Substance profile
Butyric Acid
Butyric Acid is an oily liquid with an unpleasant, rancid odor.
01 · Identification
What Butyric Acid is
Butyric Acid is an oily liquid with an unpleasant, rancid odor. Its molecular formula is C4H8O2 and its molecular weight is 88.11 g/mol. It boils at 164 °C, melts at -7.9 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as corrosives.
02 · Identifiers
Butyric Acid identifiers and molecular data
Butyric Acid CAS number and EC number
Butyric Acid molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Butyric Acid hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Butyric Acid pictograms and signal word
Butyric Acid hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin corrosion/irritation GHS chapter 3.2 | Category 1A or 1B or 1C | H314 | GHS05 |
Where two values are shown with “or”, the hazard statement is shared by more than one category or by more than one class, and the code alone does not say which. H272, for example, belongs to oxidising liquids and to oxidising solids — the physical state decides. The binding answer for a specific entry is in the CLP Annex VI table itself.
Butyric Acid hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H314 | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Butyric Acid. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Butyric Acid
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Butyric Acid issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
04 · Precautionary statements
Butyric Acid precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 5 precautionary statements to Butyric Acid. They are grouped the way a label groups them: what to do before handling, what to do when something has already happened, how to store it and how to dispose of it.
Prevention
What to do before and during handling so the hazard never happens.
Response
What to do once exposure, spillage or fire has already happened.
Reading the notation. … is a blank the supplier fills in — not a truncated sentence.· [square brackets] mark a part printed only when it applies.
05 · Names in the regulation
Butyric Acid name in 23 EU languages
CLP Annex VI Part 3 is published in every language edition of the regulation, and the identification column is written out in each of them. Nothing below is translated by us: each line is the name as that edition prints it. Under Art. 18(2) the substance name from Annex VI is a lawful product identifier, so this is the wording to put on a label going to that market — and where the cell lists several designations, any one of them qualifies.
| Language | Name in CLP Annex VI Part 3 |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian български | маслена киселина |
| Spanish español | Ácido butírico |
| Czech čeština | máselná kyselina |
| Danish dansk | smørsyre |
| German Deutsch | Buttersäure Butansäure |
| Estonian eesti | võihape |
| Greek ελληνικά | βουτυρικό οξύ |
| English English | butyric acid |
| French français | acide butyrique |
| Croatian hrvatski | maslačna kiselina |
| Italian italiano | acido butirrico |
| Latvian latviešu | sviestskābe |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | butano rūgštis |
| Hungarian magyar | vajsav |
| Maltese Malti | aċidu butiriku |
| Dutch Nederlands | boterzuur |
| Polish polski | kwas masłowy kwas propano-1-karboksylowy |
| Portuguese português | ácido butírico |
| Romanian română | acid butiric |
| Slovak slovenčina | kyselina maslová kyselina butánová |
| Slovenian slovenščina | maslena kislina |
| Finnish suomi | voihappo |
| Swedish svenska | smörsyra |
All 23 language editions of Annex VI carry this entry. Irish is the twenty-fourth official EU language and has no line here for a different reason: no consolidated CLP text has ever been published in Irish, so there is no Irish edition of Annex VI to quote a name from. Source: consolidated CLP, CELEX 02008R1272, language editions. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic.
