Substance profile
Carbon tetrachloride
Carbon tetrachloride is a liquid with a sweet odor.
01 · Identification
What Carbon tetrachloride is
Carbon tetrachloride is a liquid with a sweet odor. Its molecular formula is CCl4 and its molecular weight is 153.8 g/mol. It boils at 76.7 °C, melts at -22.2 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs).
02 · Identifiers
Carbon tetrachloride identifiers and molecular data
Carbon tetrachloride CAS number and EC number
Carbon tetrachloride molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Carbon tetrachloride
- tetrachloromethane
- carbon tet
- CCl4
- Benzinoform
- Carbon Chloride
- Carbon Chloride (Ccl4)
- Carbona
- Cc M0
- Ent 27164
- Ent 4,705
- Fasciolin
- Flukoids
- Freon® 10
- Halon 1040
- Halon® 104
03 · GHS classification
Carbon tetrachloride hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Carbon tetrachloride pictograms and signal word
Carbon tetrachloride hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H301 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - dermal GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H311 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H331 | GHS06 |
| Carcinogenicity GHS chapter 3.6 | Category 2 | H351 | GHS08 |
| Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure GHS chapter 3.9 | Category 1 | H372 | GHS08 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 3 | H412 | — |
| Hazardous to the ozone layer GHS chapter 4.2 | Category 1 | H420 | GHS07 |
Carbon tetrachloride hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H351 | Suspected of causing cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H331 | Toxic if inhaled. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H301 | Toxic if swallowed. |
| H372 | Causes damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> through prolonged or repeated exposure <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H412 | Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
| H420 | Harms public health and the environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Carbon tetrachloride. 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 Carbon tetrachloride
Our own Carbon tetrachloride safety data sheet walks through all sixteen sections of the published data. What it is not is the document an inspector asks for: an SDS is issued for a product by its supplier, so the sheet covering the grade actually standing in your store exists only in that supplier’s version. Collecting those and keeping them current as suppliers revise them is a separate job.
04 · Precautionary statements
Carbon tetrachloride precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 16 precautionary statements to Carbon tetrachloride. 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.
Disposal
What has to happen to the contents and the empty container.
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
Carbon tetrachloride 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 | въглероден тетрахлорид тетрахлорометан |
| Spanish español | Tetracloruro de carbono tetraclorometano |
| Czech čeština | tetrachlormethan |
| Danish dansk | carbontetrachlorid tetrachlormethan |
| German Deutsch | Kohlenstofftetrachlorid TetrachlormethanTetrachlorkohlenstoff |
| Estonian eesti | süsiniktetrakloriid tetraklorometaan |
| Greek ελληνικά | τετραχλωράνθρακας τετραχλωρομεθάνιο |
| English English | carbon tetrachloride tetrachloromethane |
| French français | tétrachlorure de carbone tétrachlorométhane |
| Croatian hrvatski | ugljikov tetraklorid tetraklormetan |
| Italian italiano | tetracloruro di carbonio tetraclorometano |
| Latvian latviešu | tetrahlorogleklis tetrahlormetāns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | anglies tetrachloridas tetrachlormetanas |
| Hungarian magyar | szén-tetraklorid tetraklór-metán |
| Maltese Malti | tetraklorur tal-karbonju tetraklorometan |
| Dutch Nederlands | koolstoftetrachloride tetrachloormethaan |
| Polish polski | tetrachlorek węgla czterochlorek węglatetrachlorometan |
| Portuguese português | tetracloreto de carbono tetraclorometano |
| Romanian română | tetraclorură de carbon tetraclorometan |
| Slovak slovenčina | chlorid uhličitý tetrachlórmetán |
| Slovenian slovenščina | ogljikov tetraklorid tetraklorometan |
| Finnish suomi | hiilitetrakloridi tetrakloorimetaani |
| Swedish svenska | koltetraklorid tetraklormetan |
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
Carbon tetrachloride GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Carbon tetrachloride, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Carbon tetrachloride
- Suspected of causing cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Toxic if inhaled.
- Toxic in contact with skin.
- Toxic if swallowed.
