REACH Compliance
How REACH applies to brass supplied as articles — Article 33 SVHC communication for leaded grades, and lead-free options that need no notification.
At a glance
What is REACH?
REACH — Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — is the European Union's framework for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of CHemicals. It governs how chemical substances are manufactured, imported and used in the EU. For suppliers of finished metal parts, the relevant obligations are Article 33 (communicating Substances of Very High Concern) and Article 67 (complying with restrictions).
Brass alloys are articles — objects whose function is determined by their shape — not chemical substances placed on the market on their own. They are therefore outside REACH registration under Article 6. The duty that does apply is Article 33: if any SVHC is present above 0.1% by weight in an article, the supplier must pass that information down the supply chain.
Why brass isn't "registered"
REACH registration applies to chemical substances manufactured or imported at one tonne or more per year. A machined brass fitting is an article, so it is not registered or "certified" under REACH — there is no such thing as a REACH certificate for a metal part. What REACH does require is communication: where a listed SVHC (here, lead) exceeds 0.1% w/w of the article, the supplier issues an Article 33 notification so downstream users can manage it. Lead-free grades remove the trigger entirely.
SVHC status by material
| Material | SVHC present | Article 33 notification |
|---|---|---|
| CW617N — CuZn40Pb2 | Lead ~3% | Required (>0.1%) |
| CW602N — CuZn36Pb2As (DZR) | Lead ~2% | Required (>0.1%) |
| CW724R — silicon brass | Lead <0.1% | Below threshold |
| C11000 — ETP copper | None | Not required |
Our monitoring process
The ECHA SVHC Candidate List is updated about twice a year. Brassland reviews every update within 30 days and reassesses supplied alloys against it; where a change affects a product, we issue updated Article 33 declarations within 45 days of a request — without waiting to be asked. Declaration copies for any current or past order are available the same business day. For more detail, see our dedicated SVHC monitoring page.
Getting a REACH / SVHC declaration
Tell us the alloy
Share the grade (or let us recommend one) so we can confirm whether any SVHC is present above 0.1%.
We check the list
We assess the alloy against the current ECHA Candidate List — for leaded grades, the SVHC is lead.
Article 33 declaration
You receive a REACH / SVHC declaration with the order — typically the same business day on request.
Common questions
Are brass components REACH compliant?
What is an Article 33 notification?
Is lead registered or restricted under REACH?
Do you provide a REACH declaration?
Verify against the primary source
The regulatory data summarised on this page is cross-referenced against the publishers below. Always confirm requirements against the current published text before relying on this summary.
Last reviewed: June 2026 · maintained by the Brassland compliance team. The ECHA Candidate List is updated periodically; the official ECHA text always prevails — verify the current list at the source. General guidance, not legal advice.
Need a REACH declaration?
Article 33 / SVHC declarations, material data and test reports — typically available the same business day.