French Regulations on VOC emissions from construction products
(French version) 
(German version)
Compulsory VOC emissions labelling
A French regulation was published on 25 March 2011 with details published on 13 May 2011 regarding a mandatory labelling of construction products installed indoors, floor and wall coverings, paints and lacquers with their emission classes based on emission testing. This includes:
- Walls, ceiling, floor coverings and coatings,
- Panels for rooms partition and suspended ceiling
- Insulation products,
- Doors and windows,
- All products used for the installation of the products listed above.
The regulation does not cover
- untreated metal or glass,
- lockers, iron, screws etc,
- products used only outside.
For more details, please see a non-exhaustive list of covered and non-covered products (in French language), published by the ministry.
This regulation foresees that from 1. Jan. 2012, any covered product placed on the market has to be labelled with emission classes based on their emissions after 28 days, as tested with ISO 16000 and calculated for European reference room - similar to the two other French regulations on emissions of CMR substances.
Products already on the market on 1. Jan. 2012 can be sold without label until 1. Sept. 2013.
As this is the same reference room as used in Germany, existing test data for German regulation can be used for assigning an emissions class, without new tests and without conversion of the test results. The same holds true for EMICODE, GUT and Blue Angel. Also other valid information can be used as basis for this assignment of class, such as tests based on ISO 16000, but with shorter testing duration.
The emissions class will be assigned by the manufacturer or the distributor in his self-responsibility.
VOC emissions classes
Products that are in French market before that date need to be labelled from 1. September 2013 on. The limit values for the emission classes are listed below.
|
Classes |
C |
B |
A |
A+ |
|
TVOC |
>2000 |
<2000 |
<1500 |
<1000 |
|
Formaldehyde |
>120 |
<120 |
<60 |
<10 |
|
Acetaldehyde |
>400 |
<400 |
<300 |
<200 |
|
Toluene |
>600 |
<600 |
<450 |
<300 |
|
Tetrachloroethylene |
>500 |
<500 |
<350 |
<250 |
|
Xylene |
>400 |
<400 |
<300 |
<200 |
|
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene |
>2000 |
<2000 |
<1500 |
<1000 |
|
1,4-Dichlorobenzene |
>120 |
<120 |
<90 |
<60 |
|
Ethylbenzene |
>1500 |
<1500 |
<1000 |
<750 |
|
2-Butoxyethanol |
>2000 |
<2000 |
<1500 |
<1000 |
|
Styrene |
>500 |
<500 |
<350 |
<250 |
The label on the products includes a letter indicating the highest (worst) emissions class of the listed individual substances and the TVOC.
There are detailed rules on how the label has to look like. An example is given below. Minimum dimensions are 15 mm × 30 mm. The additional sentence below always shall be placed on the packaging in readable letter size.
* Information sur le niveau d’émission de substances volatiles dans l’air intérieur, présentant un risque de toxicité par inhalation, sur une échelle de classe allant de A+ (très faibles émissions) à C (fortes émissions).
Important links and graphic files
You will find the original texts in two documents - Decree no 2011-321 as published, Arrêté as published.
The graphic files are available for download in JPEG format (and in EPS format), or from an official French website for downloading these files.
The French ministry offers more information on a specific webpage in French language, including a non-exhaustive list of covered and non-covered products (in French language). You will find there also precisions and instructions for testing doors and windows for their VOC emissions classes (in French language).
CMR emissions
From 1. Jan 2010, construction products may be sold in France only if they show 28 days emission of CMR substances trichloroethylene, benzene, DEHP and DBP below 1 µg/m³ each, tested with ISO 16000 and calculated for European reference room.
Original texts of both regulations on trichloroethylene, benzene, DEHP and DBP can be seen by clicking on two links:
- For English language - here and here (as notified to European Commission)
- For French language - here and here (official texts)
- For German language - here and here (as notified to European Commission)
- For other languages - here and here (as notified to European Commission)
"Grenelle Environnement"
Both above initiatives of French government, running under the French name "Le Grenelle Environnement", go for implementing the goals of the national environment and health action plan PNSE 2.
AFSSET guideline
French AFSSET agency published the guideline ”Protocole AFFSET”, updated in 2009, for limiting VOC emissions into indoor air. It specifies chamber emission testing and limit values after 3 and after 28 days of storage in a ventilated test chamber - the 28 days test is regarded as representative for long-term emissions. This guideline is not binding and there is no procedure for showing compliance, but AFSSET agency recommends to base evaluations of VOC emissions from products on this guideline.
This guideline must not be confused with the French regulation on VOC emissions. AFSSET guideline is NOT the regulation. It is a non-binding guidance that you may use or not, depending on what the market requires.
Eurofins offers testing
- either just an ISO 16000 test for showing compliance with French regulations, or with AFFSET guideline, or with both
- or the same test but supplemented with another test method with lower detection method for DEHP and DBP.
- Background for that differentiation is the fact that there are doubts whether that the specified test method cannot detect such low levels of DEHP and DBP.
Further Information
A technical sheet with more information is available for download in English, in French and in German.
A similar information for Chinese customers is available in Chinese and in English.
Eurofins Product Testing A/S offers all relevant testing. The test programme can be expanded such that the same test can be used also for other regulations and labels in Europe - this will be much cheaper than if you order both tests separately. Reporting is possible in French, in English or in German, or in other languages upon request.
Contact to VOC Testing Laboratories
Please see here contact information of Eurofins VOC testing laboratories in Europe, USA and China:
www.eurofins.com/voc-contacts.
Order forms and testing request forms are available for free download here.