Physical hazard · In contact with water emits flammable gases
H260 — In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously
Physical hazard statements describe what the substance itself can do — explode, ignite, react, corrode metal. 26 substances with a harmonised EU classification carry this code.
01 · Wording
What H260 says
In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
CLP Annex III · Physical hazards
In contact with water emits flammable gases GHS chapter 2.12
Category 1 · pictogram GHS02 (flame) · signal word Danger
Unchanged since 2009.
Present in every UN GHS edition from Rev.3 (2009) to Rev.11 (2025), with the same wording throughout.
Nine editions of the UN model text, 86 hazard statements, 19 of which ever moved. Read the full story in what changed in UN GHS Rev.11.
02 · Languages
H260 in the 24 official EU languages
A label put on the market in an EU country must carry the wording of that country's own language version of CLP — not a translation of the English one. These 24 lines are quoted from the consolidated regulation, Annex III, and are the text to print.
| Language | Official wording of H260 |
|---|---|
| BG български Bulgarian | При контакт с вода отделя запалими газове, които могат да се самозапалят. |
| ES español Spanish | En contacto con el agua desprende gases inflamables que pueden inflamarse espontáneamente. |
| CS čeština Czech | Při styku s vodou uvolňuje hořlavé plyny, které se mohou samovolně vznítit. |
| DA dansk Danish | Ved kontakt med vand udvikles brandfarlige gasser, som kan selvantænde. |
| DE Deutsch German | In Berührung mit Wasser entstehen entzündbare Gase, die sich spontan entzünden können. |
| ET eesti Estonian | Kokkupuutel veega eraldab tuleohtlikke gaase, mis võivad iseenesest süttida. |
| EL ελληνικά Greek | Σε επαφή με το νερό ελευθερώνει εύφλεκτα αέρια τα οποία μπορούν να αυτοαναφλεγούν. |
| EN English English | In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously. |
| FR français French | Dégage au contact de l'eau des gaz inflammables qui peuvent s'enflammer spontanément. |
| GA Gaeilge Irish | I dteagmháil le huisce scaoiltear gáis inadhainte a d'fhéadfadh uathadhaint. |
| HR hrvatski Croatian | U dodiru s vodom oslobađa zapaljive plinove koji se mogu spontano zapaliti. |
| IT italiano Italian | A contatto con l'acqua libera gas infiammabili che possono infiammarsi spontaneamente. |
| LV latviešu Latvian | Nonākot saskarē ar ūdeni, izdala uzliesmojošas gāzes, kas var spontāni aizdegties. |
| LT lietuvių Lithuanian | Kontaktuodami su vandeniu išskiria degias dujas, kurios gali savaime užsidegti. |
| HU magyar Hungarian | Vízzel érintkezve öngyulladásra hajlamos tűzveszélyes gázokat bocsát ki. |
| MT Malti Maltese | Meta jmiss ma' l-ilma jerħi gassijiet li jaqbdu li jistgħu jieħdu n-nar spontanjament. |
| NL Nederlands Dutch | In contact met water komen ontvlambare gassen vrij die spontaan kunnen ontbranden. |
| PL polski Polish | W kontakcie z wodą uwalniają łatwopalne gazy, które mogą ulegać samozapaleniu. |
| PT português Portuguese | Em contacto com a água liberta gases que se podem inflamar espontaneamente. |
| RO română Romanian | În contact cu apa degajă gaze inflamabile care se pot aprinde spontan. |
| SK slovenčina Slovak | Pri kontakte s vodou uvoľňuje horľavé plyny, ktoré sa môžu spontánne zapáliť. |
| SL slovenščina Slovenian | V stiku z vodo se sproščajo vnetljivi plini, ki se lahko samodejno vžgejo. |
| FI suomi Finnish | Kehittää itsestään syttyviä kaasuja veden kanssa. |
| SV svenska Swedish | Vid kontakt med vatten utvecklas brandfarliga gaser som kan självantända. |
Source: CELEX:02008R1272-20260501, Annex III. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic. Irish is one of the 24 official languages and its H and P texts are printed inside the multilingual Annex tables, but no consolidated CLP has ever been published in Irish — which is why an Irish-primary label cannot be built here.
03 · Legal status
Where H260 is current
GHS is a United Nations model text, revised every two years, and each jurisdiction adopts a revision on its own timetable. A code can be legally current in one system and deleted in another — that is normal, not an error.
| Jurisdiction | Basis | Status of H260 |
|---|---|---|
| EU CLP | Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 CLP Annex IV, Part 2 (consolidated) | Current |
| US OSHA HazCom | 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C UN GHS Rev.7 (final rule of 20 May 2024) | Current |
| US HazCom 2012 | legacy · GHS Rev.3 UN GHS Rev.3, Annex 3 | Current |
| UN GHS | Rev.11 (2025) UN GHS Rev.11, Annex 3 | Current |
Currently in force under: EU CLP, US OSHA HazCom, US HazCom 2012, UN GHS. Sources: EU CLP · US OSHA HazCom · US HazCom 2012 · UN GHS
04 · Substances
Substances carrying H260
Every entry whose harmonised CLP Annex VI classification includes this hazard statement. Substances with a reference page here open on this site; the rest open on ghssymbols.com. Of these, 3 are group entries such as “salts of picric acid” or “beryllium compounds” — Annex VI gives them no CAS number, so they are listed by Index No and have no page of their own.
- (2-methylpropyl)lithium CAS 920-36-5
- aluminium alkyls Index No 013-004-00-2
- Aluminum Phosphide CAS 20859-73-8
- calcium carbide CAS 75-20-7
- Calcium hydride CAS 7789-78-8
- Calcium phosphide CAS 1305-99-3
- Diethyl(ethyldimethylsilanolato)aluminum CAS 55426-95-4
- dimethylzinc [1] diethylzinc [2] CAS 544-97-8
- diphosphorus pentasulphide CAS 1314-80-3
- ethyl propoxy aluminium chloride CAS 13014-29-4
- Lithium CAS 7439-93-2
- Lithium aluminum hydride CAS 16853-85-3
- Lithium, hexyl- CAS 21369-64-2
- magnesium alkyls Index No 012-003-00-4
- Magnesium phosphide CAS 12057-74-8
- magnesium powder (pyrophoric) CAS 7439-95-4
- Potassium CAS 7440-09-7
- potassium mu-fluoro-bis(triethylaluminium) CAS 12091-08-6
- Sodium CAS 7440-23-5
- Sodium hydride CAS 7646-69-7
- sodium((n-butyl)x(ethyl)y-1,5-dihydro)aluminate) x =… Index No 013-009-00-X
- tetraphosphorus trisulphide CAS 1314-85-8
- Trichlorosilane CAS 10025-78-2
- Zinc Phosphide CAS 1314-84-7
- zinc powder - zinc dust (pyrophoric) CAS 7440-66-6
- zirconium powder (pyrophoric) CAS 7440-67-7
Nothing matches that filter.
All hazard statements
The full list of H-codes with the jurisdiction switch lives on the hazard statements hub. For what to do about the hazard, see precautionary statements (P-codes).
Wording quoted from the regulation named above. Substance counts come from harmonised classifications in CLP Annex VI — the statements on a real product also depend on the supplier's own classification. Always check the supplier safety data sheet.