China’s MIIT releases draft GB standard on chemical safety labeling

On Aug. 13, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published a draft of the mandatory national standard titled Regulations for the Preparation of Chemical Safety Labels on its official website and launched a public consultation. The comment period lasts until Oct. 12, 2025.

This draft is intended to replace GB 15258-2009. Compared to the current version, the new draft introduces several technical revisions, including the addition of safety information codes for hazardous chemicals, changes to the order of hazard statements, and new labeling requirements for small packages. A summary of the key changes is provided below.

Addition of Safety Information Codes for Hazardous Chemicals (See Sections 4.1 and 4.2.9)

The new label element, “Safety Information Code for Hazardous Chemicals,” is designed to enhance the communication of hazard information and address issues that arise when information is transmitted to the end of the supply chain under the current “one SDS, one label” system.

The revised label now includes nine elements: chemical identification, pictograms, signal word, hazard statements, precautionary statements, emergency contact, supplier identification, safety information code, and reference note.

This new element is considered supplementary “non-standardized information” and does not conflict with the validity of standardized hazard information. It complies with Sections 1.4.6.3 (“Use of Non-Standardized or Supplementary Information”) and 1.4.10.5.4.2 (“Supplementary Information”) of the 10th revised edition of the GHS.

Changes to the Order of Hazard Statements (See Section 4.2.10.3; compare with Section 4.2.9.3 of the 2009 version)

• For chemicals not listed in GB 12268, the hazard category “desensitized explosives” has been added in accordance with the latest GHS provisions.
• The term “signal word” used in the previous standard has been revised to “warning word,” which aligns better with Chinese linguistic conventions and is consistent with GB/T 16483-2008 (Content and Sequence of Safety Data Sheets).
• The order of hazard statements has been reorganized, and new rules for integrating hazard information have been added based on the latest GHS guidelines.

New Labeling Requirements for Small Packages (See Section 4.3)

Simplified and fold-out labels are now permitted for chemical packages of 100 mL or less.

• Simplified labels: A new provision has been added for packages of 5 mL or less. Due to visibility issues when applying labels to very small containers, 5 mL has been set as the exemption threshold for labeling under domestic standards.
• Fold-out labels: Introduced in accordance with the 10th revised edition of the GHS.

Label Usage and Precautions (See Appendix C)

Two major updates are included:

• The outer packaging of composite containers must now display the safety information code for hazardous chemicals.
• New labeling requirements for product sets have been added, based on relevant provisions in the 10th revised edition of the GHS.

The full Chinese text of the draft Regulations for the Preparation of Chemical Safety Labels is available at the following URL (Simplified Chinese):
https://www.miit.gov.cn/gzcy/yjzj/art/2025/art_435cbba59de94112a034302e4e88e25c.html