This guide is written for US chemical manufacturers, including small and mid-size teams. It explains both meanings of SDS management, what SDS indexing is, how to judge a management tool, and how Valenc's free SDS indexing offer works, including what it does not include.
What SDS management means for chemical users and for manufacturers
If you use chemicals: the library and the binder
If you are an employer whose workers use hazardous chemicals, safety data sheet management is mostly about access and completeness. Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8), "the employer shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and shall ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s)." The same paragraph allows electronic access "as long as no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace are created by such options." (eCFR) Paragraph (g)(1) adds that employers "shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use."
So the practical job is a complete, findable set of current SDSs. A binder does that at one site. It gets harder across several sites, many products, and supplier revisions that arrive at random. Manufacturers face this too, because they use chemicals in their own plants.
For the full standard and its dates, see our OSHA HazCom guide. Other countries have their own workplace rules, so check the ones that apply to you.
If you make chemicals: the record behind the SDS
A chemical manufacturer has the downstream duty too, and more besides. Under (g)(1), manufacturers and importers "shall obtain or develop a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical they produce or import." Under (g)(6), they must send distributors and employers an SDS with the initial shipment and with the first shipment after the SDS is updated.
For a manufacturer, "management" is really data management:
The SDSs you author, in every region and language you ship to.
The supplier SDSs for every raw material, which feed the composition, classification and transport sections of your own products.
The link between them: which raw material sits in which product, and what changes when a supplier revises.
A folder of PDFs does not answer "which of my products contain this CAS number?" Structured data does.
What SDS indexing is
SDS indexing turns an SDS PDF into structured, searchable data. Software reads the document and pulls out fields such as product identifiers, supplier, composition and CAS numbers, hazard classification as declared by the supplier, H and P statements, physical and chemical properties, transport details, and revision date. Each SDS becomes one row or record you can sort, filter and search.
Good indexing has three features:
It handles varied layouts. Supplier SDSs follow the 16-section order but look different from one another. Tables, ranges and footnotes vary.
It shows its confidence. Some fields will be uncertain. A reviewer should see which ones.
It keeps the source close. You should be able to check any field against the original PDF.
Valenc's SDS indexing is built around these three ideas. AI agents extract data from supplier SDS PDFs with a confidence score on each field, and users review the results beside the source PDF. Extracted data can be exported to Excel or reached through an API.
Why structured data is the foundation
Once SDS content is data, several jobs get easier.
Management. Search by CAS number, supplier or revision date instead of opening files. Find SDSs that are missing, old, or duplicated.
Monitoring. A regulatory change names substances. You can only tell which products it affects if your library is data that lists their components. Valenc's monitoring agents track OSHA, EPA, REACH and CLP lists and flag affected SDSs in your library. That only works because the library is structured.
Authoring. A manufacturer's new SDS draws on raw material data: composition, properties, supplier-declared classification. If that data is already structured and approved, it does not have to be retyped. Valenc enriches extracted data from a database of about 55,000 chemicals, classifies with a deterministic rules engine, and drafts all 16 sections for a person to review and approve.
Retyping is where mistakes enter: a mistyped CAS number, a misread range. Structured data reviewed once and reused avoids repeating that step.
How to evaluate an SDS management system
The category is broad. Some tools are simple libraries with mobile access. Others are enterprise EHS suites. Some hold authoring or inventory too. Use these questions rather than a feature count.
Access
Can every worker reach the right SDS during each shift, at every site? The HCS wording is "no barriers to immediate employee access."
Does it work when there is no signal or no network, if your sites need that?
Can an inspector or emergency responder get an SDS fast?
Completeness and currency
How do SDSs get into the system: upload, import, sourcing by the vendor, supplier feeds?
What happens when a supplier revises? How are you told, and how is the old version kept?
Can you see which chemicals have no SDS?
Data quality
Does it extract structured fields, or only store the PDF?
Are fields shown with a confidence score, beside the source document?
Who reviews and approves the extracted data?
Search and reporting
Can you search on CAS number, supplier, product name, hazard class, H statement and revision date?
Can you export the data in a usable format?
Regulatory monitoring
Which lists and regulations are watched?
