Substance profile
Ethylene glycol
Ethylene glycol is a clear, colorless, syrupy, liquid and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Ethylene glycol is
Ethylene glycol is a clear, colorless, syrupy, liquid and is odorless. Its molecular formula is C2H6O2 and its molecular weight is 62.07 g/mol. It boils at 197 °C, melts at -12.7 °C, is miscible with water.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Warning. It is classed as hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs).
02 · Identifiers
Ethylene glycol identifiers and molecular data
Ethylene glycol CAS number and EC number
Ethylene glycol molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Ethylene glycol
- MEG
- antifreeze
- 146Ar
- 1,2-Dihydroxyethane
- Dowtherm Sr 1
- 1,2-Ethandiol
- Ethane-1,2-Diol
- 1,2-Ethanediol
- Ethylene Alcohol
- Ethylene Dihydrate
- 1,2-Ethylene Glycol
- Fridex
- Glycol
- Glycol Alcohol
- ethanediol
03 · GHS classification
Ethylene glycol hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Ethylene glycol pictograms and signal word
Ethylene glycol hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 4 | H302 | GHS07 |
Ethylene glycol hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H302 | Harmful if swallowed. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Ethylene glycol. 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 Ethylene glycol
Our own Ethylene glycol 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
Ethylene glycol precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 4 precautionary statements to Ethylene glycol. 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
Ethylene glycol 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 | етандиол етиленгликол |
| Spanish español | Etanodiol etilenglicol |
| Czech čeština | ethan-1,2-diol ethylenglykol |
| Danish dansk | ethandiol ethylenglycol |
| German Deutsch | Ethandiol 1,2-EthandiolEthylenglycol |
| Estonian eesti | etaandiool etüleenglükool |
| Greek ελληνικά | αιθανοδιόλη αιθυλενογλυκόλη |
| English English | ethanediol ethylene glycol |
| French français | éthanediol éthylène glycol |
| Croatian hrvatski | etandiol etilen-glikol |
| Italian italiano | glicol etilenico etilen glicol |
| Latvian latviešu | etāndiols etilēnglikols |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | etandiolis etilenglikolis |
| Hungarian magyar | etán-diol etilén-glikol |
| Maltese Malti | etandiol glikol tal-etilen |
| Dutch Nederlands | ethaandiol ethyleenglycol |
| Polish polski | etano-1,2-diol glikol etylenowy |
| Portuguese português | etanodiol etilenoglicol |
| Romanian română | etandiol etilenglicol |
| Slovak slovenčina | etán-1,2-diol etylénglykol |
| Slovenian slovenščina | etandiol etilen glikol |
| Finnish suomi | 1,2-etaanidioli etyleeniglykoli |
| Swedish svenska | etandiol etylenglykol |
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
Ethylene glycol GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Ethylene glycol, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Warning
Ethylene glycol
- Harmful if swallowed.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- IF SWALLOWED:
- Call a POISON CENTER/doctor/… if you feel unwell.
- Rinse mouth.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Ethylene glycol in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Ethylene glycol health hazards and exposure limits
Ethylene glycol hazard summary
Ethylene glycol is a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water. It is odorless, but has a sweet taste. Ethylene glycol is used to make antifreeze and de-icing solutions for cars, airplanes, and boats. It is also used in hydraulic brake fluids and inks used in stamp pads, ballpoint pens, and print shops.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Ethylene glycol carcinogenicity classification
Under the conditions of these 2-year feed studies, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of ethylene glycol in male B6C3F1 mice receiving 6, 250, 12,500, or 25,000 ppm, or in female B6C3F1 mice receiving 12,500, 25,000, or 50,000 ppm. Administration of ethylene glycol resulted in hepatocellular hyaline degeneration in male mice fed diets containing 12,500 or 25,000 ppm and in female mice fed diets containing 50,000 ppm. An increased incidence of medial hyperplasia of small pulmonary arteries and arterioles occurred in female mice fed diets containing 12,500, 25,000, or 50,000 ppm ethylene glycol.
Source: US National Toxicology Program · TR-413: Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Ethylene Glycol (CASRN 107-21-1) in B6C3F1 Mice (Feed Studies) (1993 )
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.
