Is an English SDS accepted in every market?

No. The EU, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam require the local language. The US, Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei generally accept English, but format and registration duties still differ.

Can I reuse one SDS template across markets?

The technical content can be reused as a source, but each market needs the required language, format, label and registration duties checked and adapted.

What causes most rejections?

Wrong language or format, classification not aligned with the local list, incomplete label elements, missing registration or notification, and old GHS revisions.

SDS REJECTION REASONS

Why SDS files get rejected

Most rejections are not caused by missing data. They come from the wrong language, the wrong format, a classification that does not match the local list, or a registration step that was never completed. Here are the ten issues we see most often.

Issue	Where it appears	What to fix
Wrong language	EU, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam	Rebuild the full SDS in the destination language. Translating only the label is not enough; company and emergency information must also be localized.
Wrong format or template	EU, Singapore, Malaysia, US	Use the required format: CLP Annex II for the EU, SS 586 Part 3 for Singapore, CLASS 2013 for Malaysia, and HazCom 2012 for the US.
Classification mismatch	EU, Korea, Japan, Singapore	Align the classification with the local list or provide self-owned test or literature data to support a different classification.
Label elements incomplete	All markets	Check pictograms, signal word, H/P statements, supplemental information and minimum label size, not just the SDS text.
Section order or content gaps	US, EU	Keep Sections 1–16 in the required order and complete each section; a short summary is not an SDS.
No registration or notification	EU, Korea, Japan, Singapore	Check REACH registration or an OR, K-REACH registration, CSCL notification and NEA licensing before shipping.
No only representative (OR)	EU	Non-EU companies at or above 1 t/a need an OR for registration; an SDS alone does not satisfy this.
Chemical Register / CHRA missing	Malaysia	Workplaces need a Chemical Register and CHRA in addition to the SDS; these are employer duties.
PCL certificate missing	Philippines	PCL substances require a PCL compliance certificate before import or use.
Old GHS revision or transport mismatch	Malaysia, Brunei, transport	Use the GHS revision required by the market, and confirm UN number, class and packing group for the actual route and packaging.

Summary notice: This page is an English summary of common rejection patterns. It is not a legal opinion and does not replace the destination authority's current requirements. Confirm before filing or shipping.

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Send the rejection reason, product and destination. We will identify whether the issue is language, format, classification, label or registration.

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