Does a change flag the specific products affected, or only send a general alert?
Does a person decide what happens next?
If you author SDSs
Does the tool connect the library to authoring, or are they separate systems?
Does it record who approved what and when?
Data ownership
Can you export everything, at any time, and on what terms?
Is there an API for ERP or PLM?
Is your formulation data used to train AI models?
Implementation
How long to load an existing library, and how much re-keying is involved?
Ask each vendor to run your own SDSs through the tool before you decide.
The free SDS indexing offer, and how it works
Valenc offers free SDS indexing to chemical manufacturers. It is free through December 31, 2026. The terms below are taken from the offer page.
Who can use it. The offer is open to any chemical manufacturer.
What you send. One batch of up to 100 SDSs per company. They can be supplier SDSs or SDSs you created. You upload them through Valenc's secure portal.
What you get.
An Excel index of your SDSs, one row per document. The page says it gathers product identifiers, suppliers, composition and CAS numbers, hazard classifications, H and P statements, transport details and revision dates. You keep the index.
A Valenc account with your documents loaded, so you see your own materials instead of sample data.
A walkthrough: a Valenc team member guides you through your data on the platform and answers questions.
How long it takes. Valenc returns the Excel index within 3 business days. The clock starts when Valenc receives your documents.
The terms. No obligation to purchase. The page also says: "We only use your documents to build your index and Valenc account."
How it works. Three steps, nothing to install: (1) fill out the form with who you are and about how many SDSs you want indexed; (2) Valenc sends instructions, and you upload through the secure portal; (3) you receive the Excel index and account access, and Valenc sets up a time to review it with you.
Where AI stops. The page states: "Our AI helps read and draft, but it does not classify." In Valenc, classification is done by a deterministic rules engine, and an approval step can block publishing.
How to prepare your SDSs for indexing
Valenc will send submission instructions once you sign up, and those take precedence over this list. These steps are general good practice and will make any index cleaner.
Decide the scope. You can submit up to 100. If you have more, start with the products you ship most, the ones that change most often, or the raw materials in your highest-volume products.
Collect the current SDS for each product. Use the latest revision. If you hold several versions, keep the newest and note that older ones exist.
Use the original file where you can. A PDF from the supplier or from your own authoring system is usually cleaner than a scan or a photo.
One document per file. Do not merge several SDSs into one PDF.
Name files so you can trace them. A consistent name (product, supplier, revision date) helps you match rows in the Excel index to your own records.
Note what is missing. If a product has no SDS on file, list it. That gap is a finding.
Check your own SDSs for a revision date. HCS (g)(2)(xvi) requires Section 16 to include the date of preparation or last revision. An SDS without one is worth flagging.
Do not remove pages. Send complete documents so all 16 sections can be read.
Upload through the secure portal using the instructions Valenc sends you.
When the index arrives, read it with the PDFs open. Spot-check CAS numbers, ranges and revision dates against the PDFs.
What you get, and what you do not get
Indexing is not the same as a full management suite. Being clear about that will save you time.
What the offer gives you
A sortable Excel index of up to 100 SDSs, built from your own documents.
Your documents in a Valenc account, and a guided walkthrough.
A way to see how structured SDS data works before you decide anything.
What it does not give you
It is not a distribution system. Asked whether SDS Indexing is an SDS management system, Valenc's own indexing page answers: "No, SDS Indexing imports supplier data into Valenc, structures it, and prepares it for classification and authoring. It's designed to complement, not replace, the systems you use for distributing finished SDSs."
It is not a worker-access or distribution tool. Valenc says it is "designed for the classification and authoring of SDSs" and that it "complements, rather than replaces, workplace SDS management or distribution systems." If you need workplace access features, ask before you assume.
It is one batch. The offer covers up to 100 SDSs per company.
It reports what your SDSs say. The Excel index reports the values your SDSs declare, such as the supplier's stated hazard classification. It is not a Valenc classification of your products.
It is not regulatory advice. A person on your side still owns decisions.
The offer is open to chemical manufacturers.
