SVHC List Explained: Reading the REACH Candidate List
Most people who search for the SVHC list want the list itself. Not a definition. The actual rows, and a way to check their own parts against them.
So here it is, and here is how to read it.
At a glance:
- The SVHC list is the REACH Candidate List, published and kept current by ECHA.
- It held 253 entries on 26 September 2026, and it grows in batches, not one row at a time.
- Each entry carries a substance name, an EC number, a CAS number, a date of inclusion, and a reason.
- Only the list on the ECHA site counts as authentic, and duties begin the day a substance is added.
- Above 0.1 percent by weight in an article you must tell your buyers and answer consumers.
- Above that level and over one tonne a year, you must also notify ECHA within six months.
Where the list lives
The SVHC list is the Candidate List of substances of very high concern, published by ECHA under Article 59(10) of REACH. It is one table, on one site, and it is free to read.
Read it here: the Candidate List on ECHA CHEM. That is the new home. ECHA is moving its data there, and the older Candidate List table will only be kept current until December 2026. Point your bookmarks and your procedures at the ECHA CHEM version now.
One warning on that page matters more than the rest. Only the list ECHA publishes is deemed authentic. A copy in a supplier's PDF, a vendor's database, or a spreadsheet you built last year is a convenience, never the source. Check the live list.
There were 253 entries on the list on 26 September 2026. Treat any number you read, including that one, as a snapshot with a date attached.
What each row of the list holds
A Candidate List entry is one substance, or one group of them, with the reason it was listed and the date it was added. The columns are the same for every row.
| Column | What it holds | Why you care |
|---|---|---|
| Substance name | The chemical name, sometimes a group with its members listed under it | The name you must pass on to buyers |
| EC number | The European inventory number | Matches supplier data more reliably than a name |
| CAS number | The CAS registry number | The identifier most lab reports use |
| Date of inclusion | The day the entry was added | Starts the six month notification clock |
| Reason for inclusion | The hazard property, with its REACH article | Tells you why the substance is on the list |
| Decision | The ECHA decision reference | The paper trail behind the entry |
Two traps sit in the identifier columns. First, an entry covers both the dry and the hydrated forms of a substance, and the CAS number shown is usually the dry one. Second, some entries are groups, and those rows show a dash instead of a number. For those, open the entry details to see the list of EC and CAS numbers that fall in scope. That list is helpful but not exhaustive.
The reason column is short and worth learning. It names the hazard and the REACH article behind it, for example "vPvB (Article 57e)" or "Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c)".
How a substance gets on the list
A substance can be named an SVHC when it meets one of three tests. It is carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction in category 1A or 1B under CLP. Or it is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, or very persistent and very bioaccumulative, under REACH Annex XIII. Or it raises an equivalent level of concern, judged case by case.
Equivalent level of concern is the open door in that set. It is how endocrine disruptors and some respiratory sensitisers reach the list, even though they fit none of the fixed hazard classes.
The route runs through a public step. A Member State or ECHA proposes the substance, and a public consultation follows, in practice 45 days. If nobody challenges the case, the substance goes straight onto the list. If someone does, the Member State Committee decides.
That consultation is your early warning. A substance under discussion today is on your parts list long before it is on the Candidate List.
How often the list changes
The list grows in batches. Reading the inclusion dates on the current list tells you the rhythm better than any promise.
| Inclusion date | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| 4 February 2026 | The most recent batch at the time of writing |
| 5 November 2025 | An autumn batch |
| 25 June 2025 | A midyear batch |
| 21 January 2025 | A winter batch |
| 7 November 2024 | An autumn batch |
| 27 June 2024 | A midyear batch |
So the practical answer is simple. Check the list at least twice a year, and check it again before any shipment you are unsure about. A part that cleared the list in June may not clear it in November.
How to check one substance
Checking a single substance takes a few minutes. Checking a full bill of materials does not, which is the real problem.
For one substance, work in this order:
- Get the CAS or EC number from the supplier, not the trade name.
- Search that number on the Candidate List, not the chemical name.
- If nothing matches, turn on the option that shows every substance in scope, because group entries hide their members behind one heading.
- Read the entry details before you conclude anything.
- Write down the date you checked, and what the list said that day.
That last step is the one people skip. Your duty is judged against the list as it stood, so a dated record of the check is the evidence, not a screenshot with no date on it.
For a whole product, the work multiplies. You need a substance declaration per part, an identifier you trust, and a repeat of the check every time the list moves. Tools such as an export of the full list, or a supplier declaration in a standard format, are how teams keep that from eating a week.
What a listing makes you do
Being on the list is not a ban. REACH Annex XVII holds the bans and limits. The Candidate List triggers disclosure instead, and the duties start the day the entry appears.
| Duty | When it bites | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| Tell your buyers (Article 33) | Above 0.1 percent by weight in an article | Give recipients enough to use the article safely, and at minimum the substance name |
| Answer consumers (Article 33) | A consumer asks | Reply within 45 days, free of charge |
| Notify ECHA (Article 7(2)) | Above 0.1 percent by weight and over one tonne a year | Notify within six months of the inclusion date |
Two details decide most arguments. The threshold is 0.1% by weight, measured against the article, and recipients under Article 33 means industrial and professional users and distributors, not consumers. Consumers have their own right to ask, and 45 days to be answered.
Notification under Article 7(2) is the duty people miss, because it needs both conditions at once. Above the concentration threshold and over one tonne a year, counted per producer or importer. One of the two alone does not trigger it.
There are two ways out of the notification. You can show that people and the environment are not exposed to the substance in normal or foreseeable use, including disposal, and then you give the recipient instructions. Or the substance is already registered for that use. Neither exemption removes the Article 33 duty to pass the name down the chain.
For the wider picture of how these duties sit inside REACH, see our guide to REACH compliance. For the hazard definition behind the entries, see what an SVHC is.
Where Bindu fits. Checking one substance is easy, and checking every part in a product against a list that moves is not. Bindu holds your parts and their declared substances, rechecks them against the current Candidate List, and dates every result so the record stands up later. See the REACH breakdown.
FAQ
What is the SVHC list? The SVHC list is the REACH Candidate List of substances of very high concern, published by ECHA under Article 59(10) of REACH. Each entry names a substance, its identifiers, the date it was added, and the hazard property behind the listing.
Source: ECHA: Candidate List of substances of very high concern
How many substances are on the SVHC Candidate List? There were 253 entries on 26 September 2026. The number changes whenever ECHA adds a batch, so check the live list rather than a figure quoted in an article or a supplier document.
Source: ECHA: Candidate List table
How does a substance get added to the Candidate List? It must be a CMR in category 1A or 1B under CLP, or PBT or vPvB under REACH Annex XIII, or a case by case equivalent level of concern. A Member State or ECHA proposes it, and a public consultation follows, in practice 45 days.
Source: ECHA: Substances of very high concern identification
What do I have to do if my product contains an SVHC? Above 0.1 percent by weight in an article, you must give recipients enough information for safe use, at minimum the substance name, and answer consumer requests within 45 days free of charge.
Source: ECHA: Communication in the supply chain
When do I have to notify ECHA about an SVHC in an article? When both conditions are met: the substance is above 0.1 percent by weight and totals over one tonne a year. Notify within six months of the inclusion date, unless an exemption applies.
Source: ECHA: Notification of substances in articles
Is the SVHC list the same as a ban? No. The Candidate List triggers disclosure and notification duties. Bans and concentration limits sit in Annex XVII of REACH, which is a separate list with its own entries.