CAS 7647-01-0 · TSCA · United States of America

Hydrochloric acid under TSCA

HCl · 盐酸

Status: Listed. Hydrochloric acid is on the TSCA Inventory as a grandfathered pre-1979 substance and is currently listed as TSCA Active (post-2017 inventory reset). No PMN (Pre-Manufacture Notification) is required. HCl is also subject to overlapping non-TSCA Federal frameworks: EPA Risk Management Plan (RMP, 40 CFR 68 Appendix A) and DEA List II chemical-precursor controls (same List II as sulfuric acid, less restrictive than the List I that applies to methanol).

HCl is TSCA-clean and operationally similar to sulfuric acid (DEA List II, EPA RMP, EPCRA Tier reporting). The China-US HCl lane is small relative to caustic because the US has abundant by-product HCl supply from chlor-alkali, PVC, and isocyanate manufacture (Olin, Westlake, Shintech, BASF, Covestro), keeping merchant-acid pricing structurally below Chinese-import landed cost. Specialty grades (semiconductor-grade UN 1050 anhydrous gas, pharmaceutical-grade aqueous solution) do flow from China for niche applications. Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty plus by-product oversupply makes the lane volume-niche, not bulk.

Listing and threshold

Substance Hydrochloric acid (CAS 7647-01-0), HCl
Regime US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), administered by EPA
Jurisdiction United States of America
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold CDR (Chemical Data Reporting) threshold: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg) manufactured or imported per site per year triggers reporting in the next CDR cycle

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT subject to TSCA Section 4 test rule
  • NOT currently subject to TSCA Section 6 unreasonable-risk evaluation
  • NOT on the TSCA Section 5(a)(2) Significant New Use Rule list
  • OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS, 29 CFR 1910.1200) applies: Skin Corrosive Cat 1B, STOT SE 3 (respiratory irritation)
  • EPA RMP regulated toxic substances list at 40 CFR 68.130 Table 1: anhydrous HCl gas (hydrogen chloride, anhydrous) TQ 5,000 lb; aqueous HCl solution >=37% concentration TQ 15,000 lb (verify against https://www.epa.gov/rmp/list-regulated-substances-under-rmp)
  • DEA List II chemical at 21 CFR 1310.02(b): hydrochloric acid is on the precursor list, threshold reporting and recordkeeping required (same List II as sulphuric acid, acetone, MEK, toluene)
  • CERCLA hazardous-substance reportable quantity (RQ) at 40 CFR 302.4: 5,000 lb (verify against https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-302.4)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No TSCA-specific use restrictions for industrial HCl
  • OSHA PEL ceiling 5 ppm (29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1; verify against https://www.osha.gov/annotated-pels/table-z-1); ACGIH TLV ceiling 2 ppm (non-binding industry guidance)
  • DEA List II reporting required for transactions above threshold (per state, similar pattern to sulfuric acid)
  • DOT and US Coast Guard rules govern transport (UN 1050 anhydrous gas Class 2.3 + 8, UN 1789 aqueous solution Class 8 PG II)
  • EPCRA Tier I / Tier II reporting for sites storing >500 lb anhydrous gas or >5,000 lb solution
  • EPA SPCC (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure) plan required for bulk storage

Importer obligations

TSCA is a self-certification regime: importers attest at customs entry that the substance is on the TSCA Inventory. The TSCA Section 13 Import Certification statement is filed via the customs broker on the entry summary (CBP Form 7501). For HCl specifically, DEA List II registration is the practitioner-facing layer: any importer or distributor must file DEA Form 510 and maintain transaction records under 21 CFR 1310 (same workstream as for sulfuric acid). EPA RMP applies to industrial-scale storage; verify the form (anhydrous gas vs aqueous solution) determines threshold quantity.

Required documents

  • TSCA Section 13 Import Certification statement on customs entry
  • DEA List II registration (Form 510) for HCl distribution above transaction threshold
  • OSHA-compliant SDS (Safety Data Sheet) in 16-section GHS format
  • OSHA-compliant labelling on packaging
  • CDR filing every 4 years if site exceeds 25,000 lb/yr threshold (next cycle 2026)
  • EPA RMP submitted plan if site stores above the form-specific threshold
  • EPCRA Tier I / Tier II reporting if site stores above the form-specific threshold

Common compliance traps

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

  • Anhydrous HCl gas (UN 1050) and aqueous HCl solution (UN 1789) have different EPA RMP thresholds (5,000 lb vs 15,000 lb), different EPCRA thresholds, and different DOT classifications
  • DEA List II reporting same pattern as sulfuric acid; missed transaction reports get auditors' attention
  • Section 301 List 3 25% additional duty applies to Chinese-origin HCl (HS 2806.10.0000)
  • Texas, California, Indiana have additional state-level chemical-precursor reporting beyond Federal DEA
  • Spent HCl pickling liquor from steel mills is a RCRA-listed waste (K062, K063); do not commingle waste-stream classifications
  • PVC by-product HCl from US producers (Olin, Westlake, Shintech) supplies most domestic merchant demand; Chinese-import economics structurally tight

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for hydrochloric acid, see the CAS 7647-01-0 sourcing reference.

For the structure and history of TSCA, see the TSCA 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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