FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT INDOOR AIR QUALITY
WHAT IS FORMALDEHYDE?
Formaldehyde is a chemical compound with the formula CHOH or CH2O. It is a colorless, pungent gas and common volatile organic compound (VOC). It was first reported by the Russian chemist Aleksandr Butlerov (1828-1886). Formaldehyde has been used as a component in many common products including disinfectants and preservatives, clothing and textiles, plastics and coatings. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Human beings and plant life actually produce small amounts of formaldehyde on a daily basis!
When reacted with urea it produces a hard thermoset resin. These resins are commonly used in permanent adhesives such as those used in hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF). Urea formaldehyde can “off-gas” formaldehyde after the manufacturing process is complete.
WHAT IS A VOC?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a VOC (or Volatile Organic Compound) as "any organic compound that participates in a photoreaction." The term VOC may refer both to well characterized organic compounds and to mixtures of variable composition. Volatile Organic Compounds are carbon-based chemical compounds, found in thousands of household products that vaporize into a gas at room temperature like paint thinners, cleaning products, carpeting and even room deodorizers. Once inhaled, these toxins can be stored within the body, potentially causing long-term health effects.
WHAT IS NO-ADDED UREA FORMALDEHYDE (NAUF)
A term used earlier in the century to describe materials which had no added urea-formaldehyde in the core and lamination process. The term referred specifically to the binders used in composite panel production. Alternative adhesive systems that qualified for the NAUF category include: Phenol Formaldehyde (PF), Poly vinyl acetate (PVA) and Soy. LEED® 2009 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) also adopted the no added urea-formaldehyde terminology under the credit EQ 4.4, which was retired in July 2016, replaced with LEED V4 and now V5.
WHAT DOES "FORMALDEHYDE-FREE" MEAN?
When we say PureBond® technology is ‘formaldehyde-free,’ we’re describing the way our hardwood plywood panels are comprised of no-added urea formaldehyde core and lamination adhesives. In other words, we don’t add any formaldehyde to the products we call “formaldehyde-free”. Today, PureBond® Veneer Core Hardwood Plywood is comprised of inner core layers of dried wood (mostly fir, pine, poplar or aspen), bonded together with a decorative veneer face and back using our innovative, soy-based or PVA-based assembly process.
CAN PUREBOND® PANELS BE VOC FREE?
It might surprise many folks, but natural wood is not a VOC-free material. Naturally occurring compounds generated by trees while growing, called extractives, are fairly well known and generally published in wood science research.
The most important of these naturally occurring groups of potential materials are the polyphenols and oleoresins. Oleoresins, more common in softwoods, provide turpentine, oils, and rosin. Polyphenols are more prevalent in hardwoods, and include tannins, anthocyanins, flavones, catechins, kinos, and lignans.
Natural wood may also contain a wide variety of gums, tropolones, fats, fatty acids, waxes, and volatile hydrocarbons as well.
Certain species, most notably those generically called cedar, are also well known for their aromatic qualities. The attractive aromas of cedar are a result of the volatilization of organic compounds intrinsic to these species. These organic compounds are not identified as VOCs by the EPA but can still be detected by the human nose as an odor.
Typically, the majority of compounds found in wood are volatilized (flashed off) at higher temperatures such as those found in kilns or veneer dryers. That said, the matter becomes more complex in that the normal drying process may result in existing, natural compounds combining with heat and moisture to form new compounds which were not present in the green wood to begin with.
This may include acetaldehyde which could volatilize at room temperature from freshly manufactured, raw wood panels. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism.
Although these volatile elements are commonly found in many wood species, they are generally not harmful in normal use to most people. People with extreme sensitivity may want to stick with species like maple or birch which are the least reactive in an indoor environment.
ABOUT REGULATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
WHAT IS LEED®?
LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a green building rating system accepted as the national benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. As a third-party certification program, LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
PureBond formaldehyde-free hardwood plywood may contribute to LEED criteria under LEED 4.x and LEED 5.x. See Columbia’s LEED® letter to learn more about how Columbia products fit into this standard. For more information: LEED v5 | U.S. Green Building Council
WHAT IS THE USGBC?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, using its LEED® Green Building Rating System™. The USGBC’s mission is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. The USGBC’s vision: “Buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.”
LEED® is one of many programs this organization oversees. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.
WHAT IS FSC®?
The Forest Stewardship Council®, founded in 1992, is an International non-profit organization that concerns itself exclusively with the maintenance, conservation and appropriate use of the world’s forests in relation to their commercial use. This third party certification system regulates and monitors everything about a forest stand including harvest management, pesticide use and indigenous people’s rights within that forest, as well as the additional materials used within any FSC® certified product.
