CAS 105-60-2 · IECSC · People's Republic of China

Caprolactam under IECSC

C6H11NO · 己内酰胺

Status: Listed. Caprolactam is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational nylon-6 monomer. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. **Caprolactam IS on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals** (Acute Tox. 4 oral / inhalation + STOT SE 3 classification). Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required for production / storage / distribution. NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than phenol). China dominates global caprolactam capacity (~70%, ~5 Mt/yr) and Beijing has actively encouraged caprolactam capacity expansion to support nylon-6 industrial chain self-sufficiency.

Caprolactam is comfortably IECSC-listed but IS on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain required). NOT on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (lighter than phenol). 13% VAT export rebate is structural margin support. China dominates global capacity (~70%, ~5 Mt/yr) led by Sinopec Baling, Sinopec Shijiazhuang, Hengyi Petrochemical, Tianlong, Lujian Caprolactam, Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian, Fujian Shenyuan, Hubei Sanning. **The caprolactam / AS by-product chain** is the dominant integrated economics story: ~4 tonnes AS per tonne caprolactam, joint-product coupled. US and EU AD case status on Chinese caprolactam is unverified at audit date 2026-05-09 (prior dataset drafts cited specific case numbers and rates that could not be corroborated; A-570-001 in particular refers to potassium permanganate not caprolactam). Verify current AD/CVD status against access.trade.gov and EU Official Journal before invoicing. Capacity additions 2024-2026 extend Chinese capacity dominance toward ~75%.

Listing and threshold

Substance Caprolactam (CAS 105-60-2), C6H11NO
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. Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required regardless of volume

Classifications under this regime

  • 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
  • GB/T 13254-2008 specification applies for industrial-grade caprolactam (Chinese national standard)
  • GB/T 13254-2008 covers minimum 99.9% purity (industrial-grade), water content, KMnO4 absorbency, melting point
  • GACC export classification: HS 29337100 (caprolactam)
  • China dominates global capacity (~70%, ~5 Mt/yr); ~70% caprolactam by-product chain feeds AS production (~20 Mt/yr theoretical AS by-product)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • **Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required** for any party producing, storing, or distributing caprolactam
  • Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit required for road shipment of bulk caprolactam
  • Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
  • No specific export-restriction or quota system applies (unlike urea / DAP fertilisers)
  • VAT export rebate currently 13% for caprolactam (HS 29337100) 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 (Sinopec Baling Phase 2, Hengyi Petrochemical Phase 2, Tianlong expansion, Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian Phase 2, Fujian Shenyuan expansion) extend Chinese capacity dominance from ~70% toward ~75%

Importer obligations

For Chinese-origin caprolactam exported abroad, no IECSC obligation falls on the foreign importer. The export-side documentation pack focuses on the Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain (producer / forwarder / port operator each hold permits), the GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS, and producer-specific AD margin documentation (especially active US AD case number unverified at audit, verify access.trade.gov, see note below and active EU AD case). Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Baling, Sinopec Shijiazhuang, Hengyi Petrochemical, Tianlong, Lujian Caprolactam, Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian, Fujian Shenyuan, Hubei Sanning) carry distinct producer-specific rates in destination markets. The integrated nylon-6 industrial chain (caprolactam → polyamide-6 chips / fibre / engineering-plastic granules) is increasingly captive within China; the dominant downstream Chinese players are Sinopec, Hengyi, Henglian, and others.

Required documents

  • GACC export declaration with HS code 29337100
  • Industrial-grade certificate per GB/T 13254-2008 (minimum 99.9% purity)
  • 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)
  • Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain documentation (producer / forwarder / port operator)
  • Hazardous Chemicals Road Transport Permit (where road-shipped from inland producers)
  • Producer-specific AD margin documentation (where destination market has an active AD case; verify current US and EU AD/CVD status on Chinese caprolactam against https://access.trade.gov/ and https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before relying on prior-draft case-number citations)

Common compliance traps

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

  • Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit chain is the dominant operational complexity; permit lapses at any node trigger holds
  • 13% VAT rebate is structural margin; verify rebate filing on each shipment
  • **Caprolactam → AS by-product chain is structural**: ~4 tonnes AS per tonne caprolactam. Major Chinese caprolactam capacity additions also drive AS by-product capacity additions. The two markets are joint-product coupled and cannot be optimised independently
  • Active US and EU AD case status on Chinese caprolactam unverified at audit date; verify against access.trade.gov and EU Official Journal. Chinese export volume increasingly flows to South-East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia), Latin America (Brazil), and India
  • Major Chinese producers concentrated in coastal and inland provinces: Sinopec Baling (Hunan), Sinopec Shijiazhuang (Hebei), Hengyi Petrochemical (Zhejiang), Tianlong (Shandong), Lujian Caprolactam (Anhui), Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian (Shanxi inland), Fujian Shenyuan (Fujian), Hubei Sanning (Hubei inland)
  • Coal-fed Chinese caprolactam (Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian, Hubei Sanning) carries higher embedded CO2 vs gas-fed alternatives; CBAM Phase 2 candidate
  • GACC sometimes blocks shipments if SDS is missing the Chinese-only fields (mainland-China emergency contact, GHS Chinese pictograms)
  • Korean Capro Corporation Ulsan (~700 kt/yr, world largest single-site) is the dominant non-Chinese supply origin; Russian / Belarusian caprolactam (KuibyshevAzot, KazanOrgSintez, Grodno Azot) face Russia-sanctions concern

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for caprolactam, see the CAS 105-60-2 sourcing reference.

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

Read next

Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

Referenced in

5 pages across the Sourzi moat

This term shows up in 4 regulatory pages, 1 topic clusters. Sample backlinks per content type below.

Regulatory (4)

Plus 1 more regulatory pages.

Topic cluster (1)

Free download

Free PDF: the same MSDS verification template the Sourzi team uses to cross-reference factory documents against TSCA, REACH, AICIS, and CDR before booking.