Published 24 July 2026 · JIYU Technical Team
IN SHORT
To verify an ENF plywood claim, ask the supplier for the actual third-party test report and check five things: the report number and issuing laboratory, the standard it was judged against (GB/T 39600-2021), the test method (1m3 climate chamber), the measured value in mg/m3 (ENF requires no more than 0.025 mg/m3), and whether the sample described matches the exact product you are ordering. A logo on a brochure, a grade name, or a claim of zero formaldehyde is not evidence. Only a dated report from a named laboratory is.
In Malaysia the letters ENF appear on a great deal of board marketing. The grade is real, but the label is only as good as the document behind it. This checklist shows you how to tell a verified panel from a claimed one in about five minutes.
In Malaysia the letters ENF appear on a lot of marketing material. The grade itself is real: it is the strictest tier in China GB/T 39600-2021, the national standard for formaldehyde emission from wood-based panels. But the label is only as trustworthy as the document behind it, and nothing stops a trading company from printing a grade name on a catalogue. What you are actually buying is a measured emission level, and a measured level only exists on a test report. So before you place an order, treat the word ENF as a claim to be verified rather than a specification you have already received. The verification itself is quick once you know what to look for.
First, a report number and the name of the issuing laboratory, so the document is traceable and you can quote the number back. Second, the standard it was judged against, which for formaldehyde grading of wood panels is GB/T 39600-2021. Third, the test method: grade classification is based on the 1m3 climate chamber method, carried out in line with GB/T 17657-2022 and GB 18580-2025. Fourth, the measured result expressed in mg/m3, together with the chamber duration. Fifth, a clear description of the sample tested (product type, structure, thickness) so you can confirm it matches what you are ordering. If any one of the five is missing, you do not yet have proof. As a worked example: JIYU Shengshi Gelin plywood was tested by the Liuzhou Quality Inspection and Testing Research Center, a CMA-accredited laboratory, under report JC26-WT0087 issued on 14 July 2026, with a measured result of 0.022 mg/m3 at 77 hours, against the ENF requirement of no more than 0.025 mg/m3.
This is where buyers are most often misled, frequently without any intent to deceive on the supplier side. Formaldehyde can be measured by several laboratory methods and each reports in its own unit. The climate chamber method reports mg/m3. The desiccator method reports mg/L. The perforator method reports mg/100g. These numbers are not interchangeable and cannot be compared with one another. A figure that looks impressively small in one unit may be quite ordinary in another. Grade classification under GB/T 39600-2021 is defined using the 1m3 climate chamber method in mg/m3, so when you place two suppliers side by side, first confirm that both reports use the chamber method and the mg/m3 unit. If one quotes mg/L and the other mg/m3, you are not comparing like with like.
Under GB/T 39600-2021, measured in a 1m3 climate chamber, the tiers are: ENF, the formaldehyde-free grade and the strictest tier, at no more than 0.025 mg/m3; E0 at no more than 0.050 mg/m3; and E1 at no more than 0.124 mg/m3. Lower is better, and the practical gap is wider than it first appears, since an E1 panel is permitted to emit roughly five times what an ENF panel may emit. It is equally important to understand what ENF does not mean. It does not mean the absence of formaldehyde. Wood contains trace natural formaldehyde, so no panel can truthfully be described as zero formaldehyde. ENF is a grade with a defined ceiling, and a supplier who tells you their board contains none at all is overstating the case.
A test report tells you what one sample did in a laboratory on one occasion. Three further questions tell you what you are likely to receive across a year of production. The first is the adhesive. Formaldehyde in engineered panels comes overwhelmingly from the glue, so ask what adhesive system is used; soybean-based adhesive is what allows a panel to reach the ENF tier, whereas conventional urea-formaldehyde resin cannot. The second is the written warranty: ask precisely what is covered, for how long, and whether replacement is one-to-one. JIYU plywood carries a written 10-year one-to-one warranty covering bursting, warping, delamination and moisture bubbling, together with 3-year termite protection. The third is supply consistency: ask where stock is held and what the lead time is on repeat orders, because a panel that performs beautifully but arrives six weeks late still costs you a production slot.
Copy these seven questions into your next enquiry. One: please send the third-party formaldehyde test report for the exact product and thickness I am ordering. Two: which laboratory issued it, and what is the report number and date? Three: was it graded against GB/T 39600-2021 using the 1m3 climate chamber method? Four: what is the measured value in mg/m3? Five: what adhesive system is used? Six: what does the written warranty cover, and for how long? Seven: where is stock held, and what is the lead time on repeat orders? A supplier who answers all seven quickly and in writing is one you can plan production around. A supplier who answers with adjectives instead of documents is a risk you are quietly taking on yourself.
Is there such a thing as zero-formaldehyde plywood?
No. Wood naturally contains trace formaldehyde, so no wood-based panel can truthfully be described as containing none. The correct term is the formaldehyde-free grade, ENF, which under GB/T 39600-2021 means a measured emission of no more than 0.025 mg/m3 in a 1m3 climate chamber. Treat any zero formaldehyde claim as a marketing overstatement, and ask for the test report instead.
What exactly should I ask a supplier for?
The third-party test report itself, not a certificate logo or a grade name on a catalogue. It should show the issuing laboratory, the report number and date, the standard (GB/T 39600-2021), the method (1m3 climate chamber), the measured value in mg/m3, and a description of the sample that matches the product you intend to order.
Why can I not compare a mg/m3 figure with a mg/L figure?
Because they come from different test methods. The climate chamber method reports mg/m3, the desiccator method reports mg/L and the perforator method reports mg/100g. GB/T 39600-2021 grades panels using the chamber method in mg/m3, so any like-for-like comparison between two suppliers has to use that same method and unit.
How recent does the test report need to be?
Ask for the most recent report available and check the issue date. A report is evidence about the material tested at that time, so a current report from a named, accredited laboratory carries far more weight than an undated or an old one. If the report predates a change in the supplier material source or factory, ask for a fresh one.
What does the JIYU test report show?
JIYU Shengshi Gelin soybean-glue plywood was tested by the Liuzhou Quality Inspection and Testing Research Center, a CMA-accredited laboratory, under report number JC26-WT0087 issued on 14 July 2026. The measured formaldehyde emission was 0.022 mg/m3 at 77 hours using the 1m3 climate chamber method, meeting the ENF requirement of no more than 0.025 mg/m3 under GB/T 39600-2021. We send the full report to buyers on request.
About the author
The JIYU technical team comprises wood-product specialists and quality-assurance professionals with expertise in formaldehyde testing standards, plywood manufacturing and environmental compliance. Based in Puchong, Selangor, the team supports Malaysian furniture factories, renovation firms and interior designers in selecting and specifying ENF-grade soybean-glue plywood for health-conscious residential and commercial projects.
Before you commit to any supplier, ask for the report. If you would like ours: tell us what you manufacture and we will send our quotation together with the independent ENF test report for the exact product, plus the written 10-year one-to-one warranty terms. Orders start from one unit (50 sheets), so you can run your own trial before scaling up. Stock is held in Puchong, Selangor, with delivery across West Malaysia.
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