# Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Building Code Definition > How the IFC 2009 define material safety data sheet (msds), where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/material-safety-data-sheet-msds/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IFC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IFC 2009 Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 3 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Material safety data sheet (msds) is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions. The code's own words are: “Information concerning a hazardous material which is prepared in accordance with the provisions ofDOL 29 CFRPart 1910.1200 or in accordance with the provisions of a federally approved state OSHA plan.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IFC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 3 chapters of this corpus, most often in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009), Aerosols (IFC 2009), Definitions (IFC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. *Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)** — IFC 2009, Hazardous Materials-general Provisions: > Information concerning a hazardous material which is prepared in accordance with the provisions ofDOL 29 CFRPart 1910.1200 or in accordance with the provisions of a federally approved state OSHA plan. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/material-safety-data-sheet-msds/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IFC 2009 define material safety data sheet (msds), where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Hazardous Materials-general Provisions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/hazardous-materials-general-provisions.md) chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009: > Information concerning a hazardous material which is prepared in accordance with the provisions ofDOL 29 CFRPart 1910.1200 or in accordance with the provisions of a federally approved state OSHA plan. ## Where material safety data sheet (msds) is used in the code The term appears in 3 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [Hazardous Materials-general Provisions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/hazardous-materials-general-provisions.md) | IFC 2009 | 3 | | [Aerosols](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/aerosols.md) | IFC 2009 | 1 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/definitions.md) | IFC 2009 | 1 | ## The terms material safety data sheet (msds) is built out of The definition above leans on 1 other defined term. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what material safety data sheet (msds) covers: - **[Approved](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/approved.md)** — IBC 2009: Acceptable to the code official or authority having jurisdiction. ## Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IFC | Hazardous Materials-general Provisions | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Aerosols (IFC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IFC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Approved | | | Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | | **A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply. ## Where can you explore related guidance? - [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Approved: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/approved.md) - [Container: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/container.md) - [System: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/system.md) - [Chemical: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/chemical.md) ## Sources and method Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of material safety data sheet (msds)? The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions as: “Information concerning a hazardous material which is prepared in accordance with the provisions ofDOL 29 CFRPart 1910.1200 or in accordance with the provisions of a federally approved state OSHA plan.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally. ### Which parts of the code depend on material safety data sheet (msds)? In this corpus the term is used across 3 chapters, led by Hazardous Materials-general Provisions in the IFC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own. ### What does MSDS stand for in moving and handling? Handling is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “The deliberate transport by any means to a point of storage or use.” That is not the same as material safety data sheet (msds), which the IFC 2009 defines as “Information concerning a hazardous material which is prepared in accordance with the provisions ofDOL 29 CFRPart 1910.1200 or in accordance with the provisions of a federally approved state OSHA plan.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fmaterial-safety-data-sheet-msds%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/material-safety-data-sheet-msds/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt