How to search the AICIS inventory and read a chemical listing
Search the AICIS inventory through the official portal. Check chemical identity and listing terms, then follow AICIS guidance if you cannot find a match.
The AICIS inventory is the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals. Search it on the Industrial Chemicals Inventory page of the official AICIS Database Search Portal. Find the record by identity, confirm the match, then read the listing terms on that record before you import or manufacture.
A search hit isn't blanket permission.
Where the inventory sits on the portal
The landing page is titled "Welcome to the AICIS Database Search Portal". It links four searches: the Industrial Chemicals Inventory, assessments, registered businesses and risk management recommendations (AICIS portal). Pick the Industrial Chemicals Inventory for this lookup.
The inventory search page describes chemicals introduced into Australia for industrial use. Results show these columns:
- CR No.
- CAS No.
- Chemical Name
- Other Names
- AICIS Approved Chemical Name
- Molecular Formula
Those are result fields, not a menu of search modes. Don't assume wildcards or exact-match operators work. For hints and news about searches, use the portal's notification icon.
Check identity in an AICIS inventory search
For a CAS number search, start with the number and the chemical description in your supplier's documents. Compare the record with that description. A trade name on its own is not the match.
The formaldehyde listing gives CAS 50-00-0 and molecular formula CH2O. Associated names include Formalin, Formic aldehyde, Methaldehyde, Methanal, Oxomethane and Oxymethylene. The page says those names are not part of the inventory terms of listing, and are provided for information only. The chemical you are searching should match the CAS description.
So if the supplier's label says "Formalin", read the record for CAS 50-00-0. Then ask whether the product's composition matches that description. One listing does not automatically cover every product sold under the trade name.
Read the listing, not just the name
The obligations text on the formaldehyde record names the listing terms to check and comply with:
- specific information requirements
- defined scope of assessment
- conditions of introduction or use
- restrictions on importation and manufacture
Importers and manufacturers must keep records about the chemical and provide them if asked, according to the listed introduction category. They must submit an annual declaration at the end of the registration year. The chemical may also be subject to other Australian Government and State or Territory regulations (formaldehyde listing).
Formaldehyde has a listing-specific duty requiring a person introducing it to notify AICIS in writing within 28 calendar days after becoming aware of specified circumstances since its assessment. Examples include:
- the function or use has changed, or is likely to change, significantly
- the amount being introduced has increased, or is likely to increase, significantly
- additional information has become available on an adverse effect on occupational health and safety, public health or the environment
These are examples, not the full requirement. Read the formaldehyde record for its complete terms; the 28-day deadline is not a rule for every inventory listing.
Some records also carry a defined scope. If your material does not match that wording, check with AICIS.
Records also link to AICIS guidance labelled Inventory terms of listing. Use that link when a term on the record is unclear.
What to do if your chemical isn't listed
A failed search doesn't prove the chemical is absent or banned, and it doesn't give you another introduction category.
Check the identity you typed against the supplier's CAS number and chemical description. A trade name is not the CAS description. Some records show an AICIS Approved Chemical Name and no CAS name, so compare that field too.
If there is still no match, follow the regulator's page: I can't find my chemical on the Inventory. It's linked from the portal. Follow that guidance rather than guessing an introduction category.
The law behind the inventory
The Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 is in force. On 27 October 2026 the Federal Register showed compilation C2024C00495 C06, dated 14 October 2024. Part 3 covers categorisation and assessment, Part 5 covers the Inventory, and Part 6 covers information, reporting and confidentiality. Read the Act itself when a listing term needs a legal reading.
You can also ask RegAffairs AI what the AICIS inventory says about a chemical and get an answer with citations to the source records.