Lead metal

Five distinct grades have been included in the REACH Registration for lead metal (EC: 231-100-4). Substance identity details and classification and labelling information can be found below:

Note that the classifications in the above datasheets were updated in August 2025 to reflect the harmonised environmental classification of Pb metal, as adopted in Delegated Regulation 2024/197, which has applied since 1 September 2025.

Uses of lead metal

Lead metal is used safely and sustainably in a wide range of applications, including:

in the industrial production of lead-based automotive and industrial batteries,
as internal sheathing in high-voltage cables,
in radiation shielding for healthcare, laboratory, security scanning, and non-destructive test facilities,
as weather protection in architectural applications,
in free-machining steels, brasses, and aluminium alloys
in industrial solders used in specialist electronics and electrical applications, and
as an intermediate in the manufacture of lead compounds such as lead oxides.

Lead also plays an essential role in the Circular Economy, with its unique ability to facilitate energy-efficient recovery of many other non-ferrous metals and critical technology materials.

For Europe’s future, lead matters. Find out more at leadmatters.org.

Identified Uses included in the Consortium’s CSR, including the Use Descriptor Codes, can be seen in section 3 of the Lead Registration dossier on ECHA CHEM. If you need more information, please contact us.