Eurofins Product Testing - German AgBB / DIBt

Please also click below for more general information

on VOC emission testing for ecolabels

on the meaning of VOC

on LEED and Green Buildings

AgBB specification and DIBt regulation

Germany published restrictions of VOC emissions from construction products.

The background to this is the EU Directive on Construction Products requiring that no construction product should cause any harm to the occupants of a building. As the EU did not specifically detail this requirement, national regulations may interpret this differently. A German task force of public health authorities, the AgBB, presented an approach for implementing this part of the EU directive. The AgBB used and updated an earlier project on assessment of emissions from carpets (ECA no. 18), for producing its AgBB specifications.

German DIBt institute in Berlin, a public agency for construction products, used this approach for requiring low VOC emissions for CE marked floorings that are used in Germany. Now all floorings sold in Europe have to carry a CE mark in showing compliance with EN 14041. But for being installed in German buildings, these have to be approved by DIBt after fulfilling the supplementary DIBt requirements on emissions and carry the Ü mark. Similar regulation exists for some other products, such as resin floorings, wall coverings, and more.

From 1. Jan 2011, this regulation is valid also for parquet floorings (EN 13342), parquet coatings, and at least one year later for flooring adhesives, but external certification will not be required for coatings and adhesives. Instead, an annual re-testing will do.

New list of NIK / LCI values

Early in May 2010, AgBB published new NIK (LCI) values. These can be downloaded from German EPA (UBA) in English (soon) and in German.

A comparison of new and recent NIK values will be visible here by mid September 2010.

Please note: The laboratories have been instructed by DIBt to apply the new NIK value for naphthalin (10 µg/m³ after 28 days) without any transition period.

Latest News

In 2009, this regulation was expanded to cover also parquet floorings (EN 14342), parquet coatings, and for parquet flooring adhesives. In the meantime this was postponed until January 1^st, 2011. Expansion of scope to include other flooring adhesives also is foreseen, probably for 2012. Please click here for more details on these product groups.

Please find here  latest notified version of DIBt regulation.

Procedures

The requirements comprise limitations to emissions after a test piece was stored in a test chamber for 3 days and 28 days. The 3 days test is representative of a building renovation case with early re-occupancy and prohibits excessively high initial VOC emissions and the presence of carcinogens. The 28 days test is representative of long-term emissions.The AgBB approach sets limits for:

• Carcinogens after 3 and 28 days
• Total VOC after 3 and 28 days
• Total SVOC after 28 days
• Single VOC compounds with “LCl” limit values (NIK in German ) after 28 days.
  (188 NIK values have been published)
• Single VOC compounds without such limit values after 28 days.

When approaching a registration by DIBt the manufacturer must provide several documents, among that test results for VOC emissions. Test reports only from laboratories approved by DIBt are accepted, such as Eurofins Product Testing A/S. Afterwards an auditing and certification contract with a "ÜZ" body is required, with at least annual audit on-site and re-testing. Then the German Ü mark may be used for labelling. Ü stands for "Übereinstimmung" (compliance). Eurofins offers also these DIBt services as ÜZ body.

Eurofins is both approved test house and approved ÜZ certification body. AgBB / DIBt testing can be easily combined with tests for other labels such as French VOC regulations, French AFSSET guideline, German Blue Angel, Finnish M1 and US tests. Such combinations are saving money compared with separate testing for each of these purposes. If a resistance to fire test is needed for CE marking then Eurofins cooperates with a German partner, the MPA in Erwitte.

For further information please see our information in English, in French and in German.

Eurofins services

Eurofins offers documentation of compliance with above specifications on emissions of VOC and aldehydes by independent testing, certification ("ÜZ body"), and auditing for the Ü mark if required.

Eurofins also offers consulting services for helping companiesin communication with DIBt agency for clear understanding of DIBt requirements.

Further Information

For further information please contact our national organisations or our specialists for making use of the experience of Eurofins, the world market leader for VOC emissions chamber testing.

Order forms and testing request forms for VOC testing are available for free download here.

Your direct contacts:

Direct contact to Eurofins Product Testing A/S, the world market leader for VOC emissions chamber testing:

• Sales: Reinhard Oppl, email ReinhardOppl@eurofins.com
• Certification: Dr. Roland Augustin, email ccs@eurofins.com
• Testing laboratory: Thomas Neuhaus, email product-emissions@eurofins.com