Criteria for exemption of frits:

point 11 of Annex V of the REACH Regulation.

The official text of point 11 of Annex V of the REACH Regulation, which refers to frits, reads as follow:

The following substances unless they meet the criteria for classification as dangerous according to Directive 67/548/EEC and provided that they do not contain constituents meeting the criteria as dangerous in accordance with Directive 67/548/EEC present in concentrations above the lowest of the applicable concentration limits set out in Directive 1999/45/EC or concentration limit set out in Annex I to Directive 67/548/EEC, unless conclusive scientific experimental data show that these constituents are not available throughout the life-cycle of the substance and those data have been ascertained to be adequate and reliable:

Glass, ceramic frits

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A frit is a ground glass or glaze used in pottery; some materials have to be fritted before they can be used because they are soluble or toxic. EINECS lists frits under the following entry: Frits, chemicals (EC: 266-047-6).

The glass and frits substances are very similar in composition and manufacturing process.

Only those types of glass and ceramic frits are exempted which do not have any significant hazard properties:

Firstly, glass or ceramic frits are only to be exempted if they (as substances as such) do not meet the criteria for classification as dangerous according to Directive 67/548/EEC. There are two possibilities to assess this criterion: look at the glass itself or look at the starting materials.

Secondly, they are not exempted if the substance contains constituents meeting the criteria as dangerous in accordance with Directive 67/548/EEC that are present in concentrations above the lowest of the applicable concentration limits set out in Directive 1999/45/EC or concentration limit set out in Annex I to Directive 67/548/EEC, unless conclusive scientific experimental data show that these constituents are not available throughout the life-cycle of the substance and those data have been ascertained to be adequate and reliable. In this case, industry has to look at the constituents after the production of the glass (constituents could be different than the starting materials) to see if they are classified and present above the relevant concentration limit. If this is the case then they are not exempted unless the constituent is not available throughout the life-cycle of the substance

It is the responsibility of manufacturers or importers to assess and document the conclusive scientific data to demonstrate their substance(s) fulfil these criteria.

Therefore, the conditions set up in point 11 of Annex V allow for frits to be exempt from registration in the following cases:

The frit is not listed in Annex I of Directive 67/548/EEC
The frit does not contain constituents listed in Annex I of Directive 67/548/EEC
If the frit does contain constituents listed in Annex I of the mentioned Directive, those elements are not present above the limits set up in Directive 1999/45/EC
If those constituents are present above the specified limits, the frit can also be exempt as long as scientific information exists to demonstrate that the elements are not available throughout the life cycle of the frit.