Paint Additive Substances: CAS, Function, Typical Level and Regulatory Status

This page lists the 96 paint additive substances that have their own page on this site, with CAS number, function, family, an example level with its basis, and four regulatory flags: CLP, Candidate List, EU biocide and EU VOC status. Read as a paint chemicals list, it runs from cellulose thickeners and octoate driers to in-can preservatives and the dry-film fungicides that keep mould (mold) off the dried film.

The list covers 14 of the 15 additive families, and biocides (26 rows), coalescents (15) and corrosion inhibitors (12) are the three largest. The substances behind the 15 families of paint additives are grouped below by family, then set out in one table with a key to its columns, the 20 substances with a harmonized CMR classification, the 8 legacy substances and the way to request quotes.

How we check: regulations and classifications are read at the body that issues them, standards at the standards body, and every additive level names its basis and its source; the full method is in methodology and fact-checking.

What Does the Substance Index Cover?#

The index covers each additive substance with its own page on this site that a formulator adds to liquid paint: 96 substances in 14 of the 15 families, from cellulosic thickeners and octoate driers to isothiazolinone preservatives and antifouling biocides.

Each row links to the full page of its substance. One row stands for one registered substance or one defined class: chlorinated paraffins, for example, carry the CAS numbers of the medium-chain (85535-85-9) and short-chain (85535-84-8) grades in a single row.

The table can be filtered by family and by four flags: Annex VI CMR entry, Candidate List entry, EU biocide status and EU VOC status. The default order is alphabetical, with leading locants and digits ignored, so 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol files under A and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane follows it.

Which Substances Qualify for the List?#

A substance qualifies when it is added to liquid paint for an additive function, its paint use is documented, and it is a single substance or a defined class; legacy substances stay for their regulatory record. Anticorrosive pigments such as zinc phosphate qualify because they act as corrosion inhibitors.

Pigments such as titanium dioxide, binders and resins, extenders and solvents are paint raw materials rather than additives, so they fall outside the list. Their place in a formula next to the additive package is set out under paint raw materials. Trade names are not rows; a trade name appears only as the source of a level.

Paint Additive Substances by Family#

Biocides are the largest family on the list with 26 substances, followed by coalescents with 15 and corrosion inhibitors with 12; leveling agents have no substance row of their own because their silicone chemistry is listed under polydimethylsiloxane.

The table gives each family its hub, its number of substance rows and the functions those rows cover.

Each family hub compares its classes, levels and selection rules by paint type, and the 15 counts add up to the 96 rows of the complete table.

The Complete Table of 96 Substances#

The table gives each of the 96 substances one row with its CAS number, function, family, an example level with its basis, its CLP entry, its Candidate List status, its EU biocide status and its EU VOC status.

A cell that reads "see the ... page" points to the substance page, which carries that attribute with its source. Biocide levels give ppm active on the total paint first, then the product percentage and its active content.

How to Read the Table Columns#

The table has 9 columns: the substance name, 4 identity columns that need a key, and 4 regulatory flags. The 4 identity columns are keyed below.

• CAS: the Chemical Abstracts Service number; a class row gives the CAS of the grade it names, such as 80455-45-4 (cetyl hydroxyethyl cellulose) for HMHEC.
• Function in paint: the job in the formula, such as primary drier or flash-rust inhibitor.
• Family: the additive family whose hub lists the substance.
• Example level (product, basis, source): one sourced level, keyed in the next section.

Which Bases Do the Example Levels Use?#

Each level cell states one product or guide formulation, its range and its basis: % metal on binder solids for driers, ppm active on total paint for biocides, and % as supplied on total formula for most others. The 5 bases in the table are listed below, each with one row as its example.

• % metal on binder solids: driers; the cobalt octoate row gives 0.03-0.08 % Co metal on binder solids.
• ppm active on total paint: biocides; the BIT row gives about 97-483 ppm active from 0.05-0.25 % of a 19.3 % BIT product.
• % as supplied on total formula: most other additives; the HEC row gives 0.2-0.5 % on total formula.
• % product on binder solids: drier and catalyst products; the bismuth octoate row gives 0.01-0.12 % product on binder solids.
• % on total wet paint: antifouling biocides; the cuprous oxide row gives 25-40 % Cu2O on total wet paint.

A level in the table is the value of one product, label, patent or study, never the level of a whole class, and a different paint can need a different paint additive dosage. Ladder studies that start from such a level are explained under paint additive dosage.

