REACH Tonnage Bands — Why Volume Changes Everything
A beginner-friendly guide to understanding how the amount you make or import decides your REACH obligations
After identifying what your substance is, the next critical REACH question is:
“How much of this chemical do I manufacture or import into the EU each year?”
This number — measured in tonnes per year (t/y) — is one of the most important factors in REACH. It controls:
The amount of scientific data you must submit
The cost and time of your registration
The depth of safety evaluation required
In simple terms:
Higher volume = higher responsibility = more data.
What Are REACH Tonnage Bands?
REACH groups substances into four tonnage bands:
Tonnage BandWhat It Means1–10 t/ySmall volume substance10–100 t/yMedium volume100–1000 t/yHigh volumeMore than 1000 t/yVery high volume
If you manufacture or import less than 1 tonne per year, you usually do not need to register the substance under REACH.
Why Tonnage Matters So Much?
Imagine two chemicals:
Chemical A is imported in 5 tonnes per year
Chemical B is imported in 5,000 tonnes per year
Chemical B has a much higher chance of:
Worker exposure
Consumer exposure
Environmental release
So REACH requires much deeper scientific evidence for Chemical B. This is why information requirements increase step by step with tonnage.
1–10 Tonnes per Year — Basic Information Level
This is the entry level of REACH registration.
The goal here is to understand what the substance is like and its basic hazards.
You must provide:
Physical & Chemical Properties
These describe how the substance behaves:
Melting/freezing point
Boiling point
Density
Vapour pressure
Solubility in water
Flammability
Basic Health Hazard Information
To see how the substance affects people:
Skin irritation
Eye irritation
Skin sensitisation (allergy potential)
Basic short-term toxicity
Basic Environmental Information
To understand environmental impact:
Effects on aquatic organisms
Whether it breaks down naturally
Whether it can build up in organisms
At this band:
✔ Focus is on identifying main hazards
❌ A Chemical Safety Report (CSR) is normally not required
10–100 Tonnes per Year — Extended Safety Data
Now REACH assumes the substance is more widely used.
You must submit:
All data from the 1–10 t/y band
Additional toxicity studies
More detailed environmental data
At this level:
A Chemical Safety Report (CSR) is required
A CSR is where you evaluate:
How the substance is used
Who might be exposed (workers, consumers, environment)
How exposure happens
Whether risks are controlled
This step moves from just identifying hazards to assessing real-world risk.
100–1000 Tonnes per Year — Advanced Testing
Here the substance is considered common on the market.
Additional information includes:
More complex health effect studies
Longer-term toxicity information
More detailed environmental behaviour
Better understanding of how the substance moves in soil and water
Testing becomes more expensive and time-consuming. Scientific expertise becomes more important.
More Than 1000 Tonnes per Year — Highest Information Level
This is the most demanding REACH category.
Companies must provide:
Long-term health effect data
Information on reproductive and developmental effects
Chronic environmental impact studies
Detailed environmental fate and behaviour
At this level, authorities expect strong scientific evidence that risks are fully understood and controlled.
Why This Is Important for Companies
Understanding your tonnage band helps you plan:
Budget for testing
Timeline for registration
Data sharing with other companies
Regulatory strategy
A mistake in tonnage estimation can lead to:
⚠Under-registration (non-compliance)
⚠ Missing studies
⚠ Delays in placing products on the EU market
Final Takeaway
REACH is designed around one simple rule:
The more of a chemical you place on the EU market, the more you must prove it is safe.
So always calculate:
✔ Annual manufacturing volume
✔ Annual import volume
✔ Total tonnage per substance
Because in REACH compliance…
Volume changes everything.