Substance profile
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is white crystals and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Glyphosate is
Glyphosate is white crystals and is odorless. Its molecular formula is C3H8NO5P and its molecular weight is 169.07 g/mol. It melts at 230 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger.
02 · Identifiers
Glyphosate identifiers and molecular data
Glyphosate CAS number and EC number
Glyphosate molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Glyphosate
- Accord
- (Carboxymethylamino)Methylphosphonic Acid
- Carboxymethylaminomethanephosphinic Acid
- Folusen
- Forsat
- Glialka
- Glialka 36
- Glifonox
- Glycine, N-(Phosphonomethyl)-
- Glyphodin A
- Glyphosate Ct
- Herbatop
- Roundup active
- Roundup
- glyphosate (ISO)
- N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine
03 · GHS classification
Glyphosate hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Glyphosate pictograms and signal word
Glyphosate hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious eye damage/eye irritation GHS chapter 3.3 | Category 1 | H318 | GHS05 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 2 | H411 | GHS09 |
Glyphosate hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H318 | Causes serious eye damage. |
| H411 | Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Glyphosate. 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 Glyphosate
Our own Glyphosate 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
Glyphosate precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 7 precautionary statements to Glyphosate. 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
Glyphosate 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 | глифосат (ISO) N -(фосфонометил)глицин |
| Spanish español | Glifosato (ISO) N -(fosfonometil)glicina |
| Czech čeština | glyfosát (ISO) N -(fosfonomethyl)glycin |
| Danish dansk | glyphosat (ISO) N - (phosphonomethyl)glycin |
| German Deutsch | Glyphosat (ISO) N -(Phosphonomethyl)glycin |
| Estonian eesti | glüfosaat (ISO) N -(fosfonometüül)glütsiin |
| Greek ελληνικά | glyphosate (γλυφοσάτη) (ISO) Ν -(φωσφονομεθυλο)γλυκίνη |
| English English | glyphosate (ISO) N -(phosphonomethyl)glycine |
| French français | glyphosate (ISO) N -(phosphonométhyl)glycine |
| Croatian hrvatski | glifosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometil)glicin |
| Italian italiano | glifosato (ISO) N -(fosfonometil)glicina |
| Latvian latviešu | glifozāts ( ISO ) N -(fosfonometil)glicīns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | glifosatas (ISO) N -(fosfonometil)glicinas |
| Hungarian magyar | glifozát (ISO) N - (foszfonometil)glicin |
| Maltese Malti | glifosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometil)gliċina |
| Dutch Nederlands | glyfosaat (ISO) N -(fosfonomethyl)glycine |
| Polish polski | glifosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometylo)glicyna |
| Portuguese português | glifosato (ISO) N -(fosfonometil)glicina |
| Romanian română | glifosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometil)glicină |
| Slovak slovenčina | glyfozát (ISO) N - (fosfonometyl)glycín |
| Slovenian slovenščina | glifosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometil)glicin |
| Finnish suomi | glyfosaatti (ISO) N -(fosfonometyyli)-glysiini |
| Swedish svenska | glyfosat (ISO) N - (fosfonometyl)glycin |
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
Glyphosate GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Glyphosate, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Glyphosate
- Causes serious eye damage.
- Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
- Avoid release to the environment.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF IN EYES:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
- Collect spillage.
- Dispose of contents/container to …
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Glyphosate in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Glyphosate health hazards and exposure limits
Glyphosate hazard summary
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in weed killer products such as RoundUp™. Glyphosate products are one of the most widely used weed killers worldwide in farms and in home gardens and lawns. These products typically contain glyphosate in combination with other ingredients that help improve the absorption of the glyphosate into the plant. Glyphosate-based formulations (GBFs) are easily bought in most stores. These products can have different combinations of other ingredients or different concentrations of glyphosate.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Glyphosate carcinogenicity classification
Classification - D; not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity. Basis - Inadequate evidence for oncogenicity in animals. Glyphosate was originally classified as C, possible human carcinogen, on the basis of increased incidence of renal tumors in mice. Following independent review of the slides the classification was changed to D on the basis of a lack of statistical significance and uncertainty as to a treatment-related effect.
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.
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Glyphosate 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.
Glyphosate melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 230 °C (446 °F) | dec | HSDB |
| 200 °C (392 °F) | HSDB | ||
| 230 °C (446 °F) | decomposes | CAMEO |
Glyphosate density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.74 g/cm³ | CAMEO | |
| 1.7 g/cm³ | ICSC | ||
| 1.705 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB |
Glyphosate solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | In water, 10.5 g/L in water at pH 1.9 and 20 °C | HSDB | |
| Practically insoluble in common organic solvents, e.g. acetone, ethanol and xylene | HSDB | ||
| Solubility in water (20 °C): 1050 g/L | at 20 °C, Glyphosate trimethylammonium salt | HSDB |
Glyphosate vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 9.8e-8 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
| 1.94e-7 mmHg | at 45 °C | CAMEO | |
| 1e-7 mmHg | Haz-Map |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Handling and storage
Glyphosate storage and handling
Glyphosate reactive group
CAMEO Chemicals places Glyphosate in the reactive groups Acids, Carboxylic, Amines, Phosphines, and Pyridines, Sulfonates, Phosphonates, and Thiophosphonates, Organic. 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.
Glyphosate safe storage
Provision to contain effluent from fire extinguishing. Separated from food and feedstuffs. Well closed. Do NOT store or transport in containers made from galvanized steel or unlined steel. Store in an area without drain or sewer access.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Glyphosate storage conditions
Safe Storage of Pesticides. Always store pesticides in their original containers, complete with labels that list ingredients, directions for use, and first aid steps in case of accidental poisoning. Never store pesticides in cabinets with or near food, animal feed, or medical supplies. Do not store pesticides in places where flooding is possible or in places where they might spill or leak into wells, drains, ground water, or surface water.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Glyphosate incompatible materials
Incompatible materials: Strong oxidizing agents, metals, bases.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Glyphosate reactivity
GLYPHOSATE may react with galvanized steel or unlined steel (except stainless steel) containers to produce hydrogen gas which may form a highly combustible or explosive gas mixture. It can react with caustic (basic) materials to liberate heat. It is corrosive to iron. (NTP, 1992)
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Glyphosate in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Questions
Glyphosate — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Glyphosate?
The CAS number of Glyphosate is 1071-83-6. Its EC number is 213-997-4.
What is the chemical formula of Glyphosate?
The molecular formula of Glyphosate is C3H8NO5P and its molecular weight is 169.07 g/mol.
What does a Glyphosate label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Glyphosate carries the pictograms Corrosion and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Glyphosate flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Glyphosate 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 Glyphosate a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Glyphosate. 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. IARC places it in Group 2A: probably carcinogenic to humans.
What is the melting point of Glyphosate?
The melting point reported for Glyphosate is 230 °C (446 °F), dec (HSDB).
How should Glyphosate be stored?
Safe Storage of Pesticides. Always store pesticides in their original containers, complete with labels that list ingredients, directions for use, and first aid steps in case of accidental poisoning. Never store pesticides in cabinets with or near food, animal feed, or medical supplies. Do not store pesticides in places where flooding is possible or in places where they might spill or leak into wells, drains, ground water, or surface water. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Glyphosate
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