This is the Continuous Integration Build of FHIR (will be incorrect/inconsistent at times).
See the Directory of published versions 
Responsible Owner: Biomedical Research and Regulation Work Group |
Normative | Use Context: Country: World |
Official URL: http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/substance-category
|
Version: 6.0.0-ballot3 | |||
| active as of 2025-11-17 | Computable Name: SubstanceCategoryCodes | |||
| Flags: | OID: 2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.3.476 | |||
This value set is used in the following places:
Substance category codes
Generated Narrative: ValueSet substance-category
Last updated: 2025-11-17T19:23:40.261Z
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category
version 📦1.0.1
This expansion generated 17 Nov 2025
ValueSet
Expansion performed internally based on codesystem Substance Category Codes v1.0.1 (CodeSystem) 
This value set contains 7 concepts
| System | Code | Display | Definition |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
allergen ![]() |
Allergen | A substance that causes an allergic reaction. |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
biological ![]() |
Biological Substance | A substance that is produced by or extracted from a biological source. |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
body ![]() |
Body Substance | A substance that comes directly from a human or an animal (e.g. blood, urine, feces, tears, etc.). |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
chemical ![]() |
Chemical | Any organic or inorganic substance of a particular molecular identity, including -- (i) any combination of such substances occurring in whole or in part as a result of a chemical reaction or occurring in nature and (ii) any element or uncombined radical (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/import-export/pubs/importguide.pdf). |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
food ![]() |
Dietary Substance | A food, dietary ingredient, or dietary supplement for human or animal. |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
drug ![]() |
Drug or Medicament | A substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals (Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act). |
http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/substance-category |
material ![]() |
Material | A finished product which is not normally ingested, absorbed or injected (e.g. steel, iron, wood, plastic and paper). |
See the full registry of value sets defined as part of FHIR.
Explanation of the columns that may appear on this page:
| Lvl | A few code lists that FHIR defines are hierarchical - each code is assigned a level. For value sets, levels are mostly used to organize codes for user convenience, but may follow code system hierarchy - see Code System for further information |
| Source | The source of the definition of the code (when the value set draws in codes defined elsewhere) |
| Code | The code (used as the code in the resource instance). If the code is in italics, this indicates that the code is not selectable ('Abstract') |
| Display | The display (used in the display element of a Coding). If there is no display, implementers should not simply display the code, but map the concept into their application |
| Definition | An explanation of the meaning of the concept |
| Comments | Additional notes about how to use the code |