CAS 67-64-1 · REACH · European Union

Acetone under REACH

C3H6O · 丙酮

Status: Registered. Acetone is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year) as a foundational solvent and a downstream co-product of cumene-process phenol. **Distinguishing pattern: cumene-process phenol-acetone joint-product chain (1.6:1 phenol-to-acetone fixed mass ratio).** Acetone is the structural co-product of every cumene-route phenol plant; phenol economics and acetone economics cannot be optimised independently. EU Drug Precursors Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 Annex I Category 3 lists acetone alongside HCl, sulphuric acid, toluene, MEK, and ethyl ether (verify against https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02004R0273-20230220; methanol is NOT scheduled under Reg 273/2004 at all). Cat 1 covers primary precursors (ephedrine / pseudoephedrine / safrole etc), Cat 2 covers acetic anhydride / KMnO4 / ANPP / NPP, Cat 3 is the lightest tier. Light occupational hazard profile (Flam. Liq. 2, Eye Irrit. 2, STOT SE 3 narcotic effects). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin acetone.

Acetone is fully REACH-registered with light occupational hazard profile but moderate compliance overhead from **Drug Precursors Cat 3 scheduling** under Reg 273/2004 (operator registration, customer due diligence, transaction record-keeping, EU pre-export notification for selected destinations). The dominant economic story for Chinese-origin acetone is the **cumene-process phenol-acetone joint-product chain** (1.6:1 phenol-to-acetone fixed mass ratio): every Chinese cumene-route phenol plant produces structural acetone supply that cannot be decoupled. Phenol-driven capacity additions (Wanhua Chemical Yantai Phase 2, Sinopec Yanshan expansions) directly extend Chinese acetone supply. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin acetone (lighter trade-policy posture than caprolactam batch 14). Major Chinese producers concentrated at Sinopec Yanshan, Mitsui-Sinopec joint ventures, Hangzhou Nanhua, Wanhua Chemical, Bluestar Chemical, Jiangsu Lihuayi. End-use mix is solvent + MMA + BPA-dominated; downstream BPA exposure carries forward batch 13 phenol distinguishing pattern (BPA-cascade SVHC + state-level US bans).

Listing and threshold

Substance Acetone (CAS 67-64-1), C3H6O
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. Liq. 2 (H225, "highly flammable liquid and vapour"), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319, "causes serious eye irritation"), STOT SE 3 (H336, "may cause drowsiness or dizziness", narcotic effects)
  • Signal word: DANGER
  • GHS pictograms: GHS02 (flame), GHS07 (exclamation mark)
  • NOT classified as carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive toxicant
  • NOT classified as hazardous to the aquatic environment at standard CLP cutoffs
  • IARC: not assigned (not evaluated)
  • EU Drug Precursors Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 Annex I Category 3: acetone is scheduled alongside HCl, sulphuric acid, toluene, MEK, and ethyl ether (verify against https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02004R0273-20230220). Methanol is NOT scheduled under Reg 273/2004
  • NOT on Explosives Precursors Regulation (EU) 2019/1148
  • ADR / RID transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1090, Packing Group II

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • NOT on REACH Annex XIV (Authorisation list)
  • NOT classified as SVHC
  • NOT subject to any Annex XVII restriction at standard industrial-grade level
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin acetone
  • **Drug Precursors Cat 3 obligations**: registration of operators, transaction record-keeping, customer due diligence, suspicious-transaction reporting to national competent authority, EU pre-export notification for selected destinations under Reg 273/2004 + Reg 111/2005
  • Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): acetone is NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope; potential CBAM Phase 2 candidate post-2026 review
  • EU food-contact applications via Regulation 10/2011: acetone monomer-residue screening for plastic food-contact materials
  • EU Cosmetic Products Regulation 1223/2009: acetone permitted in cosmetic and personal-care products subject to general safety provisions

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 Chinese-origin acetone is **Drug Precursors Cat 3 compliance**: operator registration with national competent authority (e.g. BfArM Germany, MHRA UK pre-Brexit, ANSM France), customer due diligence, transaction record-keeping (5-year retention), suspicious-transaction reporting, and EU pre-export notification for selected destinations. Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Yanshan, Mitsui-Sinopec joint ventures, Hangzhou Nanhua, Wanhua Chemical, Bluestar Chemical, Jiangsu Lihuayi) are all cumene-route producers; phenol-acetone joint-product economics couple every Chinese acetone batch to upstream phenol production.

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 H225 / H319 / H336 classification
  • CLP-compliant labelling with GHS02 + GHS07 pictograms and DANGER signal word
  • Customs entry with HS code 29141100 (acetone)
  • **Drug Precursors Cat 3 operator licence** in destination Member State (covers acetone among other Category 3 substances)
  • Transaction record (buyer identity, quantity, end-use declaration) per Reg 273/2004 retained 5 years
  • ADR consignment note for transport (Class 3, UN 1090, PG II)

Common compliance traps

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

  • **Drug Precursors Cat 3 compliance is the dominant practitioner overhead for acetone**. Customer due diligence + transaction record-keeping + suspicious-transaction reporting overlay every shipment
  • **Cumene-process phenol-acetone joint-product chain (1.6:1 phenol-to-acetone fixed ratio)** is structural; phenol economics and acetone economics cannot be optimised independently. Phenol-driven plant additions (e.g. Wanhua Chemical Yantai phenol-acetone Phase 2) directly drive acetone supply growth
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope but EU revision may extend to organic chemicals; long-term watch-item
  • Flam. Liq. 2 (H225) classification drives ADR transport compliance + ATEX-zoned warehousing at destination facility
  • Major Chinese producers: Sinopec Yanshan (Beijing), Mitsui-Sinopec joint ventures (Shanghai SECCO, Tianjin), Hangzhou Nanhua (Zhejiang), Wanhua Chemical (Yantai, Shandong), Bluestar Chemical (Jiangsu), Jiangsu Lihuayi (Yangzhou). Most Chinese capacity is cumene-route
  • EU is structurally net-importer of acetone; major nylon-6 polymerisation downstream consumers (BASF, Ineos, Mitsubishi Chemical Europe) plus MMA chain demand (Lucite International, Roehm) drive imports
  • Acetone end-use mix: solvent (~30%), MMA via acetone-cyanohydrin route (~25%), bisphenol A via condensation with phenol (~20%), pharmaceutical and specialty solvent (~15%), other (~10%); MMA + BPA combined drive ~45% of demand

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for acetone, see the CAS 67-64-1 sourcing reference.

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

Read next

Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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