CAS 78-93-3 · REACH · European Union

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, butan-2-one) under REACH

C4H8O · 丁酮 / 甲乙酮

Status: Registered. MEK (butan-2-one) is fully registered under REACH at the highest tonnage band (>1,000,000 tonnes/year). **Distinguishing pattern: industrial-solvent workhorse (paint, ink, adhesive, lacquer, surface-coatings; ~90 percent of demand) + 2-butanol dehydrogenation production route (~70 percent globally) plus n-butane / butene oxidation route (~30 percent) + Flam. Liq. 2 plus Eye Irrit. 2 plus STOT SE 3 (CNS narcotic) only + light occupational hazard + EU Drug Precursors Reg (EC) No 273/2004 Category 3 scheduled substance (alongside acetone batch 15 plus toluene batch 20) + EU Explosives Precursors Reg (EU) 2019/1148 NOT applicable + lube-oil-dewaxing legacy process (MEK process) (NEW combined).** Reg (EC) 1272/2008 harmonised: Flam. Liq. 2 (H225) plus Eye Irrit. 2 (H319) plus STOT SE 3 (H336). NOT SVHC. NOT Annex XIV. NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin MEK currently (verify against EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ before invoicing).

MEK is fully REACH-registered with **light occupational hazard** (Flam. Liq. 2 plus Eye Irrit. 2 plus STOT SE 3 narcotic only). **EU Drug Precursors Reg (EC) No 273/2004 Category 3** drives operator-registration plus customer-due-diligence plus transaction record-keeping overhead (parallel to acetone batch 15 plus toluene batch 20 Cat 3 pattern). NOT SVHC, NOT Annex XIV, NOT in CBAM Phase 1. NO active EU AD case. Major Chinese producers: Sinopec Yanshan, Sinopec Jinling, CNPC, Tongling Henghao, Liaoning Bohai Petrochemical. Production routes: 2-butanol dehydrogenation (~70 percent globally) plus n-butane / butene oxidation (~30 percent). End-use dominated by solvent applications (~90 percent combined).

Listing and threshold

Substance Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, butan-2-one) (CAS 78-93-3), C4H8O
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), STOT SE 3 (H336, narcotic-CNS effects)
  • Signal word: DANGER
  • GHS pictograms: GHS02 (flame), GHS07 (exclamation mark)
  • IARC: Group 3 (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans; verify against https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications)
  • **EU Drug Precursors Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 Category 3** scheduled substance (verify the consolidated Reg 273/2004 categorised list at EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/273/oj before relying on a specific category)
  • NOT subject to Explosives Precursors scheduling under Reg (EU) 2019/1148
  • ADR / RID transport classification: Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1193, Packing Group II

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • NOT on REACH Annex XIV (Authorisation list); verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/authorisation-list
  • NOT classified as SVHC (verify against ECHA https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table)
  • NOT subject to any Annex XVII restriction at industrial-grade level
  • **EU Drug Precursors Reg 273/2004 Category 3 obligations**: operator registration with national competent authority, customer due diligence, transaction record-keeping, suspicious-transaction reporting (verify the current Cat 3 obligation framework against EUR-Lex CELEX 02004R0273 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/LSU/?uri=CELEX:02004R0273-20230220 before relying)
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese-origin MEK currently
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1 scope

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 MEK is **EU Drug Precursors Reg 273/2004 Category 3 operator registration plus customer due diligence plus transaction record-keeping** parallel to the standard REACH plus CLP pack. Major Chinese producers (Sinopec Yanshan plus Sinopec Jinling plus CNPC plus Tongling Henghao plus Liaoning Bohai Petrochemical) compete with EU producers (Shell Chemicals plus Sasol Solvents plus ExxonMobil Chemical) and US producers (ExxonMobil Baton Rouge plus Sasol Lake Charles plus Shell Chemicals Deer Park) (verify each company-site pair against the producer's public website before relying on a specific plant).

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 plus GHS07 pictograms and DANGER signal word
  • Customs entry with HS code 291412 (methyl ethyl ketone)
  • ADR consignment note for transport (Class 3, UN 1193, PG II)
  • **EU Drug Precursors Reg 273/2004 Category 3 documentation**: operator registration with national competent authority, customer due-diligence record, transaction log

Common compliance traps

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

  • **EU Drug Precursors Reg 273/2004 Category 3 obligations** drive operator-registration plus customer due-diligence plus transaction record-keeping overhead (parallel to acetone batch 15 plus toluene batch 20 Cat 3 pattern)
  • Light occupational hazard otherwise (Flam. Liq. 2 plus Eye Irrit. 2 plus STOT SE 3 narcotic only); STOT SE 3 narcotic-CNS-effects framing is the dominant occupational concern
  • NO active EU AD case on Chinese MEK currently
  • NOT in CBAM Phase 1
  • Major Chinese producers: Sinopec Yanshan, Sinopec Jinling, CNPC, Tongling Henghao, Liaoning Bohai Petrochemical (verify each producer-site pair against the producer's public website before relying on a specific plant); China dominates global MEK capacity (verify the most recent Mt/yr and percent-of-global share against ICIS or S&P Commodity Insights before quoting; prior industry reports cited ~50 percent share at ~1.5 to 2 Mt/yr)
  • Production routes: 2-butanol dehydrogenation (~70 percent globally), n-butane / butene oxidation (~30 percent) (verify against ICIS technology surveys before quoting exact split)
  • End-use mix: solvent for paint, ink, adhesive, lacquer, surface-coatings (~70 percent), printing-plate cleaner plus magnetic-tape coating (~10 percent), lube-oil dewaxing MEK-process (~10 percent), pharmaceutical extraction plus pesticide formulation (~10 percent) (verify exact split against ICIS before quoting)

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for methyl ethyl ketone (mek, butan-2-one), see the CAS 78-93-3 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the methyl ethyl ketone (mek, butan-2-one) 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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