What is a Safety Data Sheet?
A Safety Data Sheet communicates information needed to manage chemical risks through the supply chain. It describes a specific product and is not simply a technical specification.
Read the guideEnglish knowledge centre
Safety Data Sheets and CLP, explained for real decisions
Structured guidance for manufacturers, importers, distributors and reviewers. English pages remain under expert review before indexing.
Safety Data Sheets
Build the document from controlled evidence.
How do you prepare a reliable SDS?
A reliable SDS starts with product identity, formulation, supplier evidence and a justified hazard assessment. Drafting comes after data collection and evaluation.
Read the guideThe 16 SDS sections form one information system
The sixteen sections are interconnected. A change to composition or classification can affect several parts of the document at the same time.
Read the guideSection 2: present classification without hiding uncertainty
Section 2 presents classification, label elements and other hazards. It must come from a documented assessment of the actual product.
Read the guideSection 3: connect each ingredient to the correct raw material
Section 3 presents relevant composition information and must distinguish the chemical substance, the supplier product and its real concentration in the mixture.
Read the guideAn SDS update is a controlled change, not a text replacement
A reliable update starts by identifying what changed and which decisions, sections, labels and supplied versions are affected.
Read the guideCLP classification
Make every hazard decision reviewable.
How is a mixture classified under CLP?
Classification follows a hierarchy: data on the mixture, bridging principles where applicable, and component-based methods. Each hazard class must be assessed separately.
Read the guideSCL: when a substance-specific limit replaces a generic threshold
An SCL is tied to a precise substance and hazard class. It must be verified in the applicable source and cannot be transferred to unrelated hazards.
Read the guideATE: assess acute toxicity with compatible data
An ATE is route-specific. Calculation requires compatible concentrations, units and values; an oral value is not an inhalation value.
Read the guideM-factor: correctly weight highly toxic aquatic components
The M-factor increases the weight of certain highly toxic components in environmental summation methods. It is tied to a specific substance, category and source.
Read the guideGHS/CLP pictograms: classification comes before the symbol
A pictogram is not selected from an ingredient name. It follows the product’s hazard classes and categories together with label precedence rules.
Read the guideUFI and PCN: keep product identity connected to formulation
A UFI identifies a formulation context; it does not classify the mixture. PCN preparation requires controlled composition, product and market information.
Read the guideHarmonised classification: identify exactly what is legally harmonised
An Annex VI entry must be matched to the correct identity, scope and notes. ECHA pages may also display notifications and dossier information that have a different status.
Read the guideTurn knowledge into a process
Organise evidence before opening generation.
Prepare sources, formulations and review ownership in a separate English workspace.