Quick answer
A safety data sheet is not free-form. Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/878, which replaced Annex II to the REACH Regulation, sets a fixed structure: sixteen sections in a fixed order, each with fixed subheadings. Every compliant sheet for every refrigerant follows it.
That is what makes the five-minute read possible. You are not searching a document — you are going to a numbered place.
| The question | The section |
|---|---|
| What is dangerous about this? | 2 — Hazards identification |
| Someone was exposed. What now? | 4 — First aid measures |
| There is a large release. What now? | 6 — Accidental release measures |
| How does it behave physically? | 9 — Physical and chemical properties |
| How may I carry it? | 14 — Transport information |
This page explains where to look. What to do in a specific situation with a specific refrigerant is what the sheet itself says — and it is written for that product.
The five-minute route
Start with 1.1 and 1.3
Product identifier and supplier details. Confirm you are holding the sheet for the product actually in front of you, and note the emergency telephone number in 1.4.
Read section 2
Classification, label elements and other hazards. This is the shortest honest summary of what the product can do to you.
Jump to 3.2 for a blend
Mixtures are broken down here. For a refrigerant blend this is where you see what is actually inside.
Read 4.1
Description of first aid measures. Read it before the day you need it — cold burns and displacement of air are not intuitive emergencies.
Read 6.1 and 6.3
Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures; then methods and material for containment and cleaning up.
Scan section 9
Basic physical and chemical properties. Flammability, vapour pressure and density behaviour decide how the gas moves in a room and in a system.
Finish with 14.1 to 14.4
UN number, proper shipping name, transport hazard class and packing group. These four fields are the basis of every transport question.
Note section 8 if you work in a plant room
Control parameters and exposure controls, including the personal protective equipment the supplier expects you to use.
The full structure
The complete list, with the subheadings required by Regulation (EU) 2020/878. Section 3 is the one exception: only 3.1 or 3.2 appears, whichever applies.
| # | Section | Subheadings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identification of the substance/mixture and of the company/undertaking | 1.1 Product identifier · 1.2 Relevant identified uses and uses advised against · 1.3 Details of the supplier · 1.4 Emergency telephone number |
| 2 | Hazards identification | 2.1 Classification · 2.2 Label elements · 2.3 Other hazards |
| 3 | Composition/information on ingredients | 3.1 Substances or 3.2 Mixtures |
| 4 | First aid measures | 4.1 Description of first aid measures · 4.2 Most important symptoms and effects, acute and delayed · 4.3 Immediate medical attention and special treatment needed |
| 5 | Firefighting measures | 5.1 Extinguishing media · 5.2 Special hazards · 5.3 Advice for firefighters |
| 6 | Accidental release measures | 6.1 Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures · 6.2 Environmental precautions · 6.3 Methods and material for containment and cleaning up · 6.4 Reference to other sections |
| 7 | Handling and storage | 7.1 Precautions for safe handling · 7.2 Conditions for safe storage, including incompatibilities · 7.3 Specific end uses |
| 8 | Exposure controls/personal protection | 8.1 Control parameters · 8.2 Exposure controls |
| 9 | Physical and chemical properties | 9.1 Information on basic physical and chemical properties · 9.2 Other information |
| 10 | Stability and reactivity | 10.1 Reactivity · 10.2 Chemical stability · 10.3 Possibility of hazardous reactions · 10.4 Conditions to avoid · 10.5 Incompatible materials · 10.6 Hazardous decomposition products |
| 11 | Toxicological information | 11.1 Information on hazard classes as defined in the CLP Regulation · 11.2 Information on other hazards |
| 12 | Ecological information | 12.1 Toxicity · 12.2 Persistence and degradability · 12.3 Bioaccumulative potential · 12.4 Mobility in soil · 12.5 PBT and vPvB assessment · 12.6 Endocrine disrupting properties · 12.7 Other adverse effects |
| 13 | Disposal considerations | 13.1 Waste treatment methods |
| 14 | Transport information | 14.1 UN number or ID number · 14.2 UN proper shipping name · 14.3 Transport hazard class(es) · 14.4 Packing group · 14.5 Environmental hazards · 14.6 Special precautions for user · 14.7 Maritime transport in bulk according to IMO instruments |
| 15 | Regulatory information | 15.1 Safety, health and environmental regulations specific to the substance or mixture · 15.2 Chemical safety assessment |
| 16 | Other information | — |
What a refrigerant sheet actually tells you
Section 3.2 — what is in the blend. A refrigerant blend is a mixture, so it is broken down here by component. This is the honest answer to “what is actually in this cylinder”, and it is where a claimed product and a real one can diverge.
Section 2 and section 9 — how it behaves. Section 2 gives the classification and label elements; section 9.1 gives the basic physical and chemical properties. Between them you get the answers that matter in a plant room: whether the product is flammable, how it behaves as a vapour, and what happens when a large quantity leaves a system in a confined space.
