shipments if SDS is missing the Chinese-only fields (mainland-China emergency contact, GHS Chinese pictograms)
  • Coastal integrated petrochemical complexes (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian) dominate PTA capacity; Xinjiang capacity (Xinjiang Wanrui) is inland and serves domestic polyester complex

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for purified terephthalic acid, see the CAS 100-21-0 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the purified terephthalic acid cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of IECSC, see the IECSC 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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