CAS 1310-73-2 · AICIS · Australia

Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) under AICIS

NaOH · 氢氧化钠

Status: Listed. Sodium hydroxide is on the AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme; replaced NICNAS on 1 July 2020 under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, verify against https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-do) Inventory of Industrial Chemicals. The substance was listed at the inception of NICNAS in 1990 and carries through to AICIS post-2020. No new-substance assessment is required for import; the substance falls under "Listed Industrial Chemical" rules.

AICIS treats NaOH as a routine listed industrial chemical and the importer side just needs current registration plus an Australian-format WHS SDS. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes the China-Australia caustic lane structurally clean (Bayer-process alumina demand drives the bulk of the volume). The Australian operational layer is straightforward; freight and tank availability are the actual constraints, not regulatory.

Listing and threshold

Substance Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) (CAS 1310-73-2), NaOH
Regime Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), administered by the Department of Health
Jurisdiction Australia
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold AICIS introducer registration required for any business introducing >100 kg/year of any industrial chemical (including listed). Volume-based reporting tiers apply but do not change listing status.

Classifications under this regime

  • Listed Industrial Chemical on AICIS Inventory
  • GHS classification per Globally Harmonized System: Skin Corr. 1A (H314), Met. Corr. 1 (H290)
  • Workplace exposure standard (Safe Work Australia): 2 mg/m³ peak limit
  • Not classified as Hazardous Substance under WHS Regulations beyond corrosive listing
  • Not on the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) Schedule for retail sale (industrial-only)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No AICIS-specific use restrictions for industrial caustic soda
  • WHS (Work Health and Safety) Regulation 2011 corrosive-substance handling rules apply
  • NSW EPA additional storage requirements above thresholds
  • Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG 7.7) Code applies for road / rail transport (UN 1823 / UN 1824)

Importer obligations

The Australian importer of record must be registered with AICIS (online registration is straightforward and annual). For Listed Industrial Chemicals like NaOH, no individual chemical assessment or notification is required; the importer is registering as a business that introduces industrial chemicals, not registering each substance. WHS-compliant Safety Data Sheet (Australian-format, Safe Work Australia model code) is required at the point of supply.

Required documents

  • AICIS introducer registration certificate (annual)
  • WHS-compliant Safety Data Sheet (Safe Work Australia model code format)
  • Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code declaration for road / rail transport
  • Customs entry (ICS / ABF) with HS code 281511 (solid) or 281512 (liquid)

Common compliance traps

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

  • AICIS registration must be CURRENT before customs clearance; lapsed registrations trigger holds at first arrival
  • WHS SDS format differs slightly from US OSHA HCS and EU REACH eSDS; Australian-format SDS is required, not just any GHS SDS
  • NSW, QLD, VIC have additional storage and transport rules beyond Federal; check destination state's Department of Mines / WorkSafe equivalent
  • AICIS is administered via online portal (industrialchemicals.gov.au); some Asian-export-side brokers don't recognise the post-2020 portal change

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), see the CAS 1310-73-2 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of AICIS, see the AICIS 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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