TSCA Title VI: formaldehyde labels for plywood, MDF and furniture to the US

What TSCA Title VI covers

TSCA Title VI sets formaldehyde emission standards for hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, and applies to household and other finished goods that contain them, such as furniture and cabinets. The limits, measured under ASTM E1333-14, are 0.05 ppm for hardwood plywood with a veneer or composite core, 0.11 ppm for MDF, 0.13 ppm for thin MDF and 0.09 ppm for particleboard. They are identical to the standards already in force in California.

Panels must be certified by a third-party certifier approved by CARB and recognised by EPA; since 22 March 2019, products made in or imported into the US must be certified by an EPA TSCA Title VI TPC. Laminated product producers have had to meet the provisions since 22 March 2024. On 6 February 2026 EPA proposed updating several referenced consensus standards and adding ISO 12460-2:2024; that proposal is not yet final.

Labels needed before entry

• Each panel or bundle: panel producer's name (or producer number), lot number and EPA TSCA Title VI TPC number
• Each panel or bundle: a statement that the products are TSCA Title VI certified
• Each finished good, or each box or bundle: the fabricator's name
• Each finished good, or each box or bundle: the date it was produced, in month/year format
• Each finished good, or each box or bundle: the statement "TSCA Title VI compliant"
• All labels in legible English and applied before the goods enter the US

Import certification and records

Since 22 March 2019, the TSCA section 13 import certification has applied to these products: for each shipment, the importer signs the statement "I certify that all chemical substances in this shipment comply with all applicable rules or orders under TSCA." on the entry document or the invoice. Importers do not have to apply labels themselves, but the labels put on by panel producers and fabricators must stay intact and readable.

Importers must take reasonable precautions to make sure the products were made in compliance, and keep records for 3 years from the import or purchase date: the panel producer, production date, supplier and purchase date, and bills of lading or invoices with the supplier's written statement of compliance. EPA can ask for them, and they must be provided within 30 calendar days. Some products are exempt, including hardboard, structural plywood and panels, oriented strand board, glued laminated lumber, wood I-joists, finger-jointed lumber, wood packaging and windows with less than 5 percent composite wood by volume.