Furniture formaldehyde: the REACH limit applies from 6 August 2026

The new EU-wide limit

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1464 added Entry 77 to Annex XVII of REACH. From 6 August 2026, furniture and wood-based articles may not be placed on the EU market if formaldehyde release exceeds 0.062 mg/m³. The limit for most other articles is 0.080 mg/m³, and for vehicle interiors the date is 6 August 2027. One binding EU rule now replaces the patchwork of national schemes.

How compliance is proven

Compliance is demonstrated by chamber testing under EN 717-1, the method referenced via Appendix 14 of REACH. A calibrated 1 m³ emission chamber is held for a multi-day run. Crucially, each board type — every decor, core and adhesive combination — is its own chamber run, which is what drives the cost.

• +EN 717-1 — 1 m³ emission chamber, one run per board type
• +EN 16516 — reference and cross-check method
• +Perforator (EN ISO 12460-5) — faster screening for production control

Does it apply to toys?

A question we hear often: does Entry 77 cover toys? Yes. Toys for children of all ages are within scope, and the Commission specifically rejected a softer limit for resin-bonded wooden toys — so the same 0.062 mg/m³ applies. Wooden or resin-bonded toys therefore need the EN 717-1 chamber test alongside the usual EN 71 toy-safety checks. Food-contact materials, medical devices and PPE are exempt, as they are covered by their own rules.

What it costs

A single EN 717-1 chamber determination is indicatively from €899 net, and because the bottleneck is chamber occupancy, cost scales almost linearly with the number of board variants. Plan early — chamber capacity across EU laboratories tightens as the August 2026 date approaches.