Adhesive regulation sorts into seven rule sets, from food-contact conditions and REACH restrictions to diisocyanate training, VOC limits, hazard labeling, formaldehyde emissions and packaging rules, and this section gives each one its own page. Each rule set reaches the adhesive chemicals that industrial adhesives are formulated from, so adhesive compliance starts with the formula.
Every adhesive rule attaches to one of five points: the substance, the label of the mixture, the end use, the emission or the package. A listing under one rule set never clears an adhesive under another; methylene chloride is VOC-exempt in the US and named in the US food-packaging adhesive listing, yet its industrial and commercial use is prohibited after 2026-04-28. No federal VOC content limit exists for industrial adhesives, and formaldehyde emission limits apply to panels and articles, not to the adhesive itself. Raw-material status, such as a Candidate List entry, follows each substance into every adhesive that contains it. The supplier match at the end of the page takes one request for an adhesive built to the rules of its market.
Sources and checks: identities and hazard classifications are read at ECHA and the issuing regulator, standards at the body that publishes them, and grade values at the data sheet named next to them; methodology and fact-checking explains each step.
What Is Adhesive Regulation?#
Adhesive regulation is the set of laws that decide what an industrial adhesive may contain, how its package is labeled, which end uses it may serve, what it may emit and how its packaging is designed. The rules come from the EU and the US, and each one attaches to a single point: a substance, the label of the mixture, an end use, an emission or the package. That attachment point decides who carries the duty, from the raw-material producer to the formulator, the converter or the packer.
A rule set never clears an adhesive for another rule set. Methylene chloride shows the gap: it is VOC-exempt under 40 CFR 51.100(s) and named in 21 CFR 175.105(c)(5), yet 40 CFR 751 subpart B prohibits its industrial and commercial use after 2026-04-28 for uses the rule does not exempt. A food-contact listing therefore says nothing about worker exposure, emissions or labeling, and the reverse holds too.
Adhesive Regulation Topics: One Page per Rule Set#
The table below sets out the seven adhesive regulation pages, each built around one rule set: food contact, REACH restrictions, diisocyanates, VOC limits, hazard labeling, formaldehyde emissions and packaging. Each row gives the scope, the instruments the page covers and one rule that shows how the rule set reaches an adhesive.
| Page | What it covers | Instruments named | One rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| food-contact adhesives | Which components and conditions let an adhesive sit in food packaging | 21 CFR 175.105 and 175.125; Regulation (EC) 1935/2004; Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 | 175.105 allows listed components behind a functional barrier or, for fatty and aqueous food, only as "the trace amount at seams and at the edge exposure between packaging laminates"; the container reads "food-packaging adhesive" |
| REACH restrictions and SVHCs in adhesives | Which raw materials are restricted, listed as SVHC or subject to authorisation | REACH Annex XVII entries 48, 57 and 70; Candidate List; Annex XIV | Entry 48: toluene at 0.1 % by weight or more may not be used in adhesives supplied to the general public |
| diisocyanates in adhesives | Training and package labeling for adhesives that contain diisocyanates | REACH Annex XVII entry 74 (Regulation (EU) 2020/1149); CLP EUH204 | Mixtures containing isocyanates carry EUH204 "Contains isocyanates. May produce an allergic reaction." |
| VOC limits for industrial adhesives | VOC content limits and solvent emission rules | SCAQMD Rule 1168; 40 CFR 59 subpart C; EU IED Annex VII; 40 CFR 751 subpart B | Rule 1168 (amended November 4, 2022; amendments proposed for a 4 December 2026 hearing) states limits in g/L less water and less exempt compounds |
| hazard labeling and SDS for adhesives | Label elements, EUH statements and safety data sheets | CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008; OSHA HCS 29 CFR 1910.1200; California Proposition 65 | Cyanoacrylate adhesives carry EUH202 on the immediate packaging |
| formaldehyde emissions from wood adhesives and panels | Emission limits for panels and articles, classification of free formaldehyde | TSCA Title VI (40 CFR 770); CARB ATCM 93120; REACH Annex XVII entry 77; CLP | Formaldehyde: Annex VI 605-001-00-5 as replaced by ATP22, applicable from 2026-05-01, including Carc. 1B H350 |
| PPWR requirements for packaging adhesives | Packaging rules that reach adhesives and labels | Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) | Applies from 2026-08-12; food-contact packaging PFAS limits 25 ppb per targeted PFAS, 250 ppb sum, 50 ppm total PFAS |
A rule set gets its own page where one instrument family sets its own duties, thresholds and dates for adhesives. Dates, thresholds and limit values beyond the single rule in each row sit on the page that owns them.
