SDS requests at the quote desk: what sales should check (EU and GB)

At the quote stage, sales can check that the Safety Data Sheet belongs to the right product and grade, is in the right language and is the current version. Under REACH Article 31 the SDS follows a 16-section format and must be provided free of charge no later than first delivery; its content is the supplier's responsibility.

SDS vs MSDS: is there a difference?

MSDS, material safety data sheet, is the older name. Under REACH and UK REACH the document is the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), compiled in the 16-section format set out in Annex II. Customers still write “MSDS please”; treat it as a request for the current SDS.

What are the 16 sections of an SDS?

What do the EU rules say?

• Format. The SDS is compiled in accordance with Annex II of REACH, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/878. Sheets in the previous format could be provided only until 31 December 2022.
• Language. It is supplied “in an official language of the Member State(s) where the substance or mixture is placed on the market, unless the Member State(s) concerned provide otherwise” (Article 31(5)).
• Price and timing. It is provided free of charge, on paper or electronically, no later than the date on which the substance or mixture is first supplied (Article 31(8)).
• Updates. When new hazard or risk management information becomes available, or an authorisation or restriction applies, the supplier updates the SDS without delay and sends it to everyone supplied in the preceding 12 months (Article 31(9)).
• Records. Manufacturers, importers, downstream users and distributors keep the information they need for their REACH duties for at least 10 years after they last supplied or used the substance or mixture (Article 36(1)).

What changes in Great Britain?

Great Britain follows UK REACH, which keeps the structure of Article 31. Two points matter at the quote desk:

• Language. In the GB text, the SDS “shall be supplied in English and may also be supplied in any other language”. A German or Turkish sheet from your own supplier is not enough for a GB customer.
• Price and timing are the same as in the EU: free of charge, no later than first supply.

Northern Ireland is different. HSE guidance states that Northern Ireland businesses keep their EU REACH status and obligations, and that substances and mixtures placed on the market in Northern Ireland are subject to the EU CLP Regulation. Classification and labelling in Great Britain follow the GB CLP Regulation.

Five checks sales can make before quoting

1. Right product and grade. The product name and code on the SDS match the line you are quoting, including concentration and grade. An SDS for 50% sodium hydroxide solution does not cover the 32% product.
2. Right language for the market. English for a customer in Great Britain; the official language of the country of delivery for a customer in the EU.
3. Current version. Check the revision date or version number, and for EU customers that the sheet is in the post-2020/878 format.
4. Supplier identity in Section 1. Whose name is on the sheet, and does that match how you supply the product? See the next section before you change it.
5. Timing. If the customer asked for the SDS, note on the quote that it will be provided free of charge with or before the first delivery.

Everything beyond these checks, such as whether the classification is correct or the exposure limits are current, is a question about the content of the sheet. That belongs to the supplier who compiled it, and to your technical or SHEQ team, not to the sales desk.

When does a distributor become a downstream user?

A pure distributor stores and supplies chemicals without changing them. Once you change the product or the paperwork, your role can change too. Ireland's Health and Safety Authority puts it plainly in its information sheet for distributors:

The same sheet warns distributors that “if they add their own contact details in Section 1 of the SDS, they are then responsible for the content of that SDS”. Putting your logo and address on a supplier's sheet is therefore not a cosmetic change. If you decant, refill, blend or rebrand, read the official guidance for your market before you do.

Which dates are worth knowing?

In the EU, the 2024 revision of the CLP Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865) changes rules such as label formatting, and Regulation (EU) 2025/2439 moved several of its application dates. Check the official text for the dates that affect your labels rather than relying on summaries.

Certificate of analysis vs certificate of conformity

A certificate of analysis (CoA) reports test results for a specific batch against the product specification, so it belongs to the delivery, not to the product in general. A certificate of conformity, sometimes called a certificate of compliance, states that the product meets a specification or standard, usually without batch test results. When a customer asks for “certs”, ask which one they need and whether it should travel with the goods.

How does Vuntus handle SDS requests?

• Your catalog holds an SDS record for each chemical product (not for items declared as articles): country, language and version. Without a record, a chemical line cannot be confirmed.
• SDS, TDS and CoA documents can be linked to a product version, and the owner or a manager verifies each link with a reason.
• A quote containing chemicals cannot be approved without a verified SDS link on the product.
• The quote document lists the technical documents linked to it.

Vuntus does not read SDS content, does not write safety data sheets and does not say whether a product complies with REACH, UK REACH or CLP. Verifying a document link is a record that someone checked it belongs to the product, not a certificate or a regulatory approval. For the other checks on a request line, see the chemical RFQ checklist, and for how the checks fit the flow, the checks Vuntus runs. Linking and verifying a document step by step is in the Technical documents guide; why a quote stops without a verified SDS is in Creating, approving and exporting quotes. For what Vuntus is and is not, see What Vuntus is (and isn't). Sources last checked on 10 Oct 2026.