Dimethylformamide is a transparent liquid that can be miscible with water and most organic solvents. It is a common solvent for chemical reactions. Pure dimethylformamide has no smell, but industrial grade or deteriorated dimethylformamide has fishy smell because it contains impurity of dimethylamine.

On 23 September 2020, the European Commission submitted to the WTO a communication G/TBT/N/EU/749 to amend the list of restricted Substances in Annex XVII of THE REACH regulation, proposing to add restrictions on the use of N, n-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a substance itself or in mixtures.