You encounter mineral oil every day. The lubricant in tablet coatings. The base of baby lotion. The release agent in plastics processing. The insulating fluid working silently inside transformers. Even the invisible coating on the inner liner of your breakfast cereal packaging.
But here is the strange part: this clear, harmless-looking oily liquid is undergoing a quiet standards upgrade in the EU. It has not been “banned”—industrial uses remain legal, and not a single barrel of mineral oil has disappeared from coatings, plastics, rubber, or chemical fiber production lines. The real change is hidden in the last decimal place of an impurity limit.
Confused? Most buyers are. So let’s untangle it. What the EU actually tightened. What it did not tighten. How far apart industrial grade and food grade mineral oil CAS# 8042-47-5 really are. And where the market stands in October 2026 if you are sourcing for rubber, plastics, or textiles.
Mineral Oil CAS# 8042-47-5: What Exactly Is It?
Chemistry first. Keep it short.
Mineral oil is a liquid hydrocarbon mixture obtained from deeply refined petroleum. The CAS number is 8042-47-5, and you will see that exact string on every safety data sheet. It is not a single molecule but a “distillate family” defined by a boiling range and a viscosity range—from light W series to medium- and high-viscosity industrial white oils, and further to food grade, pharmaceutical grade, and cosmetic grade. In essence, these are products cut from the same hydrogenation, dearomatization, and dewaxing processes at different depths.
In the trade, two dimensions really distinguish mineral oils. Viscosity determines where it is used: low-viscosity grades (No. 5–15) go into chemical fiber spinning and plastics processing aids, accounting for 58.4% of the global industrial white oil market; medium- and high-viscosity grades (No. 26–68) move more into rubber extender and food-grade processing applications, accounting for 33.7%. Refining depth determines whether it can touch food, drugs, and skin—the cleaner the aromatics are removed, the lower the PAH and MOAH residues, and the higher the price step.
One more thing worth remembering: mineral oil has a string of names in trade. White oil. White mineral oil. Liquid paraffin. Paraffin oil. The different names you see on contracts and customs declarations often point to the same CAS number, but the grade may differ by several price bands.
What Exactly Did the EU Tighten?—Not a “Ban,” but a Higher Impurity Threshold
This is where misunderstandings arise most easily, and where headlines mislead most easily.
On 21 April 2026, the European Commission published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/870, formally renewing the approval of paraffin oil (CAS 8042-47-5) as an active substance for plant protection products, with the approval period extended to 30 June 2041. Before that, to allow time for the re-evaluation procedure, the approval period had been temporarily extended to 30 November 2026.
The renewal itself is a “keep it” decision, but the conditions have changed. According to the European Pharmacopoeia standard cited in the regulation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) impurities in the technical material must not exceed 0.3 mg/kg. More important is the timing: before 30 November 2026, existing products may still be sold and used under current conditions; from 1 December 2026, only mineral oil products meeting the new standard may be placed on the EU plant protection market.
This is not a ban on the substance “mineral oil.” It is a tightening of the impurity profile—same CAS number, same appearance, but half a ppm more PAH could get you stopped at customs clearance.
Another regulatory line sits on the food side, but it affects food-contact scenarios rather than industrial products themselves. In March 2026, the EU submitted WTO notification G/SPS/N/EU/930 to set maximum limits for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH, C10–C50) in food: 0.5 mg/kg for foods with fat/oil content ≤4%, 1.0 mg/kg for >4% and ≤50%, and 2.0 mg/kg for >50%, effective from 1 January 2027, with staggered transition periods for some categories that are harder to decontaminate. This line governs “MOAH that is eaten,” not “mineral oil on the production line,” but its spillover effect is direct: the refining-depth requirements for food-grade and food-contact-grade mineral oil are further anchored, and the process gap between low-end industrial grade and high-end food grade will only widen.
So the current picture is not contradictory:
①EU industrial use: legal. Coatings, plastics, rubber, textiles, transformer oil—mineral oil CAS 8042-47-5 continues to be used as usual.
②EU plant protection use: renewal successful, but from 1 December 2026, PAH ≤ 0.3 mg/kg becomes a hard threshold.
