Search the industrial chemicals inventory
The Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (Inventory) is a searchable database of around 40,000 chemicals that are being manufactured or imported (introduced) into Australia for industrial use.
Search by CAS number
This is the best method. A CAS number contains digits that are divided by hyphens into 3 parts.
Make sure you don't include a blank space at the start or between your numbers and hyphens.
The CAS Registry is maintained by CAS and they also assign CAS numbers to chemicals (for a fee). They have a limited free online resource called Common Chemistry for searching CAS numbers.
Other ways to try and find your CAS number include:
- looking at Safety Data Sheets — you'll need to contact the manufacturer or supplier
- through an internet search
- search online catalogues of chemical suppliers
I've found my chemical — find out what your search results mean
I can't find my chemical — learn the reasons why and what to do next
Searching by keyword
CAS proper name
If you do not have the CAS number your next best option is to search using the CAS name for the chemical.
Common names
Some common names for chemicals are on the Inventory but are restricted to the most commonly used chemicals. Your results will most likely be a very broad list of candidate chemicals.
I've found my chemical — find out what your search results mean
I can't find my chemical — learn the reasons why and what to do next
International chemical databases
- European Chemicals Agency (information about chemicals in Europe)
- United States Environment Protection Agency Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource
ACToR (Aggregated Computational Toxicology resource) is EPA's online warehouse of all publicly available chemical toxicity data and can be used to find all publicly available data about potential chemical risks to human health and the environment. - CosIng Database search page
This European Commission searchable database has information on cosmetic ingredients. It contains CAS RNs and International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient (INCI) names and numbers. - National Library of Medicine
This United States' site lists chemicals and available toxicity information. It is useful for listing chemicals that are not on major inventories. - National Institute of Standards and Technology Chemistry (NIST) WebBook
This website of the U.S. Department of Commerce provides access to data compiled and distributed by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program. - Common Chemistry (from Chemical Abstracts Service)
Looking for safety, hazard or risk information?
Use our assessment search to find our assessments or evaluations on a chemical.