What Each Adhesive Rule Attaches To: Substance, Label, End Use, Emission and Package#
Each adhesive rule attaches to one of five points: the substance, the label of the mixture, the end use, the emission from the bonded product or process, and the package. The five attachment points are listed below.
- The substance: hazard class, restriction and SVHC status.
- The label of the mixture: hazard and EUH statements and warnings.
- The end use: food packaging and worker handling.
- The emission: VOC from application, formaldehyde from panels and articles.
- The package: packaging design and PFAS in food-contact packaging.
The matrix below compares the EU and US instruments for each attachment point.
| Rule attaches to | EU instrument | US instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Substance | REACH Annex XVII, Candidate List, Annex XIV; CLP Annex VI | TSCA section 6 rules (40 CFR 751 subpart B for methylene chloride) |
| Label of the mixture | CLP label elements and EUH statements | OSHA HCS 29 CFR 1910.1200; Proposition 65 warnings in California |
| End use: food contact | Regulation (EC) 1935/2004; Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 | 21 CFR 175.105 and 175.125 |
| End use: worker handling | REACH Annex XVII entry 74 | none in this section |
| Emission: VOC | IED Annex VII | SCAQMD Rule 1168; 40 CFR 59 subpart C (household adhesives only) |
| Emission: formaldehyde | REACH Annex XVII entry 77 | TSCA Title VI (40 CFR 770); CARB ATCM 93120 |
| Package | Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) | none in this section |
VOC rules split by product and place. The federal rule 40 CFR 59 subpart C sets VOC limits for household adhesives only, and no federal VOC content limit exists for industrial adhesives. Industrial adhesives meet VOC content limits through air district rules such as SCAQMD Rule 1168, amended November 4, 2022, which states its limits in g/L less water and less exempt compounds.
Formaldehyde splits the same way. The adhesive mixture is classified through its free formaldehyde, which carries Annex VI 605-001-00-5 as replaced by ATP22 (Regulation (EU) 2024/2564), applicable from 2026-05-01: Carc. 1B H350, Muta. 2 H341, Acute Tox. 2 H330, Acute Tox. 4 H302, Skin Corr. 1B H314, Skin Sens. 1A H317, with EUH071. Emission limits under TSCA Title VI, CARB ATCM 93120 and REACH Annex XVII entry 77 apply to panels and articles, not to the adhesive.
How Adhesive Regulation Connects to Adhesive Substances and Chemistries#
Adhesive regulation reaches a finished adhesive through its raw materials, so a substance's own status, such as a Candidate List entry or an Annex XVII restriction, follows it into every adhesive that contains it. The regulatory status of each raw material is listed under adhesive substances A to Z, next to its CAS number and function.
Two solvents show the pattern. Toluene falls under REACH Annex XVII entry 48, which bars it at 0.1 % by weight or more from adhesives intended for supply to the general public and leaves industrial adhesives outside that entry. n-Hexane has been on the Candidate List since 2026-02-04 for STOT RE (Article 57(f)), so the SVHC duties follow it into every adhesive that contains it.
US state rules follow the same logic. California Proposition 65 warning duties follow the chemicals named on the OEHHA list of 2026-07-31, so a warning depends on which listed raw materials an adhesive contains, not on its chemistry class.
Rules Tied to One Adhesive Chemistry: Cyanoacrylates and Isocyanates#
Cyanoacrylate adhesives carry EUH202 on the immediate packaging, and mixtures containing isocyanates carry EUH204, both under CLP Annex II. The EUH202 text reads "Cyanoacrylate. Danger. Bonds skin and eyes in seconds. Keep out of the reach of children", and each statement belongs to one chemistry among the types of adhesives by chemistry.
Diisocyanate products also fall under REACH Annex XVII entry 74 (Regulation (EU) 2020/1149). Entry 74 ties industrial and professional use to training before use and requires a statement on the package.
Which Adhesive Regulations Apply Depends on Market and End Use#
EU market adhesives answer to CLP, REACH, Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and PPWR; US market adhesives answer to 21 CFR 175.105 and 175.125, TSCA, OSHA HCS, Rule 1168 in its air district and Proposition 65 in California. The end use then adds the food-contact or packaging layer.
EUH statements are EU label elements and are not part of the US Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). Bisphenol A is prohibited in EU food-contact adhesives since Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 entered into force on 2025-01-20.
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