Environmental protection standards and purchasing tips for wood-based panels

When decorating, people often turn pale at the mention of "formaldehyde". As an important part of home decoration, wood-based panels are also one of the sources of formaldehyde in the decoration process.

Although formaldehyde is harmful, it is a threshold hazardous substance, meaning its harmful effects only become apparent after exceeding a certain concentration. my country's latest indoor air quality standard stipulates that the 1-hour average formaldehyde concentration should be less than or equal to 0.080 mg/m³.

Currently, there are many environmental standards and grades for wood-based panels on the market, which can be overwhelming for consumers. These include grades such as E1, E0, F4 star, NAF, and ENF. To buy safe and environmentally friendly wood-based panels that suit your needs, you must first understand their environmental grade.

Popular Science about Wood Panels

There are currently four main environmental protection standards for wood-based panels:

European Standard E-level, New Chinese Standard E-level, Japanese F-star rating, and US CARB rating certification.

The European Standard E is currently the most widely accepted and well-implemented quality and technical standard internationally. Its formaldehyde emission standards are as follows:

E1 grade ≤0.5mg/L

E2 grade ≤1.5mg/L

The new national standard for Class E is divided into three levels: E1, E0, and Enf. The formaldehyde emission standards are as follows:

E1 grade ≤0.124mg/m³

E0 grade ≤0.050mg/m³

ENF level ≤0.025mg/m³

The new national standard E1 grade is a mandatory national standard in my country and is the entry-level standard for environmentally friendly boards; ENF grade is the highest environmental protection standard under the current new national standard.

Japan's F-star standard is divided into four levels, with the formaldehyde emission standards as follows:

F☆ (≤5mg/L)

F☆☆ (≤1.5mg/L)

F☆☆☆ (≤0.5mg/L)

F☆☆☆☆ (≤0.3mg/L)

The higher the F-star rating, the lower the formaldehyde emission. F☆☆☆☆ is the highest level of Japan's environmental protection standard.

The US CARB certification has three levels:

P1, P2, NAF levels.

The highest level is NAF, also known as formaldehyde-free exemption certification. The formaldehyde emission standard for NAF is 0.04 ppm.

The testing methods and conditions for the four environmental protection standards are different, so they cannot be compared solely based on data. However, some studies have shown that the formaldehyde emission limit of 0.3 mg/L for Japan's F☆☆☆☆ standard is approximately equal to the European standard's climate chamber method detection value of 0.04 mg/m³.

[References: The relevant findings were published in Elsevier's journal Atmospheric Environment (Formaldehyde emission - Comparison of different standard methods, Atmospheric Environment, Volume 41, Issue 15, May 2007, Pages 3193-3202)]

Among the four environmental protection standards, the new national standard E-level standard is the most widely used in the Chinese market and was officially implemented on October 1, 2021. The "national standard 1 cubic meter climate chamber method" adopted by the new national standard E-level is highly similar to the "European standard climate chamber method EN 717-1" of the European standard E-level, and the requirements for formaldehyde emission limits are also very strict.

Domestically produced wood-based panels that meet the new national standard E1 level are considered qualified environmentally friendly products and are permitted for use in interior decoration. E0 and ENF level panels, on the other hand, meet stricter formaldehyde emission standards and can effectively satisfy indoor air quality regulations.

Tips for selecting boards

1. It is best to purchase wood panels through formal channels and choose panels from well-known brands. This is because large brands generally have more mature production and processing technologies, more advanced equipment, stricter quality control systems, and better after-sales support.

2. When purchasing environmentally friendly boards, pay attention to the environmental protection rating mark of the boards. It is best to be able to see the merchant's test report. You can ask the dealer for the quality inspection report of the boards to review.

3. Since our living space is fixed, the cumulative formaldehyde content can also cause environmental standards to be exceeded. When purchasing building materials, we should choose more environmentally friendly materials, and also pay attention to the amount of building materials used.

4. Besides environmental friendliness, the color and pattern of the boards are also a key research and development focus for board manufacturers. Currently, there is a wide variety of board colors and patterns available on the market, allowing consumers to choose according to their home's decorating style and personal preferences.

Crown Board

Ushering in the era of ENF-level environmental protection

Crown is committed to creating healthy and environmentally friendly home furnishing boards, and has established a standardized production process and a strict quality control system.

Each board is meticulously crafted through more than thirty processes, and the unique three-stage formaldehyde purification process greatly enhances the environmental friendliness of the boards.

After extensive research and testing, Crown has officially launched its ENF-grade boards, whose environmental performance meets or exceeds the ENF standard. Crown's ENF-grade boards use environmentally friendly adhesives, and environmental performance is strictly controlled at every stage, from substrate selection to processing technology.

Crown products guarantee quality.

The boards are made from high-quality base materials and decorative paper, and are produced through processes such as cold pressing, hot pressing, sanding, and curing. They are characterized by high strength, good flatness, strong stability, and a wide variety of colors and patterns.

The company independently submits products for testing to authoritative testing departments multiple times a year and cooperates with local agencies to conduct random product quality inspections to ensure that the actual performance indicators of the products are at the forefront of the industry.

With 24 years of dedicated craftsmanship, Crown has become a leading enterprise in the engineered wood products industry. In the future, Crown will continue to explore innovation and strive to create healthy and environmentally friendly home furnishing boards that consumers can trust.

Guangdong Crown Wood Industry Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional brand management organization based on innovation in the wood industry, and a brand enterprise mainly producing high-quality, environmentally friendly, and healthy wood-based panels. The company brings internationally leading Malaysian wood manufacturing technology and wood-based panels to the Chinese market, using high-quality raw materials, scientific management, advanced production processes, strict quality testing, and a comprehensive service system to provide customers worldwide with high-quality, environmentally friendly, and healthy wood-based panel products.