EPA updates formaldehyde testing standards for composite wood products

EPA published a final rule on October 28, 2026, updating the formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The rule provides a new quality control test method option and updates specific voluntary consensus standards incorporated by reference.

Who’s impacted?

The formaldehyde emission standards apply to entities that manufacture (including import), sell, supply, offer for sale, or certify certain composite wood products that use formaldehyde, including:

• Hardwood plywood,
• Medium-density fiberboard,
• Particleboard, and
• Products containing these composite wood materials.

It may also apply to entities that test these materials or work with certification firms that certify them.

Regulated entities use approved voluntary consensus standards to comply with the formaldehyde emission standards (40 CFR Part 770).

What are the changes?

EPA’s final rule updates six voluntary consensus standards incorporated by reference to the most current standards issued by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Regulated entities must comply with the updated versions of these standards.

The final rule also adds an allowable quality control testing method. ISO 12460-2:2024(en), “Wood-based panels — Determination of Formaldehyde Release — Part 2: Small-scale Chamber Method,” is a small-scale chamber test method for measuring formaldehyde emissions from wood products. The new standard contains a wider range of analytical methods that entities can use (e.g., laser absorption spectroscopy).

Finally, the rule removes the British Standards Institute BS EN ISO 12460-3:2020 standard from the allowable quality control methods since ISO 12460-3:2023(E), one of the existing standards that’s being updated by the final rule, is identical.

The final rule takes effect November 27, 2026.

Key to remember: EPA updated the formaldehyde testing standards for composite wood products, adding a quality control test method and updating multiple voluntary consensus standards.