CAS 9002-86-2 · IECSC · People's Republic of China

Polyvinyl chloride under IECSC

(C2H3Cl)n · 聚氯乙烯

Status: Listed. Polyvinyl chloride is on the IECSC public portion as a polymer of low concern. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required for PVC polymer. The constituent vinyl chloride monomer (VCM, CAS 75-01-4) IS on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals AND on the Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog (Carcinogen Cat 1A); Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit IS required for VCM production / storage / distribution. Finished PVC resin is NOT on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals.

PVC is comfortably IECSC-listed as polymer of low concern; export-side documentation work for finished resin is lighter than for the precursor chemicals (sulfuric, methanol, HCl) and lighter than MEG (which IS on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals). The structural intelligence layer for Chinese PVC is the coal-route vs ethylene-route divergence: ~50% of Chinese capacity is coal-route (calcium carbide chain, mercury-catalysed acetylene-to-VCM, concentrated in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan, Shanxi) and ~50% is ethylene-route (oil-cracker integrated, Sinopec / LG Chem / Sumitomo at Qilu, Daya Bay, Tianjin). Minamata Convention compliance is reshaping the lane: 2024-2025 MEE guidance restricts new coal-route capacity and mandates non-mercury catalyst conversion by 2032. India BIS QCO + India DGTR E-PVC AD case are the dominant destination-market compliance layers. 13% VAT export rebate is structural margin support.

Listing and threshold

Substance Polyvinyl chloride (CAS 9002-86-2), (C2H3Cl)n
Regime China Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (IECSC), administered by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
Jurisdiction People's Republic of China
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold Polymer exemption applies. VCM monomer requires Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT listed in China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals as PVC polymer
  • Constituent VCM (CAS 75-01-4) IS on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals AND on Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog
  • NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog
  • GB/T 5761-2018 specification applies for general-purpose PVC suspension grade resin (Chinese national standard)
  • GB/T 5762-2018 specification applies for paste-grade PVC (E-PVC, emulsion polymerisation)
  • GACC export classification: HS 39041000 (PVC primary form, not plasticised), 39042100 (plasticised), 39043000 (other VCM copolymers)
  • China is largest global PVC producer (~40% of global capacity, ~25 Mt/yr) led by Sinopec, Wanhua, Tianjin Dagu, Inner Mongolia Junzheng, Xinjiang Tianye, Qinghai Salt Lake, Sichuan Jinlu, Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical
  • Capacity split: ~50% coal-route (calcium carbide chain, mercury-catalysed acetylene-to-VCM, concentrated in coal-rich provinces) and ~50% ethylene-route (oil-cracker integrated, Sinopec / LG Chem / Sumitomo)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required for finished PVC resin (VCM monomer DOES require)
  • No Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Permit required
  • Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
  • No specific export-restriction or quota system applies
  • VAT export rebate currently 13% for PVC primary form (HS 39041000) per polymer chapter rebate schedule; verify before invoicing
  • GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury (China ratified 2016): coal-route mercury-catalysed acetylene-to-VCM chain is regulated under MEE national mercury inventory and is subject to phase-out commitment under the convention
  • 2024-2025 MEE policy guidance: new coal-route PVC capacity restricted; existing capacity required to convert to non-mercury catalyst by 2032

Importer obligations

For Chinese-origin PVC exported abroad, no IECSC obligation falls on the foreign importer. The export-side documentation pack focuses on grade certification (suspension S-PVC vs emulsion E-PVC vs bulk; degree of polymerisation K-value 55-80; viscosity grade), the production-route declaration (coal-route vs ethylene-route, increasingly required by destination buyers for Scope 3 carbon and mercury compliance), the 13% VAT rebate, and producer-specific routing for AD compliance in destination markets (especially India E-PVC AD case and BIS QCO).

Required documents

  • GACC export declaration with HS code 39041000 / 39042100 / 39043000
  • Industrial-grade certificate per GB/T 5761-2018 (S-PVC) or GB/T 5762-2018 (E-PVC)
  • GHS-compliant SDS in Simplified Chinese per GB/T 17519-2013 (effective 31 January 2014, references UN GHS 4th revised edition; verify against the current version of GB/T 17519 at https://www.codeofchina.com/standard/GBT17519-2013.html)
  • Production-route declaration (coal-route calcium-carbide chain vs ethylene-route oil-cracker integrated)
  • K-value / viscosity-grade specification (K55-K80 covers most commercial S-PVC grades)
  • BIS license certificate (where India destination, BIS QCO compliance)
  • India DGTR producer-specific AD margin documentation (where India destination, E-PVC grade)
  • Mercury-catalyst-free attestation (where destination buyer requires under Minamata Convention compliance)

Common compliance traps

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

  • PVC polymer is NOT on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals so the export-side regulatory work for finished resin is light. VCM monomer IS on Catalog and Highly Toxic; producers handle the heavy compliance at the monomer-conversion step
  • 13% VAT rebate is structural margin; verify rebate filing on each shipment
  • Coal-route Chinese PVC carries Minamata Convention mercury-catalyst compliance concern; 2024-2025 MEE guidance restricts new coal-route capacity and mandates conversion to non-mercury catalyst by 2032. Some destination buyers (EU, Australia, Korea) increasingly request ethylene-route production-route certification
  • India BIS QCO (Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order) requires BIS license for any company exporting PVC to India; non-licensed shipments are blocked at Indian customs
  • India DGTR active AD case on Chinese E-PVC (paste resin) periodically reviewed; verify producer-specific rate before invoicing E-PVC to India
  • Coastal ethylene-route producers (Sinopec Qilu Shandong, LG Chem Daya Bay Guangdong, Sumitomo Chemical Tianjin) carry cleaner Scope 3 profile vs inland coal-route producers (Inner Mongolia Junzheng, Xinjiang Tianye, Qinghai Salt Lake, Sichuan Jinlu, Shanxi Yulin)
  • Grade segmentation: K55-K58 for injection-grade rigid PVC; K65-K70 for general-purpose extrusion / pipe; K70-K75 for high-impact / cable; K75-K80 for paste / plastisol applications

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for polyvinyl chloride, see the CAS 9002-86-2 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the polyvinyl chloride cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of IECSC, see the IECSC 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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