Compliance & Regulatory template
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Template: Build & Export Free
Draft a Safety Data Sheet in the standard 16-section format (hazards, first-aid, handling, exposure controls and the rest), then export a print-ready PDF, free to start.
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Overview
What is a Safety Data Sheet?
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) communicates the hazard, handling, exposure, first-aid, transport and other safety information for a chemical product. It's the document that travels with hazardous substances and mixtures so that the people who handle, store, transport or respond to them have the safety information they need.
Under the globally-recognized GHS framework, an SDS follows a standardized 16-section format, adopted through regional rules, for example OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard in the US (which replaced the older "MSDS") and the CLP/REACH framework in the EU. The section order is fixed so a reader can always find, say, first-aid measures or exposure controls in the same place.
Because an SDS depends on a proper hazard classification and carries real safety and legal weight, it isn't a casual fill-in-the-blanks document: it typically needs a competent author. This template gives you the correct 16-section structure to work within; the hazard assessment and content are yours to get right. An SDS is also distinct from a technical data sheet, which covers performance rather than safety (more below).
The fields
The 16 sections of a Safety Data Sheet
Under GHS, an SDS follows this fixed 16-section order. The template lays them out for you; the hazard classification and content that go in them require a proper assessment.
Identification
The product identifier, recommended uses, restrictions, supplier details and an emergency phone number.
Hazard identification
The GHS classification, signal word, hazard and precautionary statements and label elements.
Composition / ingredients
The hazardous ingredients and their identifiers and concentrations, subject to any confidential-business-information rules.
First-aid measures
The first-aid response by route of exposure, and the most important symptoms and effects.
Fire-fighting measures
Suitable extinguishing media, specific hazards from the chemical, and advice for firefighters.
Accidental release measures
Personal precautions, protective equipment, and containment and clean-up methods for spills.
Handling and storage
Precautions for safe handling and the conditions for safe storage, including incompatibilities.
Exposure controls / PPE
Exposure limits, engineering controls and the personal protective equipment required.
Physical and chemical properties
Appearance, odour, pH, flash point, boiling point and the other physical and chemical characteristics.
Stability and reactivity
Chemical stability, possibility of hazardous reactions, conditions to avoid and incompatible materials.
Toxicological information
The toxicological effects and routes of exposure, with the supporting information.
Ecological information
Ecotoxicity, persistence, bioaccumulation and other environmental information (where required).
Disposal considerations
Guidance on safe disposal of the product and its packaging and any contaminated materials.
Transport information
UN number, proper shipping name, transport hazard class, packing group and special precautions.
Regulatory information
The safety, health and environmental regulations specific to the product.
Other information
The revision date, changes from the previous version, and any other relevant information.
Step by step
How to fill out a Safety Data Sheet
Four passes work through the 16-section structure. The hazard assessment behind each section is the part that needs expertise, so get it prepared and reviewed by a competent person.
Identify the product and hazards
Complete the identification and hazard-identification sections: the product identifier, supplier and emergency contact, and the GHS classification, signal word and hazard statements from the hazard assessment.
Cover the safety essentials
Fill in first-aid, fire-fighting, accidental release, handling and storage, and exposure controls and PPE: the sections a handler or responder reaches for first.
Add properties and toxicology
Complete the physical and chemical properties, stability and reactivity, toxicological and ecological information from the product's data.
Finish regulatory, transport and export
Add disposal, transport, regulatory and other information, apply your brand, and export the PDF. Have the whole SDS reviewed against current requirements before release.
Which one
Safety data sheet vs. technical data sheet
They travel together for many products and get confused constantly. One is about safety; the other is about performance.
Safety Data Sheet
A regulated 16-section document communicating hazard, handling, first-aid, exposure and transport safety information for a chemical product.
Use to communicate a product's safety and hazard information.
Technical Data Sheet
Describes a product's technical properties, performance, materials and operating conditions: the engineering data used to evaluate and specify it. Its format is up to you.
Use when an engineer needs the technical facts to decide if a product fits.
See the Technical Data Sheet template →Get it right
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating an SDS as optional or as marketing material. It's a regulated safety document.
- Using the old "MSDS" or a non-16-section layout instead of the current GHS format.
- Building the SDS on an incorrect or missing hazard classification.
- Leaving required sections blank rather than stating why information is not available.
- Not keeping the SDS current with the formulation, the classification and the regulations.
- Ignoring region- and language-specific requirements for the markets you supply.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a Safety Data Sheet?
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a standardized document that communicates the hazard, handling, first-aid, exposure, transport and other safety information for a chemical product, in a fixed 16-section format under the GHS framework. It travels with hazardous substances and mixtures so handlers and responders have the safety information they need.
What's the difference between an SDS and an MSDS?
"MSDS" (Material Safety Data Sheet) is the older term and format. The move to the GHS 16-section format, for example under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard in the US, standardized the document and renamed it the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). New sheets should use the SDS 16-section format.
What are the 16 sections of an SDS?
In order: 1) Identification, 2) Hazard identification, 3) Composition/ingredients, 4) First-aid measures, 5) Fire-fighting measures, 6) Accidental release measures, 7) Handling and storage, 8) Exposure controls/PPE, 9) Physical and chemical properties, 10) Stability and reactivity, 11) Toxicological information, 12) Ecological information, 13) Disposal considerations, 14) Transport information, 15) Regulatory information, and 16) Other information.
What's the difference between an SDS and a technical data sheet?
An SDS communicates regulated safety and hazard information in a fixed format. A technical data sheet describes a product's technical properties and performance, in a format the manufacturer chooses. An SDS is about handling a product safely; a TDS is about evaluating how it performs.
Who is responsible for a Safety Data Sheet?
The manufacturer, importer or supplier of a hazardous chemical is generally responsible for providing a compliant SDS, and it typically needs to be prepared by a competent person based on a proper hazard assessment. This template provides the structure; it does not perform the classification or make the document compliant.
Related templates
Read the guideSafety Data Sheet (SDS): the 16-section format explained
The Safety Data Sheet follows a fixed 16-section order set by the GHS. Here’s what each section contains, why the order is mandatory, and how to keep an SDS current as classifications change.
Read the guide →Documents that go with a Safety Data Sheet
Technical Data Sheet (TDS)
Provides technical properties, performance data, materials, dimensions, operating conditions and other engineering information used to evaluate a product.
Open template →RoHS Declaration
Communicates declared product status against applicable RoHS substance restrictions and supporting product or material information.
Open template →REACH Article 33 Supplier Communication / Declaration
Communicates Candidate List SVHC information for articles where Article 33 information obligations may apply, including safe-use information where relevant.
Open template →Build your Safety Data Sheet now
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Note: This template provides the standard 16-section structure of a Safety Data Sheet and is not safety, legal or regulatory advice, nor a compliant SDS. A valid SDS depends on a proper hazard classification and, in most jurisdictions, preparation by a competent person, and its required content and format vary by region and change over time. You are solely responsible for the hazard assessment, the accuracy and completeness of the content, and for meeting the applicable requirements before the SDS is issued or relied upon.