③EU food/food contact: MOAH limits land in 2027, pushing food-grade mineral oil toward lower aromatics and deeper refining.
Is Industrial-Grade Mineral Oil Safe?—The Dust Logic Becomes Mist Logic
The core exposure route for titanium dioxide is dust inhalation. Mineral oil is different. In industrial settings, the concern with mineral oil has never been “eating” but mist inhalation, prolonged skin contact, and thermal decomposition products at high temperatures.
Hydrorefining has already pushed aromatics in mineral oil to very low levels, but differences between grades remain significant. Industrial-grade white oils are used in large volumes in rubber mixing, plastic release, and chemical fiber spinning, and their aromatic residues are usually higher than those of food grade and pharmaceutical grade; food grade and pharmaceutical grade white oils undergo deeper hydrodearomatization, pushing PAH and MOAH down to trace levels. This is not a binary judgment of “toxic or not” but a gradient of impurity load.
The practical rules at the operating level have not changed: avoid prolonged bare-skin contact, especially in rubber mixing and metalworking; maintain ventilation during high-temperature operations (such as plastic injection molding release and transformer oil operation), because thermal decomposition products deserve more attention than mineral oil itself at ambient temperature; handle spills with oil absorbent pads or sawdust, not water—mineral oil is insoluble in water, and washing it into the drainage system only spreads the contamination.
In one sentence: treat mineral oil as an industrial fluid that must be handled by grade, not as an “oil” that can be mixed and matched.
Where Mineral Oil Is Actually Used in Rubber, Plastics, and Textiles
The rubber industry is one of the large-volume outlets for mineral oil. In tire and seal formulations, mineral oil acts as a softener and extender oil, improving compound processing performance and elasticity. Medium- and high-viscosity industrial white oils are used here; aromatic content is controlled but does not need to reach food grade—because the final product is not ingested, but roll adhesion, vulcanization efficiency, and finished-product aging resistance are all affected by oil consistency.
In plastics processing, mineral oil’s role is more dispersed. In polyolefin color masterbatch and filled masterbatch, it acts as a dispersion carrier and processing lubricant; in injection molding and extrusion, as a release agent; in the production of PS, PU, and other polymers, as an auxiliary additive. The low-viscosity W series accounts for the largest share in this field because of good flowability and controllable compatibility with polyolefins. What plastics customers fear most is batch-to-batch viscosity drift—change one drum of oil, and the injection molding machine’s back pressure and release force change, with scrap rates following.
Textiles and chemical fibers remain the largest single demand sector for mineral oil in China, once accounting for more than 30%. In spinning and downstream processing, mineral oil acts as a smoothing agent, softener, and antistatic carrier. This scenario has fine requirements for volatility, viscosity, and emulsification performance, but also the highest price sensitivity—profit margins in the chemical fiber industry are thin, and the first driver for switching oil suppliers is often cost rather than performance.
What Numbers to Look at When Choosing a Grade, Not “How White It Is”
“White” is not a specification. Being misled by “whiteness” when buying mineral oil is the same kind of mistake as being misled by “white” when buying titanium dioxide.
When comparing quotes for mineral oil CAS# 8042-47-5, these are the parameters that actually predict performance:
①Aromatic content (PAH / MOAH). This is the target of regulatory tightening and the core of grade stratification. The price difference between industrial, food, and pharmaceutical grades largely buys the refining depth of this item.
②Viscosity (kinematic viscosity at 40°C) and viscosity index. Rubber extender, plastic release, and spinning smoothing each correspond to different viscosity windows; mixing across windows is equivalent to changing the formulation.
③Flash point. A hard indicator related to high-temperature processing and storage/transport safety; low-flash-point oils are restricted in injection molding and transformer applications.
④Color (Saybolt) and UV absorbance. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic grades have explicit upper limits for UV absorbance, which is one of the most intuitive chemical fingerprints of “deep refining.”
⑤Volatiles and moisture. For plastics processing and transformer oil, excessive volatiles mean bubbles, shrinkage cavities, and reduced insulating performance.
Ask for a COA with every lot. A good supplier will send one before you ask. And once you lock a grade, do not switch cold—a tuned rubber internal mixing line or injection molding line can run into problems even when switching oil sources without changing specifications; changing specifications is directly changing the formulation.
