This page last reviewed August  5, 2008

Third Party Certification Program

On April 26, 2007, the Air Resources Board (ARB) approved an airborne toxic control measure (ATCM) to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products including hardwood plywood (HWPW), particleboard (PB), medium density fiberboard (MDF), and also furniture and other finished products made with composite wood products.

For manufacturers of HWPW, PB, and MDF, compliance with emission standards specified in the ATCM must be verified by using a third party certifier approved by ARB.  Third party certifiers have the important role of ensuring that manufacturers of composite wood products accurately certify that their manufactured products comply with the applicable emission standards set forth in the ATCM.

As part of our outreach efforts to all parties affected by the regulation, ARB staff have been working with stakeholders interested in providing their services as third party certifiers.  CARB staff have also reached out to manufacturers of composite wood products in several continents to alert them to the need for third party certification if they plan to sell their products in California.   

This website includes a flowchart to show the process specified by the ATCM and used by staff in evaluating applications.  The third party certifier application is also available in PDF format for prospective candidates.  Prospective third party certification candidates may submit an application to ARB at no cost.  This site contains a list of approved third party certifiers, as well as, a list of interested candidate third party certifiers.

Webinar Recording now Available

Approval Process Flowchart

Third Party Certification Application 

List of Candidate Third Party Certifiers

List of Approved Third Party Certifiers