As of June 1, 2018, new EPA regulations regarding the emission of formaldehyde in certain wood products went into effect. While composite wood products including MDF (medium density fiberboard), decorative hardwood plywood and particleboard are some of the products that must meet the new regulations, structural engineered wood products are exempt according to reports.
An order was issued addressing litigation regarding a previously set December 2018 compliance date by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on March 13th of this year, amending the compliance date to June 1. Under this regulation, a third party certifier must verify that manufacturers of regulated composite wood products are capable of complying with the formaldehyde emissions regulation, and complete a certification of compliance. Third party certifiers must be both recognized by the EPA and approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Products not affected by the EPAs formaldehyde emissions regulations include OSB (oriented stand board), laminated veneer lumber, structural plywood, glued-laminated timber and other structural engineered products to be used in construction applications. The APA Mark of Quality on structural engineered wood products exempts these products from the new EPA regulation. Additionally, unmarked structural engineered wood products can be identified as exempt from the regulation with an APA certificate and product invoice in circumstances where this wood is purchased by industries not requiring a certification mark.
According to the EPAs website, impacted products must be labeled as TSCA Title VI or CARB ATCM Phase II compliant as of June 1 when those composite wood products are manufactured in the U.S. or imported, supplied, sold or offered for sale in the United States.
REA JET U.S. provides innovative coding and marking solutions for the wood industry, including OSB boards, dimensional lumber, engineered wood and more. Our high resolution and DOD large character ink jet systems are two examples of coding technologies commonly used in the wood industry because of their robustness and ability to deliver clear, legible marking. Count on REA JET for all of your wood and lumber coding needs.