CAS 106-99-0 · REACH · European Union

1,3-Butadiene under REACH

C4H6 · 1,3-丁二烯

Status: Registered. 1,3-Butadiene is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: Carc 1A (H350) + Muta 1B (H340) + Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A + IARC Group 1 carcinogen since 2008 + steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction (~95% globally, ~30-40% of C4 fraction) + SBR / BR / ABS / NBR rubber chain primary feedstock + benzene batch 22 + styrene batch 25 chain crossover + butadiene-specific OSHA standard (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised classification: Carc 1A + Muta 1B + Flam. Gas 1A + Press. Gas (refrigerated liquefied gas / liquefied gas). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NOT a drug precursor. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin butadiene currently.

1,3-Butadiene is fully REACH-registered with **heaviest hazard profile alongside benzene batch 22 + formaldehyde batch 18**: Carc 1A + Muta 1B + Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A + IARC Group 1 carcinogen since 2008. The most-imminent practitioner watch-item is **EU Directive 2004/37/EC OEL transition to 1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA from 5 July 2026**. NOT SVHC despite Carc 1A + Muta 1B (kept off because of essential industrial use). NO active EU AD case. NOT in CBAM Phase 1. Major Chinese producers: Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Maoming + Yueyang), CNPC (Daqing + Karamay), Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC. China dominates global capacity (~30%, ~5-6 Mt/yr). Production: **steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction** (~95% globally); ~30-40% of C4 fraction is butadiene. End-use mix dominated by SBR (~30%), polybutadiene rubber BR (~25%), ABS (~15%), NBR (~10%), styrene-butadiene latex (~10%). Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A drives refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas storage + ATEX-zoned warehousing overhead.

Listing and threshold

Substance 1,3-Butadiene (CAS 106-99-0), C4H6
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

  • Harmonised CLP classification: Flam. Gas 1A (H220, "extremely flammable gas"), Press. Gas (compressed / liquefied / refrigerated liquefied), Carc. 1A (H350, "may cause cancer"), Muta. 1B (H340, "may cause genetic defects")
  • Signal word: DANGER
  • GHS pictograms: GHS02 (flame), GHS04 (gas cylinder), GHS08 (health hazard, carcinogen / mutagen)
  • IARC: 1,3-butadiene classified Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans). Upgraded from Group 2A (Monograph Vol 71, 1999) to Group 1 in Monograph Vol 97 (2008) "1,3-Butadiene, Ethylene Oxide and Vinyl Halides"; reaffirmed in Monograph Vol 100F (2012) (verify Vol 97 + Vol 100F against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications)
  • NOT subject to Drug Precursors or Explosives Precursors scheduling
  • ADR / RID transport classification: Class 2.1 (flammable gas), UN 1010 (1,3-butadiene stabilised), Packing Group not applicable

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • NOT on REACH Annex XIV (Authorisation list)
  • NOT classified as SVHC (despite Carc 1A + Muta 1B classification, kept off SVHC because of essential industrial use including SBR / BR / ABS / NBR rubber chain)
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin butadiene currently
  • Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope; potential Phase 2 candidate post-2026 review
  • EU Reg 10/2011 food-contact: butadiene specific migration limit (SML "ND" non-detectable) for plastic food-contact materials
  • EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) requires permitting for installations producing butadiene above declared thresholds
  • EU Directive 2004/37/EC Carcinogens and Mutagens at Work: occupational exposure limit 1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA from 5 July 2026 phased transition (verify current OEL value and effective date against https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2004/37/oj before relying)

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). The dominant practitioner-facing layer for butadiene is **Carc 1A + Muta 1B + Press. Gas + IARC Group 1 hazard profile workplace exposure-control overhead** + **EU Directive 2004/37/EC OEL 1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA from 5 July 2026 transition**. Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Yangzi + Sinopec Shanghai + Sinopec Maoming + Sinopec Yueyang, CNPC Daqing + CNPC Karamay, Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC) compete with EU domestic producers (BASF Ludwigshafen, Shell Chemicals Pernis + Wesseling, INEOS Köln, ExxonMobil Antwerp). Butadiene production is **steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction** (~95% globally); ~30-40% of C4 fraction is butadiene.

Required documents

  • REACH registration number on the EU side (registrant or OR-appointed)
  • Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with REACH Annex II in destination Member State language(s) reflecting H220 / H340 / H350 classification
  • CLP-compliant labelling with GHS02 + GHS04 + GHS08 pictograms and DANGER signal word
  • Customs entry with HS code 290124 (1,3-butadiene)
  • ADR consignment note for transport (Class 2.1, UN 1010, refrigerated liquefied or compressed)
  • **Directive 2004/37/EC compliance documentation** for occupational exposure-limit compliance from 5 July 2026 (1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA)

Common compliance traps

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

  • **EU Directive 2004/37/EC OEL transition to 1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA from 5 July 2026** is the most-imminent practitioner watch-item for butadiene
  • **Carc 1A + Muta 1B + Press. Gas + IARC Group 1 hazard profile** drives the heaviest workplace exposure-control overhead in the dataset alongside benzene batch 22 + formaldehyde batch 18
  • NOT SVHC despite Carc 1A + Muta 1B (kept off because of essential industrial use including SBR / BR / ABS / NBR rubber chain)
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese butadiene currently
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope
  • Major Chinese producers: Sinopec (Yangzi + Shanghai + Maoming + Yueyang), CNPC (Daqing + Karamay), Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, Wanhua Chemical Yantai, Zhejiang Petrochemical Zhoushan / ZRCC. China dominates global capacity (~30%, ~5-6 Mt/yr)
  • **Steam-cracker C4 fraction extraction** is dominant production route (~95% globally); ~30-40% of C4 fraction is butadiene. Steam-cracker capacity additions drive coupled butadiene supply growth
  • End-use mix: SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber, automotive tyre + footwear, ~30%), polybutadiene rubber (BR, ~25%), ABS (~15%, alongside styrene batch 25 + acrylonitrile chain), nitrile rubber (NBR, ~10%), styrene-butadiene latex / SBC (~10%), other (~10%)
  • Press. Gas + Flam. Gas 1A drives gas-cylinder + ATEX-zoned warehousing overhead; refrigerated liquefied or compressed gas storage

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for 1,3-butadiene, see the CAS 106-99-0 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the 1,3-butadiene 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.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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