- Causes damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> through prolonged or repeated exposure <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
- Harms public health and the environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere
- Obtain special instructions before use.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
- Avoid release to the environment.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF ON SKIN:
- IF INHALED:
- IF exposed or concerned:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Get medical advice/attention.
- Get medical advice/attention if you feel unwell.
- Rinse mouth.
- Wash with plenty of water/…
- Dispose of contents/container to …
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Carbon tetrachloride in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Carbon tetrachloride health hazards and exposure limits
Carbon tetrachloride hazard summary
Carbon tetrachloride is a manufactured chemical that does not occur naturally. It is a clear liquid with a sweet smell that can be detected at low levels. It is also called carbon chloride, methane tetrachloride, perchloromethane, tetrachloroethane, or benziform. Carbon tetrachloride is most often found in the air as a colorless gas. It is not flammable and does not dissolve in water very easily. It was used in the production of refrigeration fluid and propellants for aerosol cans, as a pesticide, as a cleaning fluid and degreasing agent, in fire extinguishers, and in spot removers. Because of its harmful effects, these uses are now banned and it is only used in some industrial applications.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Carbon tetrachloride carcinogenicity classification
Under the Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (U.S. EPA, 2005a), carbon tetrachloride is "likely to be carcinogenic to humans" based on: (1) inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and (2) sufficient evidence in animals by oral and inhalation exposure, i.e., hepatic tumors in multiple species (rat, mouse, and hamster) and pheochromocytomas (adrenal gland tumors) in mice.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Evaluation: There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of carbon tetrachloride. There is sufficient evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of carbon tetrachloride. Overall evaluation: Carbon tetrachloride is possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
An IARC group and a CLP classification answer different questions. IARC judges whether the evidence for cancer in humans is strong enough; CLP Annex VI is the legally binding EU classification. A substance can carry one and not the other.
Carbon tetrachloride occupational exposure limits
| Limit | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PEL | 10.0 [ppm], Ceiling(OSHA) = 25 ppm (200 ppm for 5-min peak in any 4 hrs.) | Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases |
| PEL | 10 ppm | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) |
| PEL | 25 ppm [5 min in any 4 hrs]; 200 ppm (Peak) | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) |
| REL | 2 ppm (12.6 mg/m³) [60 minutes] | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) |
| REL | Ca ST 2 ppm (12.6 mg/m3) [60-minute] See Appendix A | The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
| IDLH | 200 ppm ; A potential occupational carcinogen. (NIOSH, 2024) | CAMEO Chemicals |
| IDLH | 200.0 [ppm] | Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases |
| IDLH | NIOSH considers Carbon tetrachloride to be a potential occupational carcinogen. | Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) |
These are United States values. The European Union sets its own indicative and binding limits, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation — not the one shown here.
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Carbon tetrachloride 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.
Carbon tetrachloride boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 76.7 °C (170.1 °F) | HSDB | |
| 76.67 °C (170 °F) | NIOSH | ||
| 76.72 °C (170.1 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
Carbon tetrachloride melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -22.2 °C (-8 °F) | HSDB | |
| -22.78 °C (-9 °F) | NIOSH |
Carbon tetrachloride density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.59 g/cm³ | NIOSH | |
| 1.594 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB | |
| 1.59 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO |
Carbon tetrachloride solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Miscible with alcohol, benzene, chloroform, ether, carbon disulfide, petroleum ether, oils | HSDB | |
| In water, 793 mg/L at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| In water, 1160 mg/L at 25 °C, 800 mg/L at 20 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Carbon tetrachloride vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 91 mmHg | NIOSH | |
| 91 mmHg | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| 115 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Carbon tetrachloride autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | Not flammable (USCG, 1999) | CAMEO |
Carbon tetrachloride lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | Noncombustible Liquid | NIOSH |
Carbon tetrachloride vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 5.3 (air = 1) | HSDB |
Carbon tetrachloride odor threshold
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odor threshold | Odor recognition in air: 2.14X10 ppm (chemically pure) | HSDB | |
| In water: reduction of amenities: odor threshold 50 mg/L | HSDB | ||
| Odor Threshold Low: 140.0 [ppm] | Haz-Map |
Carbon tetrachloride critical temperature and pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical temperature and pressure | 283.2 °C (541.8 °F) | HSDB |
Carbon tetrachloride corrosivity
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrosivity | Liquid carbon tetrachloride attacks some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings. | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Carbon tetrachloride 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.
