Masking tape MSDS explained: seven components, the toluene CAS entry, and missing fields
This is the safety data sheet for JIAHON masking tape, 16 sections over 3 pages. This page matches each component to its CAS number and explains what it is, discusses separately the only component with a hazard classification, and lists the fields that are inconsistent or blank, so you know what else to request for chemical inventories, supplier audits or customer questionnaires.
1. Seven components and CAS numbers
| Component | Content (wt%) | CAS No. | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood pulp fiber | 45–50 | 65996-61-4 | Paper backing. CAS 65996-61-4 is registered as Pulp, cellulose. |
| Styrene-butadiene latex | 12–16 | 25085-39-6 | Carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex, used to impregnate and back-coat the paper so it resists tearing and does not delaminate when removed. |
| Release agent | 1–5 | Not listed | Back-side release treatment that lets the tape unwind smoothly. No CAS given. |
| Natural rubber | 5–15 | 9003-31-0 | Main adhesive. Natural rubber pressure-sensitive adhesives have high initial tack and can be repositioned, but have lower heat and aging resistance than acrylics. |
| Tackifier resin | 5–10 | 64742-16-1 | Petroleum resins. Worth noting: rosin (colophony) tackifiers are known skin sensitizers; this product uses a petroleum resin, not a rosin type. |
| Water | 0–3 | 7732-18-5 | Residual moisture from the latex system. |
| Solvent | 0–1 | 108-88-3 | Toluene. This is the only component in the table with an international hazard classification; see the next section. |
Contents are given as ranges: the lower limits add up to about 68% and the upper limits to about 100%. This means the MSDS covers a product family, not the actual formulation of a single part number. If you need it for customer substance declarations, RoHS or REACH questionnaires, range values are usually not accepted; you need a version for the actual part number.
2. Toluene in the composition: what CAS 108-88-3 means
The last line, “solvent” at 0–1%, has CAS 108-88-3, which is toluene. Toluene has a clear international hazard classification and is the only classified component in this table, so it deserves a separate explanation.
Classification of toluene as a substance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| GHS hazard statements | H225 (highly flammable liquid and vapor), H304 (may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways), H315 (causes skin irritation), H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness), H361d (suspected of damaging the unborn child), H373 (may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure) |
| GHS pictograms | Flame, health hazard, exclamation mark |
| Flash point | 4 °C |
| Taiwan permissible exposure limit | 8-hour time-weighted average (PEL-TWA) 100 ppm, equivalent to 376 mg/m³ |
| Short-term limit | Not listed individually for toluene; under the excursion factor rule in the occupational exposure standard, limits from 100 to under 1,000 use a factor of 1.25, giving 125 ppm |
But this does not make a roll of tape a hazardous substance
The figures above describe pure toluene. This product is finished tape with 0–1% toluene, present as residual solvent in a dried, cured adhesive layer, not as a free-evaporating liquid. In normal application and removal, airborne exposure is usually far below the permissible limits.
Situations to watch, because they speed up release of residual solvent or make the cumulative amount significant:
- Opening, cutting or removing large amounts of tape at once in an enclosed or poorly ventilated space.
- Tape going with parts into an oven, reflow oven or any heated process. Heat releases residual solvent together with adhesive volatiles; what matters then is process exhaust, not room-temperature exposure.
- Completing an in-plant hazardous chemical inventory or a customer substance declaration. These look at whether the CAS appears on the composition, not actual exposure, so 108-88-3 must be declared honestly.
This is also a point to note when reading this MSDS: section 3 fills “article hazard classification”, “health effects” and “physical and chemical hazards” all as “none”, yet the composition lists CAS 108-88-3. A finished tape as an “article” may indeed not need mixture classification, but that basis should be written down. The sheet only gives the conclusion “none” without the basis, leaving auditors unable to judge.
3. Seven inconsistent or blank fields in this MSDS
Comparing all 16 sections gives the seven points below. They are listed not to criticize the document but because these are exactly the fields audits, customer questionnaires and safety inspections ask about.
| No. | What the document says | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 3 “Physical and chemical hazards: none” | Paper backing with natural rubber adhesive is combustible. Section 5 of the same document lists extinguishing media (water, CO₂, dry powder), and section 9 says “keep away from heat and combustible materials”. If there were truly no physical hazard, these would not be needed. |
| 2 | Section 3 “Health effects: none” | Section 12 toxicology says “eye contact: avoid”, “ingestion: avoid”. If they must be avoided, there are some health effects. |
| 3 | Section 3 “Environmental effects: none” | Section 13 ecology says “not readily degradable in nature”, which is itself a description of environmental effect. |
| 4 | Section 4 first aid | All four exposure routes (inhalation, skin, eyes, ingestion) are blank, not even “none”. First aid should never be blank on a safety data sheet. |
| 5 | Section 6 “Clean-up method: none” | For a solid finished product, spill handling should be “collect and dispose of according to waste regulations”; “none” gives no method. |
| 6 | Section 11 “Vapor density: water = 1” | The reference for vapor density is air = 1; water = 1 is the reference for specific gravity (relative density), so the two fields appear swapped. The density field in the same section is blank, and no flash point is given anywhere. |
| 7 | Section 15 “Regulations: general”, section 16 “omitted” | No actual regulations named, and no date of preparation, version, preparer or references. Section 1 has only the product name, no supplier address or emergency number (the toll-free line in the footer is a customer service line, Monday to Friday 10:00–16:00, not a 24-hour emergency contact). |
One more item that is not an error but worth knowing: section 12 says “sensitization: none”. The product contains 5–15% natural rubber, and natural rubber latex proteins are known type I allergens. Protein residues in dry rubber pressure-sensitive adhesives are usually far lower than in dipped latex products (such as latex gloves), and tape-related latex allergy is rare in practice; but if anyone in your plant has a known latex allergy, do not take this “none” as grounds for contact.