What Do the CLP, SVHC, BPR and VOC Flags Mean?#

The four flags answer four questions: whether a harmonized CLP classification exists, whether the substance is on the REACH Candidate List, what its EU biocide status is, and whether it counts as a VOC under the EU 250 °C rule. The 4 flags are defined below, each with the page that explains its rule.

• CLP: the Annex VI index and CMR category, "No Annex VI entry", or "see supplier SDS"; label rules for the paint are in CLP labeling of paints.
• REACH Candidate List: the date of entry on the list of substances of very high concern (SVHC), or "No"; Annex XIV and Annex XVII are covered in restricted and banned substances in paint.
• EU BPR status: the product type and act under Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (PT6 in-can, PT7 dry film, PT8 wood, PT21 antifouling); see the EU Biocidal Products Regulation for paint.
• EU VOC: whether the substance is an organic compound with an initial boiling point of 250 °C (482 °F) or less at 101.3 kPa (Directive 2004/42/EC Art. 2(5)); for driers only the solvent counts; see VOC in paint.

The VOC flag is the EU flag only. The US federal definition in 40 CFR 51.100(s) works with a list of exempt compounds instead of a boiling point, and no glycol, glycol ether, Texanol or TXIB is on that list.

Which Substances on the List Carry the Strictest Rules?#

Twenty of the 96 substances carry a harmonized CMR classification (category 1A or 1B) in CLP Annex VI, 9 are on the REACH Candidate List, and 12 rules decide whether and how a paint may still contain them. CMR means carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction. The 20 CMR rows are the 8 octoate driers, acetone oxime, barium metaborate, carbendazim, DBP, DBTDL, diuron, MEKO, propiconazole, red lead, strontium chromate, zinc chromate and zinc pyrithione; the 9 Candidate List rows are barium metaborate, chlorinated paraffins, DBP, NPE, red lead, strontium chromate, TBT, UV-328 and zinc chromate.

The table lists the 12 rules with their instrument, entry and date, what each requires for paint, and the listed substances it reaches.

Two dated changes sit apart from what applies today. From 2027-02-01, IPBC moves from Acute Tox. 3 H331 to Acute Tox. 2 H330, chronic M = 10 (ATP23, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1222). The PT7 approval of propiconazole runs to 2026-11-30 under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1609. Barium metaborate entered Annex XVII entry 30, Appendix 6 (Repr. 1B) by Regulation (EU) 2023/1132, applicable from 2023-12-01, and it is not in Annex XIV.

Among the paint additive regulations behind the four flags, CLP Annex VI reaches the most rows: 51 of the 96 carry an Annex VI entry, and 45 carry none. Each instrument of the table, with the VOC, biocide and labeling rules, is explained under paint additive regulations.

Legacy Substances Kept for Their Regulatory Record#

Eight legacy substances stay on the list for their bans and restrictions and their replacements, not as a use recommendation: cybutryne, lead octoate and lead driers, NPE, red lead, strontium chromate, TBT, UV-328 and zinc chromate.

Their rows carry no example level and no quote request. The page of each legacy substance sets out the rules that apply to it and the substances that replace it.

Requesting Quotes for Listed Substances#

A quote request for a listed substance names the substance or its CAS number, the grade or active content, the paint type, the annual volume, the packaging and the delivery country.

The form lists every row except the 8 legacy substances, and the request goes to paint additive suppliers and manufacturers of that substance. How to source and compare them is covered on paint additive suppliers and manufacturers.

The safety data sheet (SDS) and technical data sheet (TDS) of a grade come from its supplier: US suppliers deliver an English safety data sheet of 16 sections with the initial shipment and after an update (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)).

How the Substance List Connects to Families, Paint Types and Tests#

The substance list is one of five ways into the site, next to paint types, defects, test methods and the glossary. The 4 other entry points are listed below.

• Paint types: the additive package of each paint, on paint formulations by paint type.
• Defects: foaming, sagging, settling and the other faults, on paint defects.
• Tests: how additive performance is measured, on paint test methods.
• Terms: synonyms and abbreviations such as AMP, MIT and BIT, in the paint additive glossary.

Is the Paint Chemicals List Available as a PDF?#

No: the paint chemicals list is the web table of 96 substances on this page, not a separate PDF file. Paint chemicals by function, beyond the additives listed here, are explained on the paint additives and paint chemicals home page.

Every value was checked at its source on or before 2026-11-03, and a row changes with its source, such as a new CLP adaptation or a Candidate List update.