Section 4 — first aid. Refrigerant injuries are not the injuries most first aid training covers. 4.1 gives the measures, 4.2 the symptoms to watch for including delayed ones, and 4.3 says when immediate medical attention or special treatment is needed.
Section 6 — the leak that is not a service call. 6.1 covers personal precautions and evacuation, 6.2 environmental precautions, 6.3 containment and clean-up. Reading these before an incident is the entire point.
Section 14 — the transport answer. 14.1 to 14.4 give the UN number, the proper shipping name, the transport hazard class and the packing group. Those four fields are the entry point to the dangerous goods rules, which for road transport in the EU come through Directive 2008/68/EC on the inland transport of dangerous goods. 14.6 adds any special precautions for the user.
The UN number and class tell you what you are carrying. Whether a specific load in a specific vehicle needs specific documents, training and equipment is answered by the dangerous goods rules themselves, not by the data sheet. Take section 14 as the starting point, not the conclusion.
Where the sheet comes from, and when it has to change
The safety data sheet is supplied under Article 31 of the REACH Regulation; Regulation (EU) 2020/878 sets the format and content of the sixteen sections referred to in Article 31(6).
Practical consequences for a refrigeration business:
- It is per product, not per delivery. You need the current sheet for each refrigerant you stock, not one per invoice.
- It is revised. When the supplier issues a new version, the old one is superseded. Keep the current one where the technicians actually are — in the vehicle or on the phone, not only in the office.
- It is not the F-gas label. The label under Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 tells you what the cylinder contains and its GWP. The data sheet tells you how to handle it. Both are required and they answer different questions.
- Section 15 points outward. It lists the safety, health and environmental legislation specific to the product, which is where product-specific regulatory references appear.
The label elements in 2.2 are what should appear on the packaging under the CLP Regulation. If the sheet and the cylinder disagree, that is worth resolving with the supplier before use.
Common mistakes
- Filing it and never opening it. The sections you need in an emergency are the ones you have to have read beforehand.
- Keeping it only in the office. The emergency number is in 1.4 and the first aid measures in 4.1 — both useless in a filing cabinet.
- Using an old version. Sheets are revised; the current one is the one that counts.
- Treating section 14 as permission to carry. It identifies the goods; it does not replace the dangerous goods rules.
- Confusing the data sheet with the F-gas label. Different legislation, different purpose, both required.
- Skipping 3.2 on a blend. It is the only place the composition is set out.
- Accepting a delivery with no sheet. In a normal chemical supply chain it is always provided.
- Reading 4.1 for the first time during the incident. Section 4.2 exists because some effects are delayed.
Checklist
- A current sheet for every refrigerant in stockMatched to the product identifier in 1.1.
- Available where the work happensVehicle, plant room or phone — not only the office.
- Emergency number knownSubsection 1.4.
- First aid measures read in advance4.1, plus 4.2 for delayed symptoms.
- Release procedure read in advance6.1 and 6.3.
- Transport identification noted14.1 to 14.4 for each product carried.
- Storage conditions checked against your store7.2, including incompatibilities.
- Superseded versions removedOne current version per product, so nobody reads the old one.
Frequently asked questions
How many sections does a safety data sheet have?
Sixteen, in a fixed order, with fixed subheadings, under the format set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/878, which replaced Annex II to the REACH Regulation.
Which sections matter most for refrigeration work?
Section 2 for hazards, 4 for first aid, 6 for accidental release, 9 for physical properties and 14 for transport information. Section 3.2 gives the composition of a blend.
Where do I find the UN number?
Subsection 14.1, followed by 14.2 the proper shipping name, 14.3 the transport hazard class or classes and 14.4 the packing group.
Does section 14 mean I can carry it?
No. It identifies the goods for transport purposes. Whether a specific load requires specific documents, training or equipment is governed by the dangerous goods rules, which for inland transport in the EU come through Directive 2008/68/EC.
Is the safety data sheet the same as the F-gas label?
No. The label under Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 identifies the gas, quantity, CO2 equivalent and GWP. The data sheet, under REACH, tells you how to handle the product safely. Both are required.
Who has to give me the sheet?
The supplier, under Article 31 of the REACH Regulation. Regulation (EU) 2020/878 sets its format and content.
What is in section 3 for a blend?
Subsection 3.2, Mixtures — the composition, broken down by component. For substances, subsection 3.1 appears instead; only one of the two is included.
How often is it updated?
Whenever the supplier issues a revision. Keep only the current version in circulation so nobody works from a superseded one.
Official sources
The section and subsection structure was read directly in the Official Journal text of Regulation (EU) 2020/878 through the EU Publications Office.
Currency of this guide and limits of responsibility
This guide explains the structure of a safety data sheet. It does not provide safety, first aid or transport instructions for any specific product — the sheet for that product does, and it takes precedence over anything here.
This is general information prepared by EgoLog from the regulations and official EU material. It is not legal or safety advice.
If the sheet and the cylinder label disagree, or if a section is missing, resolve it with the supplier before the product is used.