The MSDS/SDS for Coconut Charcoal: Sections That Matter (and the Right CAS Number)
By Mohamad Sinno, Charcoal Expert · Last updated
Coconut shell charcoal is CAS 68647-86-9 — the chemical-registry name is “Charcoal, coconut shell.” For sea transport it is UN 1361, Carbon of animal or vegetable origin, Class 4.2 (self-heating), which Coco Reina declares at Packing Group III. Its safety data sheet — still often labelled MSDS — has to say so.
Coconut shell charcoal is CAS 68647-86-9, and it ships as UN 1361, Class 4.2
The registry name is “Charcoal, coconut shell,” EC 271-974-4 (PubChem); “MSDS” and “SDS” name the same document. Transport identity is separate — the US Hazardous Materials Table lists UN 1361, “Carbon, animal or vegetable origin,” class 4.2 (49 CFR 172.101, July 2026). The sheet is one of a set whose classification must agree everywhere: the charcoal DG document stack and what each document proves covers the dangerous goods declaration, weathering certificate and vanning survey.
What a safety data sheet does not decide
A safety data sheet records how a substance has been classified; it does not perform the classification and cannot waive one. A supplier sheet reading “non-hazardous” does not make the charcoal non-hazardous — it makes the sheet wrong.
Three of the sixteen sections decide a charcoal shipment
Of the sixteen SDS sections, three decide whether a charcoal shipment moves: Section 1 (identity), Section 2 (hazard identification) and Section 14 (transport information). Physical properties, handling, storage and fire-fighting belong on the sheet but rarely stop a booking.
The identity check: CAS 68647-86-9, not 7440-44-0
A charcoal sheet should carry CAS 68647-86-9. The commonest error is another carbon number standing in: registries attach several carbons to overlapping names, so one listing shows the same CAS against charcoal, elemental carbon and a nanotube.
| Identifier | What it designates | What it means on a charcoal sheet |
|---|---|---|
| CAS 68647-86-9 | “Charcoal, coconut shell,” EC 271-974-4 (PubChem) | Correct for this material |
| CAS 7440-44-0 | “Carbon” — elemental carbon (PubChem CID 5462310) | The sheet is describing carbon, not charcoal |
| Activated-carbon entries (UN 1362) | “Carbon, activated” — a processed product, entry UN 1362 (49 CFR 172.101) | A different product under a different UN number |
Our own sheet states, in Section 1, the product name Coconut Shell Charcoal Briquettes and CAS 68647-86-9.
Section 2 must carry the self-heating hazard statement
A charcoal sheet’s Section 2 should carry the self-heating hazard statement: for a category-1 self-heating solid, “Self-heating; may catch fire” under the signal word “Danger” (OSHA HazCom, 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C, C.4.24). Section 2 with only dust or eye irritation has classified the material as something else.
Section 14 carries seven transport fields, and the classification is checked against them
Section 14 carries seven transport fields — UN number, proper shipping name, transport hazard class, packing group, environmental hazards, transport in bulk and special precautions (OSHA HazCom, 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix D); marked non-mandatory, but where given it must follow this content. Inspectors verify, in doubt, that a declared classification matches the safety data sheet (IMO MSC.1/Circ.1649, 2022). Filled only for road freight, it leaves the ocean mode undocumented; the same fields appear on the dangerous goods declaration's transport fields, where a mismatch gets noticed. Coco Reina’s states UN 1361, Class 4.2, Packing Group III.
Who may issue the sheet
A usable charcoal safety data sheet is issued by the producing factory, with a named signatory and a revision date. Two failing sources both rank here: a PDF mirrored on a document-sharing site (no accountability, no revision control) and a vendor template last revised before the current rules. Ours is issued by PT. Coco Reina Global Charcoal Indonesia, signed by Mohamad Sinno, revised 23 July 2026. For our sheet, WhatsApp +628213924038.
The wrong-SDS teardown: three published sheets, field by field
Three published coconut-charcoal sheets each fail on a different field: one the wrong UN entry, one the wrong CAS, one declares the cargo non-hazardous while its own fire section says the material can heat spontaneously. Each row quotes the document’s wording.
| Specimen | Field | As published | What a correct charcoal sheet reads |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAS directory listing, top result (captured May 2026) | Transport line | “UN 1325 4”; two different EC numbers for one CAS | UN 1361, Class 4.2 (UN 1325 is Class 4.1, not charcoal) |
| US water-filtration vendor SDS (Crystal Quest, revised July 2017) | Section 1 CAS; Section 14 class | CAS 7440-44-0; “HAZARD CLASS: Not Applicable”; no self-heating statement | CAS 68647-86-9; Class 4.2; self-heating stated |
| Indonesian coconut-charcoal MSDS (retrieved July 2026) | Section 14 vs Section 5 | “Non-hazardous… Safe for SEA, ROAD, or AIR,” yet Section 5: “freshly prepared material can heat spontaneously in air” | UN 1361, Class 4.2, PG III; the two sections consistent |
The third sheet uses the right CAS yet still declares the product outside Class 4.2 — a correct identifier does not rescue a wrong classification. What sits behind a correct Section 14 is evidenced separately by the 14-day weathering certificate and what it certifies, which records the weathering period and packing-day temperature.
The “excluded from UN 1362” paragraph that travels between sheets
One exclusion paragraph recurs, near-verbatim, on sheets from unrelated Indonesian producers: the product is “excluded from IATA #395, IMCO class 4.2, or UN 1362.” UN 1362 is the activated carbon entry — not UN 1361, the charcoal entry — clearing the material from an entry that never applied. On one, the reasoning rests on Special Provision 925 from the 2004 IMDG edition, withdrawn under IMDG Amendment 42-24 (mandatory since 1 January 2026). Copied exemption language is not a classification.
This page is general information on charcoal transport documentation, not legal or dangerous-goods advice. Regulatory field references are cited to their source and date; confirm current IMDG, GHS and destination requirements with your carrier or a licensed dangerous-goods specialist before shipping.