Reference table · last checked 23 October 2026
The lowest official ceiling for wood panels is China’s ENF grade: ≤0.025 mg/m³ (GB/T 39600-2021). The EU caps wood-based articles at 0.062 mg/m³ from 6 August 2026, and the US caps hardwood plywood at 0.05 ppm. For room air, the WHO guideline is 0.1 mg/m³ and Malaysia’s DOSH code is 0.1 ppm. Every number below links to the document it comes from.
Table 1 · What a board releases
Measured on a board sample inside a test chamber. Lower is stricter. Different standards use different chambers, so compare grades within one standard.
| Standard / grade | Limit | How it is measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| China — ENF | ≤ 0.025 mg/m³ | 1 m³ climate chamber | GB/T 39600-2021 (in force 1 Oct 2021) |
| China — E0 | ≤ 0.050 mg/m³ | 1 m³ climate chamber | GB/T 39600-2021 |
| China — E1 | ≤ 0.124 mg/m³ | 1 m³ climate chamber | GB/T 39600-2021 |
| European Union — wood-based articles & furniture | 0.062 mg/m³ | Test chamber, 1 m²/m³ loading, 1 air change per hour | REACH Annex XVII entry 77, Regulation (EU) 2023/1464 — applies from 6 Aug 2026 |
| United States — hardwood plywood | 0.05 ppm (≈ 0.061 mg/m³) | Large chamber (ASTM E1333) | TSCA Title VI, 40 CFR 770.10 — same level as CARB Phase 2 |
ppm converted to mg/m³ at 25 °C and 1 atm (1 ppm ≈ 1.228 mg/m³ for formaldehyde). Conversions are for reading only — the official limit is the figure in the original unit.
Table 2 · What is in the room air
Measured in the air of a real room, not on a board. A room’s level depends on how much material is in it and how well it is ventilated.
| Body | Limit | Averaging time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO guideline | 0.1 mg/m³ (≈ 0.08 ppm) | Any 30-minute average | WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants (2010) |
| Malaysia — DOSH | 0.1 ppm (≈ 0.12 mg/m³) | 8-hour time-weighted average | Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010, Table 2 |
One data point from us
We cite one test, under one standard — so this is the only comparison we make.
A sample of JIYU’s board was tested by a CMA-accredited lab in a 1 m³ climate chamber under GB/T 39600-2021 and measured 0.022 mg/m³ (report JC26-WT0087), inside the ENF ceiling of 0.025 mg/m³. It has not been tested under the EU or US methods, so we do not make claims against those limits.
Citing this page
JIYU SDN. BHD. (2026). Formaldehyde limits compared: China, EU, US, WHO, Malaysia. Last checked 23 October 2026. https://jiyu.my/formaldehyde-limits-compared
Questions we get asked
Malaysia does not have its own emission grade for plywood panels. The Malaysian limit that does exist is for room air: the DOSH Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 sets 0.1 ppm as an 8-hour average for buildings with mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning. For the board itself, suppliers in Malaysia usually quote a foreign grade — most often China’s GB/T 39600-2021 classes (E1, E0, ENF).
On the numbers, ENF (≤0.025 mg/m³) is the lowest ceiling in the table, below the EU’s 0.062 mg/m³ and the US 0.05 ppm (about 0.061 mg/m³). But the three use different test chambers and conditions, so a board’s result under one method cannot simply be carried over to another. Compare grades within the same standard, and ask which standard a number was tested against.
Not directly. Board limits measure what one sample releases inside a controlled test chamber. The WHO and DOSH figures measure the air in a real room, which depends on how much board is in the room, ventilation, temperature, humidity and every other material present.
From 6 August 2026, REACH Annex XVII entry 77 caps wood-based articles and furniture at 0.062 mg/m³ — half of the old E1 ceiling of 0.124 mg/m³. So a panel that only meets E1 no longer meets the EU limit.
Yes. Please link to this page as the source so readers can see the original documents behind each number. We re-check the figures when a standard changes; the date at the top of the table shows the last check.
JIYU’s range is ENF grade as standard. Ask and we will send the test report with the quote.