Carbon tetrachloride fire potential
Not combustible, but reacts under fire conditions producing hydrochloric acid and phosgene.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Carbon tetrachloride storage and handling
Carbon tetrachloride reactive group
CAMEO Chemicals places Carbon tetrachloride in the reactive group Halogenated Organic Compounds. Compatibility with other chemicals is worked out from the group, not from the individual substance — which is why two substances you have never seen react can still be flagged as a pair that must be separated.
A reactive group is a CAMEO Chemicals (US NOAA) grouping, not a GHS hazard class: it has no code, no category and no legal force. It is what the storage compatibility matrix on this site computes from.
Carbon tetrachloride safe storage
Well closed. Cool. Separated from food and feedstuffs and metals. See Chemical Dangers. Ventilation along the floor. Store in an area without drain or sewer access.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Carbon tetrachloride storage conditions
Keep container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place. Containers which are opened must be carefully resealed and kept upright to prevent leakage.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Carbon tetrachloride incompatible materials
Incompatible materials: Strong oxidizing agents.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Carbon tetrachloride reactivity
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE is a commonly used liquid in fire extinguishers to combat small fires. It has no flash point, it is not flammable. However, when heated to decomposition, it will emit fumes of extremely toxic phosgene and of hydrogen chloride. Forms explosive mixtures with chlorine trifluoride, calcium hypochlorite, decaborane, dinitrogen tetraoxide, fluorine. Forms impact-sensitive explosive mixtures with particles of many metals: lithium, sodium, potassium, beryllium, zinc, aluminum, barium. Vigorous exothermic reaction with allyl alcohol, boron trifluoride, diborane, disilane, aluminum chloride, dibenzoyl peroxide, potassium tert-butoxide, liquid oxygen, zirconium. [Bretherick, 5th ed., 1995, p. 666]. Potentially dangerous reaction with dimethylformamide or dimethylacetamide in presence of iron [Cardillo, P. et al., Ann. Chim. (Rome), 1984, 74, p. 129].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Carbon tetrachloride in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Carbon tetrachloride 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.
Carbon tetrachloride under UN 1846 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARBON TETRACHLORIDE | 6.1 | T1 | II | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 6.1 is “Toxic 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon tetrachloride | 6.1 | II | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 6.1 is “Poisonous materials” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Carbon tetrachloride — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Carbon tetrachloride?
The CAS number of Carbon tetrachloride is 56-23-5. Its EC number is 200-262-8.
What is the chemical formula of Carbon tetrachloride?
The molecular formula of Carbon tetrachloride is CCl4 and its molecular weight is 153.8 g/mol.
What does a Carbon tetrachloride label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Carbon tetrachloride carries the pictograms Skull and crossbones and Health hazard and the signal word is Danger.
Is Carbon tetrachloride flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Carbon tetrachloride 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.
Is Carbon tetrachloride a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI assigns Carbon tetrachloride H351 — suspected of causing cancer. That is category 2: the evidence points that way but is not conclusive. IARC places it in Group 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans.
What is the exposure limit for Carbon tetrachloride?
The US occupational exposure limit reported for Carbon tetrachloride is 10.0 [ppm], Ceiling(OSHA) = 25 ppm (200 ppm for 5-min peak in any 4 hrs.) (Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases). Limits differ by country: the EU sets its own indicative and binding values, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation.
What is the boiling point of Carbon tetrachloride?
The boiling point reported for Carbon tetrachloride is 76.7 °C (170.1 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Carbon tetrachloride?
The melting point reported for Carbon tetrachloride is -22.2 °C (-8 °F) (HSDB).
How should Carbon tetrachloride be stored?
Keep container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place. Containers which are opened must be carefully resealed and kept upright to prevent leakage. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Carbon tetrachloride
Keep going: substances starting with C, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.
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