Columbia has an FSC “Chain of Custody” certification and can supply FSC-Certified wood products. In 1998, Columbia Forest Products was the first decorative hardwood plywood and veneer company in North America to secure Chain of Custody certification. More information on FSC and its mission can be found on the FSC global website [www.fsc.org], FSC US website [www.fscus.org] and FSC Canada [www.fsccanada.org].
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PANEL CONSTRUCTION
CAN I GET PUREBOND WITH A NAF MDF OR NAF PARTICLEBOARD CORE?
Yes. Most major composite panel manufactures now offer no-added formaldehyde (NAF) options. When Columbia laminates hardwood veneers to these NAF substrates with proprietary, soy-based PureBond® or PVA assembly methods the result are panels that emit at or below "di minimis” levels of formaldehyde and consequently carry the PureBond® label.
It should be noted that NAF panels are a small, but growing, subset of the total production of a given MDF or particleboard mill. Particleboard and MDF bonded with urea formaldehyde resins remain as the standard commodity offering in the marketplace even as emissions have been reduced and standards tightened. Just remember if the project calls for NAF composite cores this specification must be communicated during the bid stage and at time of order.
WHAT IS IN PUREBOND® HARDWOOD PLYWOOD?
Columbia’s PureBond® technology uses a formaldehyde-free assembly process with soy flour water and a wet strength chemistry used in printed currency and food packaging. There is no formaldehyde added into the PureBond assembly process for domestic veneer core and NAF composite, combination core constructions. For more information on the ingredients in PureBond, visit Columbia's Declare page.
WHAT IS PHENOL FORMALDEHYDE GLUE?
Phenol formaldehyde glue is one of the formaldehyde-based family of adhesives commonly used in the production of pressed wood products. It is primarily used as the glue in structural exterior rated softwood plywood panels such as CDX. Phenol formaldehyde glues bind the formaldehyde molecules in the cured form and thus emit formaldehyde at a far lower level than urea formaldehyde glues.
It is generally darker in color than urea-formaldehyde resins, cures at a higher temperature, and thus may change the aesthetics of decorative panel products, which is why decorative veneers are not bonded to substrates with phenol formaldehyde.
WHAT IS PVA GLUE?
Poly vinyl acetates are familiar to consumers as common white or yellow carpenter glue. PVAs can be regarded by EPA as either no-added formaldehyde (NAF) formulations or as added formaldehyde formulations (ULEF) where added formaldehyde plays a role in creating the bond. At Columbia we regard the traditional PVA (NAF) as PureBond and the catalyzed PVA as ULEF (non-PureBond.)
WHAT IS A COMPOSITE PANEL?
A product consisting of wood, plant particles or fibers, bonded together by an adhesive such as a synthetic resin or binder. Examples include particleboard, OSB, and MDF. Typically, in composite panels, resins can make up 10% of the weight of the panel.
WHAT IS MDF?
Medium Density Fiberboard is an engineered wood product made from wood fiber bundles and resin, extruded onto a conveyor in a “mat” form then pressed to a given thickness. MDF provides a smooth surface, but like particleboard it is denser and heavier than veneer core. Columbia does not manufacture MDF, but can source it in standard UF and formaldehyde-free NAF options as a core in decorative hardwood plywood construction.
WHAT IS PARTICLEBOARD?
Particleboard is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood chips and a resin, which, like medium density fiberboard is heavier and does not have the strength of veneer core plywood. Particleboard is a type of composite panel, but it is made up of larger pieces of wood rather than fiber bundles as used in MDF.
Particleboard also provides a smooth surface, but does not have the strength of veneer core plywood, and because of the coarse nature of the particles, the edges must be treated in some fashion in the finished product. Columbia does not manufacture particleboard, but can source it in standard UF and no added formaldehyde [NAF] options as a core in decorative hardwood plywood construction.
WHAT IS OSB?
Oriented Strand Board is an exterior (phenolic bonded) engineered wood product made by layering strands of resin saturated wood on a mat with a specific orientation that approaches veneer core in stiffness. It is frequently used in the construction of new residential homes as a wall and roof sheathing and as underlayment in certain cases. Columbia does not currently manufacture OSB and it is seldom used as a core in hardwood plywood panels.
Among a number of issues, “fiber pop” of the underlying OSB core during pressing poses a risk to telegraph through the thin decorative face and back veneers affecting finish ability.
WHAT IS CLASSIC CORE?
