Create a material
This guide walks through every field in the material creation form. Taking time to enter complete and accurate information when you first create a material saves significant effort on every subsequent data request response.
Opening the Form
Navigate to Materials in the left sidebar, then click Add Material in the top right. The creation form opens as a full-page form divided into sections.
Step 1: Material Name
Enter your internal name for the material. Use whatever naming convention your organisation already uses for internal material specifications or product codes — consistency matters because this is the name you will search for when responding to data requests.
Examples of good naming conventions:
LFP-CAM-001(your internal code for lithium iron phosphate cathode active material, revision 1)Graphite Anode SL-Grade(descriptive + grade identifier)NMC811 Cathode — Samsung SDI Qualified(descriptive + qualification status)
Avoid generic names like "Cathode material" or "Lithium salt" — these become ambiguous once your library has more than a handful of entries.
Step 2: Material Type and Category
Material type classifies what stage in the supply chain this material represents:
| Type | Use when... |
|---|---|
| Raw material | The material is extracted or mined and has not been significantly processed (e.g., lithium spodumene concentrate, cobalt ore, natural graphite flake) |
| Processed material | The material has been chemically or physically transformed from its raw state (e.g., lithium carbonate, cobalt sulphate, battery-grade graphite) |
| Component | The item is an assembled or manufactured part (e.g., battery cell, separator film, battery management system module) |
Category narrows this further. Select the category that best matches the material's function in a battery system. If none of the preset categories apply, select "Other" and describe it in the Description field.
Step 3: Description
Optional but recommended. Use this field to add any detail that is not captured by the name and category alone — for example, the processing method, the applicable battery chemistry, or a cross-reference to an internal specification document number.
Maximum 1,000 characters.
Step 4: CAS Number(s)
The CAS number (Chemical Abstracts Service registry number) is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every chemical substance. It is in the format NNNNNN-NN-N (e.g., lithium carbonate is 554-13-2).
When a CAS number is required: Under the EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542, CAS numbers are mandatory in DPPs for any substance of very high concern (SVHC) listed in the REACH Candidate List, and for hazardous substances above reporting thresholds. In practice, most battery-grade materials will require at least one CAS number.
How to find a CAS number:
- Search the free CAS Common Chemistry database at commonchemistry.cas.org
- Check your supplier's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — Section 1 or Section 3 typically lists the CAS number
- For mixtures or proprietary blends, list the CAS numbers for each constituent substance
Adding multiple CAS numbers: Click Add CAS number to add additional rows. A processed material or component may have multiple CAS entries if it contains multiple distinct chemical substances.
Leave this field blank only if the material is a mechanical component with no reportable chemical substances (e.g., a plastic housing with no SVHC content). If you are genuinely unsure, add your best known CAS number and note the uncertainty in the Description field.
Step 5: Country of Origin
Select the country where the material is extracted or primarily produced. This is not necessarily the country where your company is based, where the material is processed, or where it is shipped from.
The correct interpretation for common battery materials:
- For mined raw materials (cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese): the country where the ore is extracted from the ground
- For processed materials (lithium carbonate, cobalt sulphate): the country where the primary chemical processing occurs that creates the reportable substance
- For components (battery cells, separators): the country where the component is manufactured
This field is used to support supply chain traceability and due diligence requirements under the EU Battery Regulation, including requirements related to conflict minerals (cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, nickel) under Article 72.
If the material originates from multiple countries (e.g., cobalt from multiple mines in different countries blended together), select the predominant country and note the multi-origin nature in the Description field.
Step 6: Composition Breakdown
The composition section defines what this material is made of. For a single pure substance (e.g., battery-grade lithium carbonate), you will have one row with the substance name at 100%. For a mixture or component, you will have multiple rows.
To add the composition:
- Click Add sub-material
- Enter the sub-material name (this can be a chemical name, trade name, or internal code)
- Enter the CAS number for the sub-material (optional but recommended)
- Enter the weight percentage
- Select the unit: mass % (standard for solid materials) or volume % (for liquid electrolytes or gases)
- Repeat for each constituent
The total must equal exactly 100%. Traceable displays a running total as you add rows and shows a validation error if you attempt to save with an incomplete or over-specified composition.
Measurement units: Mass percentage is the standard reporting unit for the EU Battery Regulation and should be used in almost all cases. Volume percentage is available for electrolyte solutions and gas-phase materials where volume is the industry-standard measurement.
Step 7: Supporting Documents
In this section you can attach general technical documentation for the material — safety data sheets, technical data sheets, test reports, and similar files. These documents are stored with the material and available to reference when responding to data requests.
For certificates with issuers, certificate numbers, and expiry dates that need active tracking, use the dedicated Certificates tab on the material after saving. See Certificates for Materials.
Saving the Material
Click Save Material. The material is immediately available in your library and can be referenced in any data request response across any of your operator connections.
There is no separate "publish" or "approve" step for materials. Saving makes the material active. If you want to work on a material across multiple sessions without it being referenced accidentally, note this in the name or description (e.g., append [DRAFT]) and remove the note when complete.
Updating a Material After It Has Been Referenced
You can edit any material at any time from the Materials list. Click the material name to open it, then click Edit.
Important: Changes you make to a material apply to future data request responses only. If you have already submitted a data request response that referenced this material, that historical submission retains the values that were in the material at the time of submission. Traceable does not retroactively update submitted responses when a material is edited.
If a historical submission needs to be corrected, you will need to work with the operator to reopen or resubmit the relevant data request.