methanol (CAS 67-56-1) — Safety Data Sheet

methanol — CAS 67-56-1, Annex VI index 603-001-00-X. Below: what the regulatory file for this substance must contain and where such files usually fail.

methanol (CAS 67-56-1) at a glance

• Substance – methanol
• CAS number – 67-56-1
• EC number – 200-659-6
• CLP Annex VI index number – 603-001-00-X
• Hazard statements – H225 (highly flammable liquid and vapour); H331 (toxic if inhaled); H311 (toxic in contact with skin); H301 (toxic if swallowed); H370 (causes damage to organs)
• Hazard classes – Flam. Liq. 2, Acute Tox. 3 *, Acute Tox. 3 *, Acute Tox. 3 *, STOT SE 1
• Label pictograms – GHS02, GHS06, GHS08
• Signal word – Danger
• Concentration limits / M-factor / ATE – *;STOT SE 1;H370: C ≥ 10.0%;STOT SE 2;H371: 3.0% ≤ C < 10.0%
• Entry current as of – CLP00
• CMR classification – not classified as CMR in the harmonised entry
• Documentation issued – safety data sheet in REACH Annex II structure; working draft or signed card
• What is supplied – a document. MolGod.org does not sell, supply or ship chemical substances.

What concentration limits apply to methanol?

The harmonised entry for methanol carries specific concentration limits: H370: C≥10 %; H371: 3 % ≤ C<10 %. These override the generic cut-off values, so a mixture containing methanol is classified against these figures and not against the default thresholds.

Is methanol on the SVHC candidate list?

Yes — methanol appears on the candidate list of substances of very high concern (added 2018-06-27, reason: CMR). That triggers duties that classification alone does not: notification to ECHA above the tonnage threshold, and an obligation to inform recipients where the substance is present in an article above 0.1 % by weight. Outside the Union the same substance appears on AICS (AU), NDSL (CA), TSCA (US). Exporters are read against the list of the destination, not of the origin.

Can I import methanol into the EU?

Placing methanol (CAS 67-56-1) on the European Union market requires a safety data sheet compiled to Annex II of REACH before the first consignment moves. For alcohols and ethers, customs and carrier checks concentrate on solvent shipments, where the classification stated in section 2 must agree with the harmonised entry in CLP Annex VI under index number 603-001-00-X.

What Annex VI notes and concentration limits apply to methanol?

The register also records *;STOT SE 1;H370: C ≥ 10.0%;STOT SE 2;H371: 3.0% ≤ C < 10.0% for this entry. Specific concentration limits, M-factors and acute toxicity estimates override the generic cut-off values, so a mixture calculation that ignores them will classify the mixture wrongly in both directions.

Protective equipment and exposure controls

Laboratories building a risk assessment for methanol start from section 8. Where an occupational exposure limit exists it must be stated with its source and averaging period; where none exists, the sheet says so rather than leaving the field blank.

Is methanol a controlled substance?

Storage requirement on record: Annex XVII entry 69: ≤0.6% in windscreen-washer/defroster fluids supplied to general public. None of this appears in the CLP classification, so a sheet built from Annex VI alone will be silent on it.

Which GHS pictograms apply to methanol?

The label for methanol carries GHS02 (flame), GHS06 (skull and crossbones), GHS08 (health hazard), with the signal word Danger. These are not chosen by the supplier: CLP Annex VI states them for CAS 67-56-1, and the precedence rules in Annex I decide which pictogram is dropped when two would say the same thing. A label showing a different set from the register is wrong even if every hazard statement on it is correct.

What must the label for methanol contain?

The supply label for methanol is generated from the same classification that drives the safety data sheet: pictograms selected by precedence, one signal word derived from the highest hazard class present, and the hazard statements H225, H331, H311… reproduced in full. Where the container is too small to carry the complete set at a legible size, there are lawful ways to handle it and unlawful ones that look identical to a non-specialist.

Disposal route and waste classification

Section 13 for CAS 67-56-1 outlines the disposal method and procedures for contaminated packaging. Laboratories are subject to audits to ensure their waste management practices align with the information provided in this section. Any ambiguity or lack of specificity in this section may result in findings against the laboratory rather than the supplier, as it is responsible for adhering to the declared waste stream.

Purity, certificates and what the sheet does not say

For CAS 67-56-1 the distinction between grades — technical, reagent, analytical — lives in the certificate of analysis and in the specification it is measured against, not in the safety data sheet. Confusing the two is the most common documentation error we see in laboratory procurement.

What is the CLP classification of methanol?

The harmonised classification for CAS 67-56-1 carries 5 hazard statements: H225, H331, H311, H301, H370. In plain terms this means highly flammable liquid and vapour; toxic if inhaled; toxic in contact with skin; toxic if swallowed. A harmonised entry is binding across the Union — an importer may not soften it, and a self-classification that diverges from it will not survive an enforcement check.

Published sources behind the data

The toxicological and physicochemical record for methanol rests on published literature, not on a supplier summary. One of the canonical references is BASF / Mittasch, A.; Pier, M. (1923), “Synthesis of methanol from CO and H2 (BASF high-pressure process patent)”, German Patent DE 415686. Where a value in the sheet comes from a specific paper, the sheet says which paper — a reviewer can then check one number without re-reading the whole document.

How is methanol classified for road, sea and air transport?

Carriers and forwarders handling methanol compare section 14 against the shipping papers before loading. Any disagreement stops the consignment at the point where correcting it is most expensive.

Identifiers that must agree

Three identifiers travel with this substance and all three have to agree: CAS 67-56-1, the Annex VI index number 603-001-00-X, and the name as it appears in the register. Mismatched identifiers are the quietest defect in a documentation set, because every individual document looks correct and only a cross-check reveals that they describe different things.

Stability, reactivity and incompatibilities

Reactivity information for CAS 67-56-1 in section 10 has to be specific enough to act on. ‘Avoid strong oxidising agents’ is a category; naming the classes that actually react is an instruction.

What is the EC number for methanol?

Alongside CAS 67-56-1, this substance carries EC number 200-659-6 and Annex VI index 603-001-00-X. European documentation is built around the EC number as often as around the CAS: registration dossiers, the candidate list and customs systems key on it. A safety data sheet quoting only one of the two forces every downstream reader to look up the other.

What is the UN number for methanol?

For carriage, methanol is assigned UN 1230, transport class 3, packing group II, with subsidiary risk 6.1. These entries belong in section 14 of the safety data sheet and must match the shipping papers exactly. A consignment where the sheet and the transport document disagree on the UN number is stopped before anyone reads the remaining fifteen sections.

Is methanol restricted under REACH Annex XVII?

methanol is covered by entry 69 of Annex XVII to REACH, which restricts how it may be placed on the market or used. A restriction is not the same as a classification: it limits the permitted uses regardless of how the substance is labelled, and it belongs in section 15 of the sheet. Importers who read only the classification and stop there routinely miss this.

Questions about documentation for methanol

What hazard statements apply to CAS 67-56-1?

The harmonised entry lists H225, H331, H311, H301. These are binding across the Union and may not be softened by a self-classification.

In which language must the sheet be supplied?

In an official language of each Member State where methanol is placed on the market, unless that State has stated otherwise.

Can I check whether my existing sheet is still valid?

Yes. A section-by-section reading against Annex II and the current harmonised entry establishes that in one pass, and a sheet that passes is reported as passing.

Do I need a safety data sheet to import methanol into the EU?

Yes. A sheet compiled to Annex II of REACH must exist before the first consignment moves, and it must be held by the entity placing the substance on the Union market.

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