VOC emissions regulation for construction products and floor coverings
The Royal Decree establishing threshold levels for the emissions to the indoor environment from construction products was published on Aug 18, 2014.
The regulation became mandatorily effective from Jan 1, 2015, for products to be traded on the Belgian market for the first time. A transition period till Sept 1, 2015, for products being put on the market before Sept 1, 2014 allowed an onward-sale.
The placing of products on the market without the respective product emissions files according to the regulation are not permitted since the quoted points of time.
Grandfathered from this regulation are floor covering products consisting of 100 % of natural stone, ceramic materials, glass or steel.
The basis of the Belgian decree is the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR). This is the third national regulation in Europe concerning emissions from construction products and joins the principles of the German Institute for Structural Engineering (DIBt) and the French A+ VOC regulation already in place.
Laboratory tests have to be performed by an ISO 17024 accredited test lab following the new so called horizontal European emission testing method EN 16516.
The emissions are measured after 28 days but are more comprehensive for Belgium than the French VOC regulation. DIBt and AgBB measurement, however, can be consulted in this context.
Further, test results already on hand, for example of adequate voluntary labels like the eco-INSTITUT-Label or Blue Angel, can be evaluated according to the Belgian regulation.
Overview European VOC emission limit values after 28 days
| Substance / Limit value after 28 days | AgBB 2021 | Belgian VOC regulation 2014 | French VOC regulation A+ 2011 |
| TVOC | ≤ 1,0 mg/m3 | ≤ 1000 μg/m3 | ≤ 1000 μg/m3 |
| TSVOC | ≤ 0,1 mg/m3 | ≤ 100 μg/m3 | not defined |
| Toloule | ≤ 2900 μg/m3* | ≤ 300 μg/m3 | < 300 μg/m3 |
| Formaldehyde | ≤ 100 μg/m3* | ≤ 100 μg/m3 | < 10 μg/m3 |
| Acetaldehyde | ≤ 300 μg/m3* | ≤ 200 μg/m3 | < 200 μg/m3 |
| CMR substances 1A & 1B | ≤ 1 μg/m3 (only C substances) | ≤ 1 μg/m3 | ≤ 1 μg/m3 (CMR regulation) |
| R value | ≤ 1 | ≤ 1 | ≤ 1 |
| TVOC w/o LCI | ≤ 0,1 mg/m3 | not defined | not defined |
*) NIK, LCI, CLI
Subject to change without notice; last update: August 22nd, 2022