06 · Label elements
Butyric Acid GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Butyric Acid, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Butyric Acid
- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Do NOT induce vomiting.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Butyric Acid in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Butyric Acid health hazards and exposure limits
Butyric Acid hazard summary
Corrosive to skin; [Quick CPC] A corrosive substance that can cause injury to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract; [ICSC]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Butyric Acid properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
Butyric Acid boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 163.5 °C (326.3 °F) | HSDB | |
| 163.5 °C (326.3 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO | |
| 164 °C (327.2 °F) | ICSC |
Butyric Acid melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -7.9 °C (17.8 °F) | HSDB | |
| -7.89 °C (17.8 °F) | CAMEO |
Butyric Acid density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.96 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 0.959 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB | |
| 0.958 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO |
Butyric Acid solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Miscible with ethanol, ether; slightly soluble in carbon tetrachloride | HSDB | |
| In water, 6.00X10+4 mg/L at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| greater than or equal to 100 mg/mL at 66 °F (NTP, 1992) | at 18.89 °C | CAMEO |
Butyric Acid vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.43 mmHg | at 20 °C | CAMEO |
| 0.4275 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC | |
| 1.65 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Butyric Acid flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 71.67 °C (161 °F) | HSDB | |
| 76.67 °C (170 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| 72 °C (161.6 °F) | ICSC |
Butyric Acid autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 443.33 °C (830 °F) | HSDB | |
| 450 °C (842 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| 452 °C (845.6 °F) | ICSC |
Butyric Acid lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | 2 % by volume | HSDB |
Butyric Acid upper explosive limit (UEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper explosive limit (UEL) | 10 % by volume | HSDB |
Butyric Acid vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 3.04 (air = 1) | HSDB | |
| 3 (air = 1) | ICSC |
Butyric Acid odor threshold
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odor threshold | 0.001 mg/cu m (Odor low) 9 mg/cu m (Odor high) | HSDB |
Butyric Acid critical temperature and pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical temperature and pressure | 342.05 °C (647.7 °F) | HSDB |
Butyric Acid corrosivity
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrosivity | Corrosive material | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Butyric Acid fire and explosion behaviour
These are descriptions rather than measured values, so they are kept out of the table above and quoted here with the source that reported them.
Butyric Acid fire potential
... Combustible liquid
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Butyric Acid storage and handling
Butyric Acid safe storage
Separated from strong oxidants, strong bases and food and feedstuffs.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Butyric Acid storage conditions
Store in cool, dry, well-ventilated location, away from any area where fire hazard may be acute.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Butyric Acid incompatible materials
May attack aluminum or other light metals with formation of flammable hydrogen gas.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Butyric Acid reactivity
BUTYRIC ACID can react with oxidizing agents. Incandescent reactions occur with chromium trioxide above 212 °F. Also incompatible with bases and reducing agents. May attack aluminum and other light metals (NTP, 1992).
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Butyric Acid in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Butyric Acid UN number and transport classification
Transport classification is a separate system from the GHS classification above. It decides how a package is marked and how a load may be carried; it does not follow from the workplace label, and the workplace label does not follow from it. The entries below are linked by CAS number, never by name.
Butyric Acid under UN 2820 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUTYRIC ACID | 8 | C3 | III | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 8 is “Corrosive substances” (ADR 2.1.1.1).
United States · 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table
| Proper shipping name (column 2) | Class or division | PG | Labels (column 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butyric acid | 8 | III | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 8 is “Corrosive material” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Butyric Acid — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Butyric Acid?
The CAS number of Butyric Acid is 107-92-6. Its EC number is 203-532-3.
What is the chemical formula of Butyric Acid?
The molecular formula of Butyric Acid is C4H8O2 and its molecular weight is 88.11 g/mol.
What does a Butyric Acid label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Butyric Acid carries the pictogram Corrosion and the signal word is Danger.
Is Butyric Acid flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Butyric Acid no flammability hazard class. That is not a statement that it cannot burn: the harmonised list only records the hazards that were assessed for it. The flash point reported for it is 71.67 °C (161 °F) (HSDB).
Is Butyric Acid a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Butyric Acid. Annex VI is a list of agreed classifications, not a list of substances found safe, so this is an absence of a classification rather than a clean bill of health.
What is the boiling point of Butyric Acid?
The boiling point reported for Butyric Acid is 163.5 °C (326.3 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Butyric Acid?
The melting point reported for Butyric Acid is -7.9 °C (17.8 °F) (HSDB).
How should Butyric Acid be stored?
Store in cool, dry, well-ventilated location, away from any area where fire hazard may be acute. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Butyric Acid
Keep going: substances starting with B, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.