After August 6, 2026, covered articles may not be placed on the EU market if formaldehyde emissions under the prescribed test conditions exceed 0.062 mg/m³ for furniture and wood-based articles, or 0.080 mg/m³ for other articles. The rule comes from Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1464, which amends REACH Annex XVII. Germany's Federal Environment Agency calls it the first EU-wide regulation establishing formaldehyde-emission limits across these products.
The scope reaches ordinary residential materials and products, including many wood-based panels, flooring systems, furniture, and other articles manufactured with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing substances. The regulation includes specific exemptions, including second-hand goods, outdoor-only articles, and construction components used entirely outside the building shell and vapour barrier that do not emit formaldehyde into indoor air. Compliance is judged under defined emissions testing conditions, not by a stick-on "green" badge. Older E1 class language remains useful context, but this restriction is a market rule with a harder edge.