The Market in October 2026: Cost-Driven, High-End and Low-End Diverging
This is the most important set of pictures to see clearly right now.
China’s light white oil market experienced a cost-driven upturn in September 2026. The monthly average international crude oil price rose in September from August, and combined with plant shutdowns at some refineries and supply contraction, light white oil prices moved higher in a volatile range. Entering October, international oil prices climbed further; on 16 October, NYMEX crude settled at USD 101.41/bbl and Brent at USD 109.86/bbl. The white oil market overall is running firm at high levels, and refineries have a strong willingness to hold prices.
Regional and grade quotes (mid-October 2026):
Shandong light white oil daily average was RMB 10,900/t, up RMB 400/t in a single day, a gain of 3.81%; South China light white oil W40/W60/W80 spot transaction averages were uniformly at RMB 10,700/t. For industrial-grade white oil, Shandong No. 5 was quoted at RMB 8,900/t; No. 15 and No. 26 at RMB 9,200/t; No. 32 at RMB 9,100/t; No. 68 in the RMB 7,356–7,536/t range; and No. 100 high-flash at RMB 8,270/t. East China’s Nanjing Runsheng industrial-grade white oil was quoted at RMB 8,800/t; Henan ordinary industrial white oil was negotiated at RMB 6,500/t. The ChemicalBook light white oil price index read RMB 8,600/t on 14 October, with a 30-day high of 8,700 and low of 8,600, showing high-level narrow consolidation.
The price steps for high-end categories follow a different logic. Food-grade No. 1 white oil was quoted at RMB 6,830/t and No. 2 at RMB 7,750/t, but these are lower grades within food grade; mainstream food-grade white oil is actually stable above RMB 12,000–15,000/t, with pharmaceutical grade higher still, and import dependence remaining around 40%. The price gap between industrial grade and food/pharmaceutical grade is not a marketing premium; it corresponds to differences in hydrogenation depth, dearomatization unit scale, and compliance verification costs.
Structural changes on the supply side deserve a separate look. In 2026, China’s light white oil capacity is about 2.25 million t, but the capacity utilization rate of sample refineries has long been running in the low range of 20%–33%. At the same time, new capacity is concentrating toward high-end and specialty directions: Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical is expanding its food-grade white oil hydrogenation unit from 100,000 t/y to 160,000 t/y and building a new 200,000 t/y W-series light white oil distillation unit; Sinopec Jingmen Petrochemical’s specialty oil hydrogenation unit has achieved successful one-time startup and can produce light white oil and other high-value-added products at scale; Yumen Oilfield’s 100,000 t/y specialty oil deep hydrogenation unit is also progressing. Translated: overcapacity in low-end industrial grade and undersupply in high-end food/pharma grade are being priced simultaneously by the same set of capital moves.
The global pie is not expanding dramatically, but the center of gravity is shifting. The top five global white oil players—Sasol, Shell, ExxonMobil, CNPC, and Sinopec—together hold about 40% share, and Asia-Pacific accounts for about 50% of the global market. China’s white oil exports totaled 824,000 t in 2025, up 11.3% year on year, with export value exceeding USD 1.97 billion, a five-year high; export growth was mainly driven by Asia-Pacific industrial-grade demand, but food-grade and cosmetic-grade growth was higher, and the product mix is slowly moving up.
What Buyers Should Do Now
At this point in October 2026, three things are more practical than “waiting for a price drop.”
First, lock Q4 volume first, but hard-code the grade. High crude oil and low refinery inventories support the cost floor, and the downside for light white oil is limited in the short term. In the contract, do not write only “white oil” or “mineral oil”; write clearly the CAS number, viscosity grade, aromatic upper limit, and applicable standard—otherwise, when supply is tight, the supplier may substitute an adjacent grade, and your production line pays the bill.
Second, if EU exports are involved, work backward from 1 December. The PAH ≤ 0.3 mg/kg requirement for plant-protection-use mineral oil is not a “recommendation”; it is a market access condition from 1 December. For food-contact scenarios, watch the January 2027 MOAH limits and confirm in advance that your mineral oil supplier can provide aromatic spectra for the corresponding batch, not just a generic COA.
