Formaldehyde emissions standard for composite wood products

Scope

1.1

This Standard applies to newly manufactured, unfinished composite wood panels prior to use in construction, finishing, or installation. The composite wood panel categories covered are 

a) hardwood plywood (HWPW) (including composite and veneer core); 

b) particleboard (PB); 

c) medium density fibreboard (MDF); and 

d) thin MDF. 

Note: Refer to Clause 3.1 for further clarification. 

1.2

This Standard does not apply to the following: 

a) cellulosic fiber insulating boards complying with ASTM C208; 

b) curved plywood; 

c) hardwood plywood with a lumber core or non-composite core material; 

d) finger-jointed lumber; and 

e) structural wood products made with moisture resistant adhesives complying with the referenced standards:

• i) structural Plywood conforming to CSA O121, CSA O151, CSA O153, or NIST PS 1; 
•  
• ii) oriented strand board (OSB) specified with the Exposure 1 or Exterior bond classification in accordance with CSA O325, NIST PS 2, ICC Acceptance Criteria or Canadian Codes and Materials Centre (CCMC) Evaluation Criteria or ANSI standards for code compliant applications; 
• iii) structural Composite Lumber, Specification for Structural Composite Lumber Products conforming to ASTM D5456 or CCMC Evaluation Criteria for Structural Composite Lumber; 
•  
• iv) structural Glued Laminated Timber conforming to CAN/CSA-O122 or ANSI A190.1; 
• v) wood I-Joists "Standard Specification for Establishing and Monitoring Structural Capacities of Prefabricated Wood I-Joists" conforming to ASTM D5055 or CCMC Evaluation Criteria for Wood I-joists; and 
• vi) cross-laminated timber specified to ANSI/APA PRG 320.

1.3

In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard. 

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. 

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. 

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.