Ethylene glycol occupational exposure limits
| Limit | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PEL | none See Appendix G | The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
| IDLH | N.D. | The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
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
Ethylene glycol 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.
Ethylene glycol boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 197.3 °C (387.1 °F) | HSDB | |
| 197.78 °C (388 °F) | NIOSH | ||
| 197.61 °C (387.7 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
Ethylene glycol melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -12.69 °C (9.2 °F) | HSDB | |
| -12.78 °C (9 °F) | NIOSH |
Ethylene glycol density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.1156 g/cm³ | HSDB | |
| 1.11 g/cm³ | NIOSH | ||
| 1.1135 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB |
Ethylene glycol solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Miscible with water | HSDB | |
| Miscible | NIOSH |
Ethylene glycol vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.06 mmHg | NIOSH | |
| 0.06 mmHg | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| 0.092 mmHg | at 25 °C, Extrapolated | HSDB |
Ethylene glycol flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 111.11 °C (232 °F) | HSDB |
Ethylene glycol autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 397.78 °C (748 °F) | HSDB | |
| 412.78 °C (775 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| 398 °C (748.4 °F) | ICSC |
Ethylene glycol lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | 3.2 % by volume | HSDB |
Ethylene glycol upper explosive limit (UEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper explosive limit (UEL) | 15.3 % by volume | NIOSH |
Ethylene glycol vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 2.1 (air = 1) | HSDB | |
| 2.14 (air = 1) | CAMEO |
Ethylene glycol odor threshold
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odor threshold | Odor index: 3 at 20 °C | at 20 °C | HSDB |
| Odor Threshold Low: 159.0 [ppm] | Haz-Map | ||
| Odor threshold | Haz-Map |
Ethylene glycol critical temperature and pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical temperature and pressure | 445.85 °C (834.5 °F) | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Source notes
Further notes on Ethylene glycol
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.
Solubility
Miscible with lower aliphatic alcohols, glycerol, acetic acid, acetone and similar ketones, aldehydes, pyridine, similar coal tar bases; slightly soluble in ether (1:200); practically insoluble in benzene, its homologs, chlorinated hydrocarbons, petroleum ether, oils
Source: HSDB
10 · Handling and storage
Ethylene glycol storage and handling
Ethylene glycol reactive group
CAMEO Chemicals places Ethylene glycol in the reactive group Alcohols and Polyols. 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.
Ethylene glycol safe storage
Separated from strong oxidants, strong bases and strong acids. Dry. Ventilation along the floor.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Ethylene glycol storage conditions
... Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well ventilated area away from oxidizing agents.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Ethylene glycol incompatible materials
Mixing ethylene glycol and 96% sulfuric acid in a closed container caused the temperature and pressure to increase.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Ethylene glycol reactivity
Mixing ETHYLENE GLYCOL in equal molar portions with any of the following substances in a closed container caused the temperature and pressure to increase: chlorosulfonic acid, oleum, sulfuric acid, [NFPA 1991].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Ethylene glycol in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Questions
Ethylene glycol — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Ethylene glycol?
The CAS number of Ethylene glycol is 107-21-1. Its EC number is 203-473-3.
What is the chemical formula of Ethylene glycol?
The molecular formula of Ethylene glycol is C2H6O2 and its molecular weight is 62.07 g/mol.
What does a Ethylene glycol label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Ethylene glycol carries the pictogram Exclamation mark and the signal word is Warning.
Is Ethylene glycol flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Ethylene glycol 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 111.11 °C (232 °F) (HSDB).
Is Ethylene glycol a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Ethylene glycol. 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 exposure limit for Ethylene glycol?
The US occupational exposure limit reported for Ethylene glycol is none See Appendix G (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)). 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 Ethylene glycol?
The boiling point reported for Ethylene glycol is 197.3 °C (387.1 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Ethylene glycol?
The melting point reported for Ethylene glycol is -12.69 °C (9.2 °F) (HSDB).
How should Ethylene glycol be stored?
... Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well ventilated area away from oxidizing agents. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Ethylene glycol
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