SDS Authoring Services for EU, GHS and Turkish Markets

SDS authoring services for manufacturers, formulators and importers

Our SDS authoring services cover new safety data sheets, revisions and translations for the EU, Great Britain, Turkey, the United States and other GHS markets. We classify the substance or mixture, write all 16 sections to the format each jurisdiction requires, and keep the versions under control as regulations and data change. Turkish SDSs are prepared and signed by a certified Chemical Assessment Expert (KDU), as KKDIK requires.

What SDS authoring involves

SDS authoring is the work of classifying a chemical product, deciding which hazard and precautionary information applies, and writing a safety data sheet in the 16-section format required by the target market. It covers composition, classification, exposure controls, physical and toxicological data, transport and regulatory sections, and keeping the sheet current.

A good SDS is consistent with the label, the registration dossier and the transport classification. Most SDS problems we see come from mismatches between these: a hazard statement on the label that is missing in section 2, an occupational exposure limit from the wrong country in section 8, or a UN number that does not match the classification in section 14.

Which rules your SDS has to meet

The 16-section structure comes from the UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS), but each jurisdiction adopts it with its own content rules, language requirements and author qualifications.

For Turkey, the 2014 SDS regulation was repealed with effect from 31 December 2023. Since then only KKDIK Annex 2 applies, and only a KDU may prepare the sheet. Our Turkish SDS under KKDIK page explains what that means for foreign suppliers.

The 16 sections and where the work is

Every SDS has the same headings. The effort is concentrated in a few of them.

Classification of mixtures

For a mixture, classification is the core of the job. Under CLP, and under Turkey's SEA regulation which mirrors it, a mixture is classified in this order of preference.

1. Test data on the mixture itself, where valid. This is the usual route for physical hazards such as flammability, and sometimes for skin and eye irritation using in vitro methods.
2. Bridging principles, where a similar tested mixture exists: dilution, batching, concentration of highly hazardous mixtures, interpolation, substantially similar mixtures and aerosols.
3. Calculation from the ingredients, using the additivity formulas for acute toxicity (ATE mix), the summation method for corrosion, irritation and aquatic hazards, and generic or specific concentration limits for the remaining classes.

The quality of the result depends on the ingredient data. We collect supplier SDSs for every component, check them against harmonised classifications in CLP Annex VI and the C&L Inventory, and query suppliers where the data is incomplete. M-factors for aquatic toxicity and specific concentration limits are two places where small ingredient errors change the classification of the whole mixture.

The same formulation can be classified differently in different markets. The US does not apply environmental hazard classes as mandatory. Some GHS countries still use older revisions or include acute toxicity Category 5. For a product sold in several regions, we keep one master data set and derive each classification from it, so that differences are deliberate and documented.

New EU hazard classes and the SDS updates due from 2025 to 2028

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 added hazard classes for endocrine disruption (human health and environment), PBT and vPvB, and PMT and vPvM. The transitional dates for classification and labelling are staggered.

The revision of CLP itself, Regulation (EU) 2024/2865, has applied in large part since 1 July 2026. Its new label formatting rules, such as minimum font sizes, were postponed in late 2025 and now apply from 1 January 2028. When a substance in your portfolio gains a new classification, every mixture that contains it needs a classification review and, in most cases, a revised SDS.

Extended SDS with exposure scenarios

When a substance is registered under REACH at 10 tonnes or more per year and is classified as hazardous or PBT or vPvB, the registrant prepares a chemical safety report. The relevant exposure scenarios must then be annexed to the SDS. The result is called an extended SDS, or eSDS.

We prepare exposure scenario annexes from the registrant's chemical safety report, using the use descriptor system (sector of use, product category, process category, environmental release category) and the conditions of use that keep exposure below the DNELs and PNECs. For formulators, we help you check whether your customers' uses are covered, and convert the information from several substance-level scenarios into safe use information for the mixture. KKDIK has the same mechanism in Article 27(7), so Turkish registrants at 10 tonnes or more face the same task.

Multilingual SDS

REACH requires the SDS in the official language of each Member State where the product is supplied, unless that Member State provides otherwise. Turkey requires Turkish under Article 27(5) of KKDIK. A product sold across Europe and Turkey can need more than 20 language versions.

We separate the technical content from the language work. The classification and section content are fixed in one master version, and translations are then produced with consistent standard phrases for hazard and precautionary statements in each language. This keeps all versions on the same revision number and avoids the common problem of a translated SDS that is two revisions behind the English one.

Updates and version control

An SDS must be updated without delay when new hazard information becomes available that affects risk management, when an authorisation is granted or refused, or when a restriction is imposed. Updated versions must be sent free of charge to every recipient supplied in the previous 12 months. KKDIK uses the same triggers and the same 12 month rule.

Other common triggers are changes to harmonised classifications through CLP adaptations to technical progress, new occupational exposure limits, transport regulation changes, a new registration number, and formulation changes. We keep a change log for each SDS, mark revised sections, and can monitor your portfolio against regulatory changes so that you know which sheets are affected before customers ask.

How an SDS project runs

1. Portfolio review, 1 week. We list products, markets and languages, and identify which sheets need new authoring, revision or translation only.
2. Data collection, 1 to 3 weeks. Formulations, raw material SDSs, test reports and transport data. Ingredient data gaps are raised with you at this stage.
3. Classification, 1 to 2 weeks. We classify each product for each target market and send you a classification summary for approval before writing.
4. Authoring, 1 to 3 weeks. The 16 sections are written in the master language, with label elements for your label artwork.
5. Translation and local versions, 1 to 2 weeks. Language versions and country-specific sections 8 and 15.
6. Delivery and maintenance. Final PDFs, editable files where agreed, change log, and ongoing update monitoring if you choose it.

A single SDS for a simple mixture with complete ingredient data can be turned around within a few working days.

What we need from you

• Full formulation with CAS numbers and exact or narrow concentration ranges, including impurities and additives.
• Current SDSs for every raw material, preferably in English and no older than their latest revision.
• Any test reports on the mixture, such as flash point, pH, viscosity, or in vitro irritation tests.
• Uses, packaging sizes and the markets and languages required.
• Transport classification if you already ship the product, and your emergency telephone arrangements.
• For extended SDSs, the exposure scenarios received from your suppliers or your own chemical safety report.

What you receive

For each product you receive the SDS in each required language, a classification report showing the method and data behind each hazard class, label elements ready for artwork, and a revision record. For Turkey, the SDS carries the KDU details required in section 16 and can be uploaded to the Ministry's SDS notification system in the Integrated Environmental Information System.

What affects cost and turnaround

The number of products and languages matters, but these factors usually decide the effort: the complexity of the formulation, the quality of raw material SDSs, whether mixture test data exists, the number of target markets with different classifications, and whether exposure scenarios have to be integrated. Product families with shared base formulations can be authored together, which lowers the cost per sheet.

Why use a Turkey-based SDS team

We work from İzmir, Ankara and Kocaeli, and chemicals management (SDS, KKDIK and SEVESO) has been part of our environmental consulting work for more than 20 years. For EU and international suppliers this gives two practical advantages. The Turkish SDS, which legally needs a certified KDU, comes from the same team that writes your EU and GHS versions, so classifications and revision numbers stay in step. And when a Turkish customer or inspector questions a sheet, we deal with it directly in Turkish and report back to you in English.

Related chemicals compliance services

SDS work is often the first step into Turkey for EU and Asian chemical suppliers. If your substances are imported into Turkey at 1 tonne or more per year, they also need KKDIK registration, and the Turkish SDS has to carry the registration number once it is issued. Our article on SDS requirements in Turkey covers the Turkish rules in more detail.