Large volumes of 1,1-dichloroethane are manufactured, with annual production exceeding 1 million pounds in the United States.

It is also used as a solvent for plastics, oils and fats, as a degreaser, as a fumigant in insecticide sprays, in halon fire extinguishers, and in cementing of rubber.

It is used in manufacturing of high-vacuum resistant rubber and for extraction of temperature-sensitive substances.

Thermal cracking at 400–500 °C and 10 MPa yields vinyl chloride.

[2] In the atmosphere, 1,1-dichloroethane decomposes with half-life of 62 days, chiefly by reaction of photolytically produced hydroxyl radicals.