How to use Concentration Limits on Safety Data Sheets and how they are calculated

Section 16 of a Safety Data Sheet can contain Concentration Limits for various hazards. These can be used to determine if a particular hazard should apply to a downstream product.

Concentration Limits are related to Total Fractional Values (TFVs). Concentration Limits are given for hazards with TFVs of greater than or equal to one.

Concentration Limts and Total Fractional Values are related in the following way:

Concentration Limit = 100% / Total Fractional Value
Example:
A formulation contains 6.3% of ingredients classified as Eye Damage category 1 (EDI1), and none of those ingredients have a Specific Concentration Limit for EDI1. The Generic Concentration Limit for EDI1 is 3%, therefore:
Concentration Limit = 100 / TFV
TFV = (Concentration / General Concentration Limit)
TFV = 6.3 / 3
TFV = 2.1
Concentration Limit = 100% / 2.1
Concentration Limit = 47.619%

Rephrasing this: the product can be used at up to 47.619% in a non-hazardous formulation before a requirement to label the product as EDI1.

Please note that there can be other requirements to label in addition to hazard statements. An example of this is Lower Level Allergens, where the General Concentration Limit for skin sensitiser category 1 and 1B is 1%, but in CLP there is an additional requirement to disclose skin sensitisers at a concentration of 0.1%.