BkA Tests Building Products for French Labeling Law

November 16, 2011

Berkeley Analytical tests building products for compliance with the French product labeling law. A French law requiring the labeling of construction products with respect to their emissions of VOCs goes into effect on January 1, 2012 for products newly introduced into their market and for all products on September 1, 2013. The law pertains to the emissions of TVOC and ten commonly occurring individual VOCs including formaldehyde. Chamber tests are conducted following the ISO 16000 series standards. Test results obtained at 28 days are modeled to a standard European room with a volume of 30 m3 and a ventilation rate of 0.5 air changes per hour. Four categories of emissions based on the modeled concentrations have been established – A+ (low emitting), A, B, and C (high emitting). To qualify for an A+ rating, the modeled concentration for a product must be <1,000 µg/m3 TVOC, <10 µg/m3 formaldehyde, and between <60 and <1,000 µg/m3 for the other target VOCs. Compliance to this category can be shown at a time point earlier than 28 days. The French Ministry has posted a webpage describing the labeling law. Use the Google translator to read the page in English.

BkA conducts VOC emission tests meeting the requirements of the French labeling law. A manufacturer receives a test report and a laboratory certificate showing the highest category of compliance achieved in the test. The manufacturer uses this certificate along with its quality control information to establish the label declaration regarding the compliance rating of the product. If you’re having BkA conduct a compliance test according to the CDPH Standard Method, a French labeling law test can be added at a substantial discount to standard pricing. For more information, get in touch with one of our experts via email or call us at 510-236-2325.