Sub menu

I can't find my chemical on the Inventory

Watch our video: Tips on searching for chemicals on the Inventory

Tips on searching for chemicals on the Inventory

The Inventory is a searchable database of about 40,000 chemicals. 

A chemical that’s listed on the Inventory means it’s available for industrial use in Australia.

To find a chemical, start by clicking the search button on the AICIS home page. Then select ‘search chemicals on the inventory’.

For the best results, enter the chemical’s CAS name or number into the search bar and press enter … or click on the magnifying glass.

Then, click on the down arrow and select ‘view chemical record’.

Can’t find your chemical? We don’t recommend using trade names, INCI names or product names. 

Instead, search the chemical's CAS number or CAS name. You can also try a wildcard search using the asterisk character.

Here’s an example. Say you want to find the Inventory listing for acetone. Enter the chemical’s CAS number into the search bar. Or use its CAS name ‘2-Propanone’.

If you don’t know the CAS number or name, ask your supplier or manufacturer for this information. Or try searching chemical databases like CAS common chemistry.

If you still can’t find your chemical, it may be because: 

  • It meets our legal definition of a naturally occurring chemical and doesn’t need to be on the Inventory
  • It’s a mixture like an alloy or hydrate. If this applies, you should search for the component chemicals on the Inventory
  • You entered an incorrect CAS number or format.
  • Or, you entered an outdated CAS number

Still no result? Ask us to check if your chemical is confidentially listed on the Inventory. Some chemicals are listed this way because the CAS name and CAS number are protected as confidential business information.

If your chemical is not on the Inventory, then your introduction of that chemical is not in the listed category. You'll need to go to Step 1 of our online categorisation guide to work out which category applies.
 

Did you search using the chemical's CAS number or CAS name?

If no, then we recommend that you search using the chemical's CAS number (preferably), or CAS name. This is because the Inventory rarely contains trade names, INCI names or product names. 

Ask your chemical's supplier or manufacturer if they can provide the CAS number. Otherwise ask for the chemical's CAS name. You may also want to try CAS Common Chemistry.

You can also try searching on partial text using the asterisk (*) wildcard character.

If yes, then check if it is one of these reasons:

  1. The chemical meets our legal definition of a naturally occurring chemical - chemicals that meet this definition do not need to be on the Inventory.
  2. It’s a mixture (such as an alloy or hydrate) – the Inventory only contains names of chemicals, not mixtures.
  3. You entered an incorrect CAS number or it doesn’t match the CAS number format. For example you may have added a space between the numbers or hyphens.
  4. You entered an outdated CAS number. Sometimes CAS replaces a chemical’s CAS number with a new one, so you need to make sure that you’re using the updated CAS number. You can check if you have an up-to-date CAS number for your chemical by searching chemical databases such as ChemIDPlus and SciFinder-n.

Still no result after searching the chemical's CAS number?

You can ask us to check if your chemical is confidentially listed on the Inventory. This is because there are some chemicals that are listed on the Inventory where the CAS name and CAS number are protected as confidential business information (CBI). If it is not confidentially listed on the Inventory, then you must proceed to Step 1 of the Categorisation Guide to work out your chemical introduction category.

Trade names, product names and INCI names

The Inventory is a database of chemicals, not products, mixtures or formulations. Therefore it does not contain product names, trade or marketing names and rarely contains INCI or common chemical names. We recommend finding a CAS number or CAS name for each chemical that you want to search. For example:

Decorative image of a tick inside a green circle

Search using the CAS number or name

Decorative image of a cross inside an orange circle

Don’t search using trade or common names

107-21-1 / 1,2-Ethanediol
57-55-6 / 1,2-Propanediol		Antifreeze
144-55-8 / Carbonic acid, monosodium saltBaking soda
77-92-9 / 1,2,3-Propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-Citric acid
9005-25-8 / StarchCorn starch
7487-88-9 / Sulfuric acid magnesium salt (1:1)Epsom salt
56-81-5 / 1,2,3-PropanetriolGlycerine
8000-28-0 / Essential oils, lavenderLavender oil
13463-67-7 / Titanium oxide (TiO2)Liquid paper
1310-73-2 / Sodium hydroxide (Na(OH))Lye
68917-75-9 / Oils, wintergreenWintergreen oil

Important: These CAS numbers are examples only. It is the introducer’s responsibility to correctly identify and know the chemistry of their introductions.

Naturally occurring chemicals

Introductions of naturally occurring chemicals do not need to be on the Inventory. You can import or manufacture naturally occurring chemicals without telling us, as long as they meet our definition of 'naturally occurring'.

Mixture

A mixture contains 2 or more component chemicals that don’t react. You need to search the Inventory for each component chemical that make up the mixture, not the mixture itself. You can import or manufacture the mixture as long as their component chemicals are on the Inventory and you follow the regulatory obligations.

I still can't find my chemical on the Inventory

1. Ask us to check if the chemical is confidentially listed.

Sometimes we list a chemical on the Inventory and it is either not publicly searchable on our website, or we use a masked chemical name. This is because importers and manufacturers can request a confidential listing to protect their commercial interests.

If you don't get a search result and you are genuinely intending to import or manufacture (introduce) it in Australia, you can ask us to check whether this chemical is confidentially listed on the Inventory. To do this, you will need to log in to AICIS Business Services.

Can I use a chemical that's confidentially listed?

If your chemical is confidentially listed, we will contact you by email with the outcome and what you need to do.

What if my chemical is not confidentially listed on the Inventory?

If you still wish to introduce the chemical, you must work out which introduction category applies - read below.

2. Work out which AICIS category applies to your introduction

You must now work out if your introduction meets the criteria for one of our authorised introduction categories. Use our Guide to categorising your chemical importation or manufacture (Categorisation Guide), which steps you through the process. Regulatory treatment will vary depending on your introduction's level of risk to human health and the environment.

See our Categorisation Guide

Related content

Last updated
Was this page helpful?
For broken links or technical issues, please provide as much detail as possible. Do not include your name, email address and other personal or commercially sensitive information.

Keep informed with updates