Eurofins Product Testing - AgBB, DIBt and German Ü mark for construction products

Please also click below for more general information

on VOC emission testing for ecolabels

on the meaning of VOC

on LEED and Green Buildings

German Ü mark

The German Ü mark for construction products is administered by German DIBt (German Institute for Construction Technology) and defines additional specifications if European CE marking does not cover all necessary issues for German authorities.

Ü stands for "Übereinstimmung" (compliance).

As regards construction products, today Eurofins is working with industry for the Ü mark for floor coverings. These are requiring compliance with a slightly modfied version of the AgBB specifications. For further information please see our information in English, in French and in German. Latest notified version can be found here. We summarised core details on another page.

Floor coverings with a CE mark in accordance with EN 14041 must carry an Ü mark for being installed in German buildings in rooms where humans will stay lomnger than just transiently. In earlier times, the Ü mark also covered resistance to fire testing, but this now is dealt with in EN 14041 on European basis and no longer within German 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.

Procedure

The procedure consists of an initial test of VOC and aldehydes emissions into a test chamber that simulates a reference indoor room. If emissions are below all limit values then the manufacturer sends in an application to DIBt together with the recipe of the product. The DIBt license for use of Ü mark is connected to a contract between manufacturer and an independent certification body ("ÜZ" body) which will inspect the quality management system (as far as emissions into indoor air are concerned) at the manufacturing site - typically on an annual basis. The inspector then will take samples for spot checking.

Eurofins is both approved test house and approved ÜZ certification body. Testing can be easily combined with tests for other labels such as French VOC regulations, French AFSSET, 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.

Ü mark will be applied also to other construction products rather soon. Eurofins will follow the development and help industry to comply with these requirements.

Ü mark, CE mark and the Eurofins certification programme Indoor Air Comfort - certified products may be ordered in parallel for use on different market segments - there will be significant costs saving when compared to ordering these services separately.

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 June 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.

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 companies in 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