Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 9 October 2026 · JIYU SDN BHD
IN SHORT
A label such as 'super E0 board', 'E0 glue' or 'E1 grade' is wording on a quotation, while the grades themselves are measured ceilings in GB/T 39600-2021: ENF at no more than 0.025, E0 at no more than 0.050 and E1 at no more than 0.124 mg/m³ in a 1 m³ climate chamber. To find out what a label means, ask which limit it refers to, whether it describes the glue or the finished board, and for the test report that shows the measured value.
A quotation arrives with 'super E0 board' or 'E0 glue' typed on a line and no number beside it. It is fair to wonder whether the words describe the glue, the core or the finished panel, and which limit they stand for. This guide takes each label in turn, says what it does and does not tell you, and turns it into a question you can send back to the supplier.
A grade is a ceiling written into a standard. GB/T 39600-2021 sorts wood-based panels by how much formaldehyde a test sample releases in a sealed 1 m³ climate chamber, and it names three steps: ENF 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. A lower number means less release. A label is a seller's wording for one of those steps, such as 'E0 board', 'E0 plywood' or 'E1 grade board'. Wording can be typed onto a quotation whether or not a measurement stands behind it, and on its own it carries no reading, no sample description and no date. That is why a label works as the start of a question rather than as an answer. The standard defines the limits, a test report gives the measured value for one sample, and the label points at a step. When label and report disagree, the report is the document you can check against the three limits yourself.
No. Glue is one ingredient of a plywood panel, while a grade belongs to the finished panel. In plywood, formaldehyde comes mainly from the adhesive, which is why the glue question is worth asking. But 'E0 glue' on a quote names a material, not a result. A grade is read from a measurement taken on a panel in the chamber. A line that says 'E0 glue' therefore leaves three things open: which glue was used, which panel was built with it, and what that panel measured. Ask whether the label describes the glue or the finished board, and ask for the report on the board. Naming the glue, soybean glue for example, is useful background. The board's own report is what places the panel on the ENF, E0 or E1 scale, so keep the two questions apart when you write back.
Start from the scale itself. The scale we work with has three named steps: ENF, E0 and E1. 'Super E0' is not one of those names, and the phrase arrives without a figure, so it has not yet told you which limit applies. That does not make the supplier wrong. It means the label has not been tied to anything you can check. Reply with a plain request: which of the three limits does 'super E0' correspond to, and which report shows it? An answer such as 'ENF, 0.025 mg/m³ or less, report number given' hands you something to compare. An answer such as 'better than E0' hands you an adjective. Words like 'super' or 'premium' sit outside the three step names, so a figure and a report are what place the board on the scale. The same request works for a 'super E0 kitchen cabinet' line on a fit-out quote: the label may sit on the cabinet, but the question is about the board inside it.
The same step name can be attached to different things. 'E1 grade plywood' points at a plywood panel. 'E1 melamine board' points at a decorative panel, meaning a core board with a melamine surface, so the line leaves open whether the figure describes the core before facing or the finished faced panel. Both readings are possible, but they are different samples, and the report should say which one went into the chamber. E1 is the least strict of the three steps, at no more than 0.124 mg/m³, so a line that stops at 'E1' leaves a wide span of possible readings beneath the ceiling. The same goes for an E0 vs E1 plywood comparison: the step names tell you the ceiling, and the report tells you the reading. Ask for the sample description on the report, covering product type, thickness, whether it was faced and who submitted it, then check that it matches the line you are being quoted.
Send one message with six questions so the reply can be checked line by line. One: does the label describe the glue, the core or the finished panel? Two: which limit does it correspond to, ENF, E0 or E1, and what is the measured value in mg/m³? Three: which laboratory issued the report, under which report number and on which date? Four: which standard and method produced the figure? Five: does the sample on the report match the product and thickness on my quote? Six: who submitted the sample? Then do the check yourself. A measured value at or below 0.025 mg/m³ meets the ENF ceiling. A value above that and up to 0.050 mg/m³ falls under E0, and a value above that and up to 0.124 mg/m³ falls under E1. If the grade on the report and your own reading of the value disagree, ask the supplier to explain before you place the order.
JIYU's plywood is ENF grade across the range, meaning a ceiling of 0.025 mg/m³ or less, and it is bonded with soybean glue. The third-party evidence we can cite is one test report, JC26-WT0087, issued by the Liuzhou Quality Inspection and Testing Research Center, a CMA-accredited laboratory, on 14 July 2026. A sample we submitted measured 0.022 mg/m³ after 77 hours in the 1 m³ chamber, which meets the ENF requirement under GB/T 39600-2021. Read that for what it is: a result for the submitted sample, not a reading for every sheet. Our board comes off our own production line in Langfang, Hebei, and each batch has to pass the factory's inspection before it ships. That is internal quality control and sits apart from the laboratory report. E0-grade board is not in our current range. It is brought in when a customer specifies it or a large custom order specially requires it.
Does an E0 or E1 label say anything about strength or moisture behaviour?
The three grades describe formaldehyde release in the chamber test. Strength, layer count, screw holding and behaviour in damp conditions are separate properties, so ask for them as separate lines on the quote instead of reading them into a grade label.
Can I compare an E0 quote and an ENF quote directly?
You can compare the ceilings: ENF is no more than 0.025 mg/m³ and E0 is no more than 0.050 mg/m³, so the E0 ceiling is twice the ENF ceiling. To compare the boards themselves, set the two measured values side by side after checking that both reports use the same standard, the same chamber method and the same unit.
What if the supplier has no report for the label on the quote?
Then the label has nothing behind it that you can check, and you can treat it as unverified. You can ask whether the supplier holds a report for another product in the range, or compare the line with quotes that do come with a report. The decision to order stays with you.
Which unit should the formaldehyde figure be in?
Milligrams per cubic metre, mg/m³, from the 1 m³ climate chamber method, because that is the method behind the ENF, E0 and E1 limits in GB/T 39600-2021. A figure in any unit other than mg/m³ should not be set beside the limits above. If a quote or report shows another unit, ask which method produced it. If a quote or report shows another unit, ask which method produced it.
JIYU SDN BHD is an ENF-grade plywood supplier based in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia, serving cabinet makers, renovation contractors, interior designers and building material dealers across Peninsular Malaysia.
Send JIYU your board spec and quantity on WhatsApp and we will quote to that spec. 18mm and 6mm are in stock at our Puchong warehouse in Selangor, and the board carries a 10-year one-to-one limited warranty covering manufacturing defects only: delamination, cracking not caused by external force, and moisture blistering caused by a manufacturing defect. Orders are dispatched within 3 days of being placed, with arrival depending on the logistics company you choose.
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