A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is the standard document for communicating a chemical's hazards and how to manage them. Under the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), the SDS has 16 sections in a fixed order. National rules, such as the EU REACH Regulation, the US OSHA Hazard Communication Standard and others, adopt this structure with local additions. Once you know the layout, you can find what you need in seconds.
Sections 1 to 3: what it is and why it is hazardous
Section 1: Identification
Product name, other identifiers, recommended uses and restrictions, supplier name, address and telephone, and an emergency telephone number. This is where you confirm that the SDS matches the product in your hand.
Section 2: Hazard identification
The GHS classification (for example, Flammable liquid Category 2, Eye irritation Category 2A), label elements including pictograms, signal word (Danger or Warning), hazard statements (H-codes such as H225 Highly flammable liquid and vapour) and precautionary statements (P-codes). Hazards not covered by GHS classification may also be listed. This is the most-read section for good reason.
Section 3: Composition and information on ingredients
For a substance, the chemical identity, CAS number and impurities or stabilisers that contribute to classification. For a mixture, the hazardous ingredients and their concentration ranges. Confidential business information rules allow some identities to be withheld in certain jurisdictions.
Sections 4 to 6: emergency response
Section 4: First-aid measures
What to do after inhalation, skin or eye contact, or ingestion. The most important symptoms, acute and delayed. And any need for immediate medical attention or special treatment. Read this before you work with a new chemical, not after an incident.
Section 5: Fire-fighting measures
Suitable and unsuitable extinguishing media, specific hazards arising from the chemical, such as toxic combustion products, and protective equipment for firefighters. Water, for example, is unsuitable for water-reactive metals.
Section 6: Accidental release measures
Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures. Environmental precautions. And methods for containment and clean-up. This section should inform your spill kit and spill procedure.
Sections 7 and 8: everyday handling
Section 7: Handling and storage
Precautions for safe handling and conditions for safe storage, including incompatibilities. Look here for storage temperature, protection from light or moisture, inert atmosphere requirements and segregation from acids, bases or oxidisers.
Section 8: Exposure controls and personal protection
Occupational exposure limits where they exist, such as workplace limits set by national authorities, engineering controls like fume hoods, and personal protective equipment: eye and face protection, glove material and breakthrough time, respiratory protection and body protection. Glove recommendations are important: nitrile is not universally suitable.
Sections 9 to 11: properties and effects
Section 9: Physical and chemical properties
Appearance, odour, pH, melting and boiling points, flash point, flammability limits, vapour pressure, density, solubility, partition coefficient, auto-ignition and decomposition temperatures, and viscosity. Useful for process design as well as safety.
Section 10: Stability and reactivity
Reactivity, chemical stability, possibility of hazardous reactions, conditions to avoid, incompatible materials and hazardous decomposition products. Peroxide formation, polymerisation and water reactivity appear here.
Section 11: Toxicological information
Likely routes of exposure, symptoms, and data for acute toxicity (such as LD50 and LC50), skin and eye effects, sensitisation, germ cell mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity and target organ toxicity. Where data are lacking, the SDS should say so.
Sections 12 to 16: environment, disposal, transport and regulation
Section 12: Ecological information
Aquatic toxicity, persistence and degradability, bioaccumulation, mobility in soil and other adverse effects. Under the GHS these are non-mandatory in some jurisdictions, but they are required under REACH and many other systems.
Section 13: Disposal considerations
Guidance on safe disposal of the product and contaminated packaging. Local waste regulations always take precedence.
Section 14: Transport information
UN number, UN proper shipping name, transport hazard class, packing group, environmental hazards such as marine pollutant status, and special precautions. This section links the SDS to the IMDG Code, IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and road and rail rules, and it is what freight forwarders check first.
Section 15: Regulatory information
Safety, health and environmental regulations specific to the product, such as inventory status (TSCA, REACH registration), SVHC listing, controlled substance or precursor status, and national workplace rules.
Section 16: Other information
Date of preparation or last revision, a summary of changes, abbreviations, key literature and data sources, and sometimes training advice.
Quick-reference table
| If you need to know | Go to section |
|---|---|
| Is it hazardous, and how? | 2 |
| What to do after exposure | 4 |
| Which gloves and ventilation to use | 8 |
| How and where to store it | 7 |
| What it must not be mixed with | 7 and 10 |
| How to ship it | 14 |
| Flash point and physical data | 9 |
| When the SDS was last revised | 16 |
SDS and labels work together
The container label carries a condensed version of Section 2: product identifier, pictograms, signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, and supplier details. The SDS carries the full picture. Staff should be trained to use both, and SDSs should be accessible wherever the chemical is used.
Keeping SDSs current
SDSs are revised when classification rules change or new hazard data emerge. Check the revision date, and replace old versions in your files when a new one arrives with a delivery. Jurisdiction matters too: an SDS written for one market may lack information, such as local exposure limits or language, required in another.
FAQs
Is an SDS the same as an MSDS?
Broadly, yes. MSDS was the older name. The GHS-aligned SDS has a standard 16-section format that most jurisdictions now require.
Which SDS section tells me how to ship a chemical?
Section 14, Transport information, gives the UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group.
How often should an SDS be updated?
Whenever significant new hazard information becomes available or classification rules change. Specific revision obligations vary by jurisdiction.