REACH SVHC List and Candidate List, Explained
REACH is the EU's central chemicals law. Its Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) drives two separate obligations for anyone supplying articles into the EU market: telling your customers, and telling ECHA.
Last reviewed September 27, 2026
REACH Candidate List, Annex XIV and Annex XVII
REACH is Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, entered into force in 2007, and applies to virtually all chemical substances manufactured, imported or used in the EU — on their own, in mixtures, or in manufactured "articles."
REACH works through four processes: Registration (substances at 1 tonne/year or more), Evaluation, Authorisation (for SVHCs placed on Annex XIV), and Restriction (for SVHCs posing unacceptable risk, listed on Annex XVII).
An SVHC is a substance identified under REACH Article 57 as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR); persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent/very bioaccumulative (vPvB); or of equivalent concern by other evidence.
The Candidate List is the running list of SVHCs; ECHA recommends priority Candidate List substances to the European Commission for inclusion on Annex XIV (the Authorisation List), which sets "sunset dates" after which use needs authorisation.
Who must comply with REACH
- Manufacturers and importers of a substance (alone or in a mixture) at 1 tonne or more per year must register it with ECHA and gather data on its properties.
- Any supplier of an article containing a Candidate List substance above 0.1% w/w must communicate safe-use information to recipients under REACH Article 33(1), and to consumers, on request and within 45 days, under Article 33(2).
- The same 0.1% w/w threshold separately triggers a SCIP notification duty to ECHA — see the EU SCIP regulation page for that obligation specifically.
- Substances on Annex XIV (the Authorisation List) must be progressively replaced by less dangerous alternatives where feasible; substances on Annex XVII may be limited or banned outright.
Deadlines
- June 1, 2007REACH entered into force, per its own commencement provision. EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — as of 2026-09-27
- January 5, 2021SCIP notification duty begins for articles containing Candidate List substances above 0.1% w/w (a REACH-linked, WFD-based obligation — see the EU SCIP page). European Commission — COM(2025) 986 final — as of 2026-09-27
- December 31, 2026ECHA's current Annex XVII restricted-substances dataset transition period runs until this date, to allow a smooth transition to ECHA CHEM. ECHA — Substances restricted under REACH — as of 2026-09-27
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Explore RumzerCE- MatCheck analyzes your Bill of Materials down to the substance level (Full Material Disclosure) and recommends a compliance assessment against the REACH Candidate List and Annex XVII, so you always know how much of your BOM has been checked.
- MatCheck's in-app SCIP tool and the standalone SCIPBridge integration handle the Article 33 / SCIP 0.1% w/w threshold together, instead of tracking REACH and SCIP obligations in separate spreadsheets.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the REACH SVHC Candidate List, and how many substances are on it?
The Candidate List is ECHA's running list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) — chemicals identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic to reproduction, persistent/bioaccumulative/toxic, or of equivalent concern. As of the most recent update reported in ECHA's own news items (4 February 2026), the list held approximately 253 entries; check ECHA's Candidate List table directly for the current count, since it changes as ECHA adds substances.
What is the difference between the Candidate List, Annex XIV and Annex XVII?
The Candidate List identifies SVHCs and triggers communication/SCIP duties. Annex XIV (the Authorisation List) names substances that need explicit EU authorisation to keep using past a "sunset date." Annex XVII (Restrictions) names substances whose manufacture, sale or use is limited or banned outright.
REACH vs. RoHS — what's the difference?
REACH is a general EU chemicals law covering nearly all substances and articles. EU RoHS is narrower: it restricts 10 specific substances in electrical and electronic equipment specifically. A product can be affected by both — see the EU RoHS regulation page for the RoHS-specific list.
Does REACH apply to electronics?
Yes. REACH applies across virtually all sectors, including electrical and electronic equipment; electronics are also separately covered by EU RoHS’s narrower substance list.
Keep reading
Sources
- European Commission — REACH regulation — fetched 2026-09-27
- ECHA — Understanding REACH — fetched 2026-09-27
- ECHA — Candidate List table — fetched 2026-09-27
- ECHA — Authorisation List — fetched 2026-09-27
- ECHA — Substances restricted under REACH — fetched 2026-09-27
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — fetched 2026-09-27
See also: the EU RoHS explainer · the EU SCIP explainer · the compliance glossary
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