4. Data the document does provide
| Section | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extinguishing media | Water, carbon dioxide, dry powder |
| 5 | Firefighter protection | Breathing apparatus and protective clothing; avoid eye and skin contact |
| 7 | Handling | No special handling equipment needed |
| 7 | Storage | Cool, dry, ventilated place |
| 8 | Personal protective equipment | Respiratory, hand, eye, skin and body protection all listed as not required |
| 9 | Stability | Chemically and physically stable; keep away from heat and combustible materials |
| 10 | Disposal | Within environmental permits and regulations |
| 11 | Appearance | Solid, roll, yellow, slight rubber odor |
| 11 | Water solubility | Insoluble |
| 13 | Environmental fate | Not readily degradable in nature |
| 14 | Transport | No UN number; no special international or domestic transport requirements |
Section 14 “no UN number” is meaningful: the product is not dangerous goods for transport, and ordinary freight, air and sea shipments need no special declaration.
5. Fields to request for purchasing or audits
If you need this MSDS for a customer audit, ISO document review or an in-plant hazardous chemical inventory, request these from the supplier so the document holds up:
- Date of preparation, version number, preparing organization and next review date.
- Section 1: supplier name, address and 24-hour emergency number.
- Section 3: the basis for “article hazard classification: none”, whether judged as an article or calculated below mixture classification thresholds. Audit answers differ for the two.
- Section 4: actual first-aid measures for the four exposure routes.
- Section 11: flash point (or “not applicable” with the reason), density, and the corrected reference for vapor density.
- Section 15: actual regulation names rather than “general”.
- For substance declarations or customer questionnaires, the version for the actual part number, not the family version with content ranges.
6. Storage and use of masking tape
- Per section 7, store in a cool, dry, ventilated place away from heat. Natural rubber adhesives age faster with heat and moisture.
- Natural rubber adhesives generally have lower heat and aging resistance than acrylics. After long storage or heating, two typical signs are hardening that makes the tape hard to remove and residue left after removal; this is the adhesive’s own aging behavior, not a quality defect.
- For ovens, reflow or long sun exposure, use a tape with a matching temperature rating rather than ordinary masking tape.
- The product is insoluble in water and not readily degradable; dispose of it as general industrial waste, not as recyclable paper.
FAQ
The composition includes toluene; is this tape a hazardous chemical? It depends on which rules you use. Finished tape is an “article” and usually does not need mixture classification; but if your chemical inventory is built on CAS numbers in composition tables, 108-88-3 must be listed honestly. Section 3 of this MSDS says “none” without stating the basis, which is worth asking the supplier about.
What is the difference between an MSDS and an SDS? They are old and new names for the same document. Internationally, under GHS, it is the SDS (Safety Data Sheet); MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is the earlier term still commonly used. Both have the same 16-section structure.
Section 3 says no hazard; why does section 5 list extinguishing media? This is one of the inconsistencies noted here. Paper backing with natural rubber adhesive is combustible, and section 9 also says “keep away from heat and combustible materials”. Treat it as combustible in practice and do not exclude it from fire management because section 3 says “none”.
Can the tackifier cause skin allergy? The tackifier CAS is 64742-16-1, registered as petroleum resins. The common skin-sensitizing tackifier is rosin (colophony, CAS 8050-09-7), and this product is not rosin-based, which helps where contact dermatitis is a concern. However, the product contains 5–15% natural rubber, so staff with known latex allergy should be assessed individually.
Can this MSDS be used directly for a customer substance declaration? Not recommended. Contents are given as ranges (lower limits total about 68%, upper limits about 100%), meaning it covers a product family rather than a single part number. Customer declarations, RoHS or REACH questionnaires usually need data for the actual part number; request it separately.
Masking tape stored a long time is hard to remove and leaves residue; is that a quality problem? Usually not. Natural rubber pressure-sensitive adhesives have lower heat and aging resistance than acrylics, and hardening and residue after heat or long storage are the adhesive’s own aging behavior. For baking, reflow or long sun exposure, use a tape with a matching temperature rating.
Can used masking tape be recycled as paper? Not recommended. Although the backing is wood pulp, the back has adhesive and release treatment, and section 13 states it is not readily degradable. Dispose of it as general industrial waste, following section 10 “within environmental permits and regulations”.
Standards referenced
Please refer to the current versions published by each organization.
- Occupational exposure standards for workplace air contaminants — Laws & Regulations Database (Taiwan)
- Toluene (CID 1140, CAS 108-88-3) — PubChem / NCBI, U.S. National Institutes of Health
- REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — European Commission
- Introduction to the chemical substance registration system — Chemicals Administration, Ministry of Environment
We supply the items mentioned on this page.
Related: 3M 244 yellow masking tape · Deer brand high-temperature red masking tape · 3M 7413T high-temperature tape (gold finger masking) · PET heat-resistant polyester film tape · Silicone tape (PET silicone)
From: JIAHON Engineering
Contact us for a quote or the SDS via our Request a quote page