Physical hazard · Corrosive to metals
H290 — May be corrosive to metals
Physical hazard statements describe what the substance itself can do — explode, ignite, react, corrode metal. 3 substances with a harmonised EU classification carry this code.
01 · Wording
What H290 says
May be corrosive to metals.
CLP Annex III · Physical hazards
Corrosive to metals GHS chapter 2.16
Category 1 · pictogram GHS05 (corrosion) · signal word Warning
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
H290 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 H290 |
|---|---|
| BG български Bulgarian | Може да бъде корозивно за металите. |
| ES español Spanish | Puede ser corrosivo para los metales. |
| CS čeština Czech | Může být korozivní pro kovy. |
| DA dansk Danish | Kan ætse metaller. |
| DE Deutsch German | Kann gegenüber Metallen korrosiv sein. |
| ET eesti Estonian | Võib söövitada metalle. |
| EL ελληνικά Greek | Μπορεί να διαβρώσει μέταλλα. |
| EN English English | May be corrosive to metals. |
| FR français French | Peut être corrosif pour les métaux. |
| GA Gaeilge Irish | D'fhéadfadh sé a bheith creimneach do mhiotail. |
| HR hrvatski Croatian | Može nagrizati metale. |
| IT italiano Italian | Può essere corrosivo per i metalli. |
| LV latviešu Latvian | Var kodīgi iedarboties uz metāliem. |
| LT lietuvių Lithuanian | Gali ėsdinti metalus. |
| HU magyar Hungarian | Fémekre korrozív hatású lehet. |
| MT Malti Maltese | Jista' jkun korrużiv għall-metalli. |
| NL Nederlands Dutch | Kan bijtend zijn voor metalen. |
| PL polski Polish | Może powodować korozję metali. |
| PT português Portuguese | Pode ser corrosivo para os metais. |
| RO română Romanian | Poate fi corosiv pentru metale. |
| SK slovenčina Slovak | Môže byť korozívna pre kovy. |
| SL slovenščina Slovenian | Lahko je jedko za kovine. |
| FI suomi Finnish | Voi syövyttää metalleja. |
| SV svenska Swedish | Kan vara korrosivt för metaller. |
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 H290 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 H290 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 H290
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.
- formic acid CAS 64-18-6
- hydroxylamine ....% [> 55 % in aqueous solution] CAS 7803-49-8
- hydroxylammonium chloride CAS 5470-11-1
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.