Butylated hydroxytoluene

E number E321INS 321CAS 128-37-0

Used as an antioxidant.

This is the Part 173 listing for BHT, a synthetic antioxidant used to keep fats from going rancid and to protect packaging materials.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Butylated hydroxytoluene by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 182.3173retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

31 food categories

highest permitted level 400 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.3.2 Beverage whiteners — 100 mg/kg
  • 01.5.1 Milk powder and cream powder (plain) — 200 mg/kg
  • 01.5.2 Milk and cream powder analogues — 100 mg/kg
  • 02.1.1 Butter oil, anhydrous milkfat, ghee — 75 mg/kg
  • 02.1.2 Vegetable oils and fats — 200 mg/kg
  • 02.1.3 Lard, tallow, fish oil, and other animal fats — 200 mg/kg
  • 02.2.2 Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads — 200 mg/kg
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 200 mg/kg
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 200 mg/kg
  • 03.0 Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.2 Dried vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds — 200 mg/kg
  • 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products — 200 mg/kg
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — 200 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 200 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 400 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 200 mg/kg
  • 06.3 Breakfast cereals, including rolled oats — 100 mg/kg
  • 06.4.3 Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products — 200 mg/kg
  • 07.0 Bakery wares — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.2 Processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 100 mg/kg
  • 08.3 Processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.2.1 Frozen fish, fish fillets, and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 200 mg/kg
  • 09.2.2 Frozen battered fish, fish fillets and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 200 mg/kg
  • 09.2.5 Smoked, dried, fermented, and/or salted fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 200 mg/kg
  • 09.3 Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 200 mg/kg
  • 09.4 Fully preserved, including canned or fermented fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 200 mg/kg
  • 12.2 Herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments (e.g. seasoning for instant noodles) — 200 mg/kg
  • 12.5 Soups and broths — 200 mg/kg
  • 12.6 Sauces and like products — 100 mg/kg
  • 13.6 Food supplements — 400 mg/kg
  • 15.0 Ready-to-eat savouries — 200 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 321and 30 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Synthesised from para-cresol and isobutylene, both petroleum-derived.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
128-37-0
InChIKey
NLZUEZXRPGMBCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 31404

Every name it appears under

69 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E321

INS number

  • 321

CAS registry number

  • 128-37-0

As it appears in regulation

  • Butylated hydroxytoluene

Other names

  • 2,6-Bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol
  • 2,6-Di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol
  • 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-cresol
  • 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol
  • 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-p-cresol
  • 2,6-ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol
  • 2,6-Ditertiary-butyl-p-cresol
  • 4-Methyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol
  • 4-Methyl-2,6-ditertiarybutylphenol
  • Advastab 401
  • Agidol
  • Agidol 1
  • Alkofen BP
  • Antioxidant 264
  • Antioxidant 29
  • Antioxidant 30
  • Antioxidant 4
  • Antioxidant 4K
  • Antioxidant DBPC
  • Antioxidant KB
  • Antioxidant MPJ
  • Antox QT
  • Antrancine 8
  • Bht (food grade)
  • BUKS
  • BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE
  • Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
  • Butylhydroxytoluene
  • CAO 1
  • CAO 3
  • Catalin antioxydant 1
  • Catalin CAO-3
  • Chemanox 11
  • Dalpac
  • DBPC
  • Deenax
  • Dibutylhydroxytoluene
  • E 321
  • Impruvol
  • Ionol
  • Ionol (antioxidant)
  • Ionol 1
  • Ionol CP
  • Ionole
  • Kerabit
  • Nonox TBC
  • Parabar 441
  • Paranox 441
  • Phenol, 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methyl-
  • Stavox
  • Sumilizer BHT
  • Sustane BHT
  • Swanox BHT
  • Tenamen 3
  • Tenamene 3
  • Tenox BHT
  • Topanol
  • Topanol O
  • Topanol OC
  • Toxolan P
  • Vanlube PC
  • Vanlube PCX
  • Vianol
  • Vulkanox KB

Systematic names

  • 2,6-ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI0.25 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSAnot identified in the dataset

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/butylated-hydroxytoluene.json