PCN / KNOWLEDGE HUB
QUESTIONS ABOUT PCN? START HERE.
Straight answers on UFIs, safety data sheets and poison centre notifications.
From 2027, distributors must notify
From 1 January 2027 the revised CLP requires distributors who rebrand a product or sell it in a new member state to notify poison centres.
G.02Adding a new country to an existing notification
Selling an already-notified product in another EU country means an update with the new market and its language, not a new notification.
G.03Common validation errors and how to fix them
The business rules that most often fail a PCN submission in the ECHA portal: legal entity mismatch, UFI format, missing languages, pH, composition ranges.
G.04Concentration ranges in a PCN explained
Annex VIII lets you declare components in fixed concentration bands instead of exact values. Which bands apply to which hazards and how to convert an SDS range.
G.05Do I need a poison centre notification?
Who must notify hazardous mixtures to poison centres under CLP Article 45, which products are in scope, and what happens from 2027.
G.06ECHA Submission Portal, step by step
A plain-language walkthrough of creating an ECHA account, a legal entity, preparing a PCN dossier and submitting it in the ECHA Submission Portal.
G.07How to choose the right EuPCS category
The European Product Categorisation System groups mixtures by intended use. How to pick the right category and why it matters to poison centres.
G.08How much does a poison centre notification cost?
Consultancies charge €280–550 per product; IUCLID is free but takes a day per product; a self-serve tool sits in between. The real numbers.
G.09How to update a notification after a change
When a change needs an update, when it needs a new UFI and a new notification, and how updates reference the previous PCN number.
G.10Importing from outside the EU: who must notify?
The EU importer is the notifier for mixtures made outside the EU. What to ask the manufacturer for, and how to handle confidential compositions.
G.11Limited submissions for industrial-use mixtures
Mixtures used only at industrial sites may be notified with a limited submission: the SDS composition plus a 24-hour contact for full details.
G.12SDS vs PCN: what is missing from your safety data sheet
A poison centre notification needs more than the SDS contains: full composition including non-hazardous components, concentration bands, packaging, EuPCS and UFI.
G.13What happens if I do not notify?
Poison centre notifications are enforced by national inspectors. What the 2025 EU and Swedish inspection projects found and what the consequences are.
G.14What is a UFI code and how do I create one?
The Unique Formula Identifier is a 16-character code printed on the label of hazardous mixtures. How to generate it, where it goes, and when you need a new one.
G.15Which languages does each EU country require?
Each member state decides which languages it accepts in PCN free-text fields. Why notifying in English alone is usually not enough and how to find the current list.