Third, a second source for high-end grades matters more than for low-end grades. The industrial-grade white oil market is not short of sellers; Shandong and East China quotes range widely from RMB 6,500 to 10,900/t, leaving ample room for comparison. But the effective supplier base for food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade white oil is much narrower, and import dependence is what it is. If your product line touches food, drugs, or cosmetics, qualifying a second food-grade/pharmaceutical-grade source has higher priority than saving a couple hundred yuan on industrial grade.
What to Check When Choosing a Mineral Oil CAS 8042-47-5 Supplier
Before wiring any money, put these items on the table:
①Grade declaration and corresponding test data. Industrial, food, and pharmaceutical grades are not labels; they are conclusions supported by aromatic content, UV absorbance, heavy metals, and PAH/MOAH spectra. Ask the supplier to state clearly which grade his product falls into and on what standard it is based.
②Whether the hydrodearomatization capability is backed by “hard assets.” The core process barrier for mineral oil lies in the hydrogenation unit. Producers with their own units or long-term feedstock arrangements are more stable during crude oil volatility and grade switching; pure traders are the first to run short of high-end grades when supply tightens.
③Whether export compliance documents keep pace with the EU timeline. If goods go to the EU and the use involves plant protection or food contact, confirm that the supplier can provide batch-level PAH and MOAH data rather than filling them in at customs clearance.
④Batch viscosity consistency records. Ask for 40°C kinematic viscosity data from the last several batches and look at the drift range. Plenty of plastics and rubber customers have learned this lesson the hard way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the chemical name corresponding to CAS number 8042-47-5?
Mineral oil. In trade it is also called white oil, white mineral oil, liquid paraffin, or paraffin oil. It is not a single compound but a deeply refined liquid hydrocarbon mixture of petroleum origin, uniformly identified by CAS number 8042-47-5.
Has the EU banned mineral oil?
No. What the EU banned was the food additive E171 (titanium dioxide), which has nothing to do with mineral oil. Industrial uses of mineral oil in the EU—coatings, plastics, rubber, textiles, transformer oil—are completely legal. Paraffin oil for plant protection was renewed in 2026, but from 1 December 2026 the PAH impurity limit tightens to 0.3 mg/kg. The MOAH limit in food is a separate regulation, effective January 2027, aimed at food contaminants rather than industrial mineral oil.
What is the difference between industrial-grade and food-grade mineral oil?
The core difference is refining depth, directly reflected in aromatic residue levels. Food grade and pharmaceutical grade undergo deeper hydrodearomatization, pushing PAH and MOAH down to trace levels; industrial grade retains relatively more aromatic components. The price gap (industrial grade RMB 6,500–10,900/t vs. food grade above RMB 12,000–15,000/t) buys exactly this segment of process and compliance verification.
Where are mineral oil prices in October 2026?
Light white oil is running firm, supported by high crude oil and low inventories. Shandong light white oil average is RMB 10,900/t, and South China W40/W60/W80 average is RMB 10,700/t; industrial-grade white oil ranges from RMB 6,500 to 9,200/t depending on viscosity and region; food grade and pharmaceutical grade are stable above RMB 12,000/t. The short-term cost floor is relatively hard, but divergence across grades and regions will continue to widen.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 story for mineral oil CAS# 8042-47-5 is not “banned” but impurity thresholds are being redrawn. The legal status of industrial uses has not been shaken, but the PAH limit on the EU plant protection side and the MOAH limit on the food side are pushing “same CAS number, different refining depth” products into two parallel price worlds. Low-end industrial grade is struggling between low utilization rates and overcapacity in China, while high-end food/pharma grade is expanding between compliance premiums and import substitution. This month, crude oil is holding up the cost floor, but what really determines which production line your cargo can be used on is those few decimal places on the aromatic spectrum.
Need a current quotation? Send your viscosity grade, target grade (industrial / food / pharmaceutical), and Q4 volume, and we will return three comparable offers within 48 hours—with PAH/MOAH data and COA for the corresponding batch, and export packaging options from 25 kg drums to IBC totes.
