Ethyl formate
109-94-4 · Aethylformiat · Areginal · Carboxylic acid oxaethane · Caswell No. 443A · EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 043102 · ETHOXYCARBONYL GROUP · Ethyl ester of formic acid · ethyl format · Ethyl formate · Ethyl formate (natural) · Ethyl formate, 97% · Ethyl formate, >=97%, FCC, FG · Ethyl formate, analytical standard · Ethyl formate, natural, >=95%, FG · Ethyl formate, puriss., 95% · Ethyl formate, reagent grade, 97% · Ethyl formate, SAJ special grade, >=97.0% · Ethyl formate, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard · Ethyl formic ester · Ethyl methanoate · Ethyle (formiate d') · Ethylester kyseliny mravenci · Ethylformiaat · ethylformiat · Ethylformic ester · Etile (formiato di) · EtOCHO · FEMA No. 2434 · FEMA Number 2434 · formiato de etilo · Formic acid, ethyl ester · Formic acid-ethyl ester · Formic ether · HCO2Et · HCOOC2H5 · HCOOEt · HSDB 943 · InChI=1/C3H6O2/c1-2-5-3-4/h3H,2H2,1H · Mrowczan etylu · Rizatriptan impurity 17 · WLN: VHO2 · ethyl formate · Ethyl formateCAS 109-94-4
Listed as a flavouring agent by the US.
Listed as flavouring agents and adjuvants (US)
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ETHYL FORMATE
- United States: Flavoring agents and adjuvants — 21 CFR 184.1295, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(12)
Ethyl formate is a flavouring with a rum and raspberry character, and has been used as a fumigant for dried fruit and nuts.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1295retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|
No regulator sets a figure for Ethyl formate. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
Produced by reacting ethanol with formic acid. It occurs naturally in some fruit.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 109-94-4
- InChIKey
- WBJINCZRORDGAQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 8025
Every name it appears under
44 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
CAS registry number
- 109-94-4
As it appears in regulation
- Ethyl formate
Other names
- Aethylformiat
- Areginal
- Carboxylic acid oxaethane
- Caswell No. 443A
- EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 043102
- ETHOXYCARBONYL GROUP
- Ethyl ester of formic acid
- ethyl format
- Ethyl formate
- Ethyl formate (natural)
- Ethyl formate, 97%
- Ethyl formate, >=97%, FCC, FG
- Ethyl formate, analytical standard
- Ethyl formate, natural, >=95%, FG
- Ethyl formate, puriss., 95%
- Ethyl formate, reagent grade, 97%
- Ethyl formate, SAJ special grade, >=97.0%
- Ethyl formate, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
- Ethyl formic ester
- Ethyl methanoate
- Ethyle (formiate d')
- Ethylester kyseliny mravenci
- Ethylformiaat
- ethylformiat
- Ethylformic ester
- Etile (formiato di)
- EtOCHO
- FEMA No. 2434
- FEMA Number 2434
- formiato de etilo
- Formic acid, ethyl ester
- Formic acid-ethyl ester
- Formic ether
- HCO2Et
- HCOOC2H5
- HCOOEt
- HSDB 943
- InChI=1/C3H6O2/c1-2-5-3-4/h3H,2H2,1H
- Mrowczan etylu
- Rizatriptan impurity 17
- WLN: VHO2
Systematic names
- ethyl formate
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| group ADI | 3 mg/kg bw/day | — | JECFA | 1996 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Ethyl formate?
- Ethyl formate is a flavouring with a rum and raspberry character, and has been used as a fumigant for dried fruit and nuts.
- What is Ethyl formate used for in food?
- It is listed as a flavouring agent — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Ethyl formate banned in Europe?
- No. Ethyl formate is not on the EU's list of authorised food additives, but it would not be expected to be: every role regulators give it — flavouring agent — the EU regulates under separate law. Its absence from the additives list says nothing about whether it is permitted in Europe.
- Where is Ethyl formate permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Ethyl formate vegan?
- Yes. Ethyl formate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
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