Finding is step one. Managing is the job.

Free SDS search tools vs SDS Flow

Free SDS search sites are genuinely useful — we use them too. CloudSDS, ChemicalSafety, msds.com, Sevron and others let you find and download safety data sheets at no cost. This page is about what happens after you find the document.

Full transparency: this page is written by SDS Flow. We are not trying to replace free SDS search — there is no reason to. We build the layer that comes after the download: the register, the QR codes, the version tracking and the COSHH assessments. If you only need to read one SDS once, use a search tool. That is honestly the right tool for that job.

What you need to do	Free SDS search tool	SDS Flow
Find an SDS by product name	Yes — huge free databases (up to 23M+ documents)	Upload your own SDS — or find it with a free search tool, then store it here
Keep a permanent register of your chemicals	No — you download a PDF and manage it yourself	Yes — every SDS stored per site, always current
Know if your stored copy is outdated	No — a downloaded PDF never updates itself	Yes — version tracking: mark the old copy out of date when the new revision arrives
QR code on the bottle or shelf	No	Yes — dynamic QR, scan opens the current SDS, no app or login
COSHH risk assessments	No	Free assessment generator — print or download; store the PDF in your register
Printed label packs delivered to site	No	Yes — order in-app, delivered to the site
Staff access without training or login	They must search the public web	Scan and read — nothing to learn
Price	Free to search	Free up to 10 SDSs, then £29/month per location

Database sizes as published by each provider; check their sites for current figures.

The downloaded PDF is the problem

It goes stale

Suppliers revise SDSs. The PDF on your shared drive from 2022 does not know that — and neither does your inspector.

It is not a register

COSHH compliance asks what chemicals are on site and where. A folder of downloaded PDFs is not an answer an inspector can use.

Staff cannot use it

Nobody on the shop floor searches a 23M-document database mid-shift. They scan a sticker. That is what we build.

They work together, not against each other

Step 1 — Find. Use a free SDS search tool to locate the manufacturer's current document.

Step 2 — Register. Add it to your SDS Flow register for the site. Now it is tracked, versioned and inspectable.

Step 3 — Label. Print the dynamic QR sticker for the bottle or shelf. Staff scan and always see the current version.

Popular free SDS search tools

CloudSDS

23M+ documents

msds.com (3E)

4.5M+ documents

ChemicalSafety.com

Free and unrestricted

Sevron

UK-based database

SDS Manager search

17M+ documents

VelocityEHS

Millions of documents

Listed for convenience — we are not affiliated with these tools.

Turn found SDSs into managed SDSs

Set up your first location, register up to 10 SDSs, and generate your QR codes — free, no credit card.

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