Where regulatory monitoring fits
Monitoring is a separate capability from indexing. On the Valenc platform, agents track OSHA, EPA, REACH and CLP lists and flag affected SDSs in your library. The value comes from the connection between the change and your data: a list change names a substance, and your structured library shows which products contain it. Affected products go to a review queue for a person's decision. See regulatory monitoring.
The free indexing offer, as the page describes it, is the index, the account and the walkthrough. The offer page does not say monitoring is part of it.
For context, the HCS 2024 revision has phased dates. Manufacturers, importers and distributors evaluating substances had to comply with the modified provisions by May 19, 2026. Those evaluating mixtures must comply by November 19, 2027. Employers must, as necessary, update alternative workplace labeling, the written hazard communication program and training by November 20, 2026 for substances and May 19, 2028 for mixtures (29 CFR 1910.1200(j)(2)-(3)). Until the applicable date, entities may comply with either the revised standard or the version revised as of July 1, 2023, or both ((j)(4)). You may see more SDS revisions arrive from suppliers as these dates pass. A library you can search by revision date makes that manageable. See our HCS 2024 checklist.
How indexing connects to authoring
If you author SDSs, your indexed raw materials are the starting inputs. Valenc classifies with a deterministic rules engine using GHS additivity, concentration cut-offs and bridging principles per jurisdiction, shows the rule behind each result, and drafts all 16 SDS sections. A review agent flags items for a person, and an approval step can block publishing. Compositions and formulations stay private and are never used to train AI models.
Read more on SDS authoring and on choosing between services and software, or compare options in our guide to SDS authoring software. If you ship to several markets, see multilingual SDS authoring for regulatory teams.
Frequently asked questions
What is SDS management software?
SDS management software is designed to store, organize, update, and provide access to a company's safety data sheets (SDSs). While some solutions function as searchable libraries, others include features like data extraction, regulatory monitoring, or even SDS authoring capabilities.
Is SDS management software the same as chemical management software?
Usually not. Chemical management software typically tracks chemical inventory, storage locations, and quantities, and is often part of a broader EHS suite. In contrast, SDS management software focuses on the safety data sheets themselves: storing, organizing, and locating them. Valenc is not chemical inventory software; it indexes supplier SDSs into structured data and authors SDSs for chemical manufacturers.
Is an SDS database the same as SDS management software?
An SDS database is simply a searchable repository of SDSs. SDS management software typically adds features such as updating, worker access controls, and sometimes data extraction or authoring. Valenc's SDS indexing converts supplier SDS PDFs into structured data, but it does not replace systems that distribute SDSs to workers.
Does OSHA require an SDS management system?
OSHA does not require any particular SDS management software or system. It requires employers to have an SDS in the workplace for each hazardous chemical they use and keep it readily accessible during each work shift ((g)(1), (g)(8)), and to keep a written hazard communication program that describes how SDS requirements will be met ((e)(1)). Paper or electronic access is permitted as long as no barriers to immediate employee access are created.
What is the difference between SDS indexing and SDS management?
Indexing converts SDS PDFs into structured data such as CAS numbers, composition and revision dates. Management is the ongoing work of keeping SDSs complete, current and accessible. Indexing is a foundation for management, not a replacement for it.
What does Valenc's free SDS indexing include?
An Excel index of up to 100 of your company's SDSs, returned within 3 business days of Valenc receiving your documents, plus a Valenc account with your documents loaded and a walkthrough with a Valenc team member. There is no obligation to buy, and it is free through December 31, 2026.
Who can use the free indexing offer?
The offer is open to chemical manufacturers, for up to 100 SDSs per company.
What does Valenc do with the SDSs I send?
You upload through a secure portal, and the offer page says Valenc only uses your documents to build your index and account. Valenc states that compositions and formulations are never used to train AI models.
Try it on your own SDSs
The fastest way to see what structured SDS data does for you is to index your own. Send up to 100 SDSs, get an Excel index within 3 business days of Valenc receiving them, and walk through the results with a Valenc team member. No obligation to buy, and free through December 31, 2026.
If you would rather see extraction, classification and a review-ready draft on your supplier SDSs first, request a demo.
This article is informational and is not legal advice. Check with your regulatory professional and the primary sources cited above.