Classic Core utilizes veneer inner plies in all but the crossbands adjacent to the face and back. The crossbands are made of thin MDF to provide the panel with the smooth surface characteristics of MDF and particleboard but with less weight and improved strength added by veneer inner plies. Columbia makes several types of Classic Core products.
If your project requires formaldehyde-free PureBond Classic Core, this must be specified during the bid process and at time of order. Availability and lead times for PureBond Classic Core may vary.
WHAT IS VENEER CORE?
Veneer core is constructed with one or more layers of relatively thick veneers peeled from abundantly available species typically characterized by their structural properties and usual lack of aesthetic appeal. These veneer layers (or plies) are laid up and balanced in alternating cross bands for stability and strength. Any decorative thin face of a wood species can be applied to the front and back of the panel. Compared to MDF and particleboard cores, veneer core offers strength, weight reduction, and higher screw-holding properties.
WHAT IS ROTARY CUT?
Rotary cutting is a method used to peel a log into thin sheets of wood as if unrolled from a spool, like paper towels. Rotary cut decorative veneer can give a variegated grain appearance and can vary tremendously. It is usually the least expensive veneer style. Rotary cutting is the only way to achieve a 48″ wide whole-piece face with no veneer splice lines for those who prefer even less chemistry in plywood assembly.
Rotary cutting is also the method used to create all inner ply veneer used in plywood construction.
WHAT IS QUARTER CUT?
Quarter slicing (also known as Quarter Sawn, Quarter Cut or Quartered) is a cutting method that involves dividing the log into quarters and slicing the quarter log on a radial direction approximately perpendicular to the growth rings to produce a straight grain appearance with the flake from the wood rays typically exaggerated on the surface. It is commonly used with red and white oaks because of the desired flake effect but may be used on any species.
WHAT IS PLAIN SLICED?
Plain slicing (also known as Plain Sawn or Flat Cut) a log produces thin veneers that are no wider than the log and have a pronounced repeating grain pattern. These pieces must be combined to make a plywood face by “matching” the pieces as desired by the customer.
WHAT IS MATCHING?
Matching is a term typically used in reference to the relationship between one veneer strip or “component” and the adjacent component in a face consisting of more than one component. The individual components are spliced together employing one of a number of matching techniques. The most common is book matching, which requires reversing every other component as if you were opening the pages of a book. The result is a mirror image at the splice line.
Slip matching involves splicing each veneer to the next without turning over any component. This allows the face to have the tight side of the veneer out on each component, which helps avoid the “barber pole” effect of book matching. Plank matching is a deliberate random mismatch designed to visually redistribute prominent natural characteristics in some species such as knotty pine. Random matching requires no aesthetic appeal and is used to produce back veneers which won’t be seen.
The term “matching” may also be used in reference to the relationship of all components within a panel face. Running matching means the outer components will not be the same width as the inner components due to jointing the log so as to produce the greatest yield. Running match will be provided unless otherwise specified. Balance matching requires all components to be the same width and Center matching requires that there be an even number of same width components. Because of final panel trimming, the outer components of both balance and center matched faces will be slightly narrower than the other components.
The term “matching” may also apply to the relationship of one panel to the next. Sequence matching means the panels are produced from faces that were kept in order and numbered during the manufacturing process.
WHAT IS THE "BARBER POLE" EFFECT?
“Barber pole” refers to the alternating dark and light appearance that is occasionally observed in book matched veneer as a result of the different surface characteristics that exist between the tight side and loose side of a given veneer, especially noticeable after finishing. Barber pole effect can be avoided by using matching techniques that utilize tight-side-out assembly or glue sizing techniques on book matched panels with a very dilute solution of PVA glue.
WHAT IS "TIGHT SIDE" AND "LOOSE SIDE"?
Conventional means of peeling or slicing a log results in the development of minute fractures known as lathe checks on the side of the veneer adjacent to the knife and closer to the center of the log as the veneer was cut. The side of the veneer having the lathe checks is the loose side, while the opposite side is the tight side. The loose side will tend to absorb more finishing material than the tight side, which sometimes results in a dark/light appearance called the “barber pole” effect.
WHAT IS A "CALIBRATED" PANEL?
A calibrated panel is typically a veneer core panel whose core was produced in a separate step and sanded to strict thickness tolerances before the outer decorative veneers are applied. Natural variation such as density, moisture absorption, and physical properties, combined with manufacturing variation results in thickness fluctuations in all wood panels. Veneer core typically has more potential thickness variation than engineered cores. Product Standard HP-1 includes limitations for thickness variation for all decorative panel products. A calibrated panel is designed to provide even tighter tolerance restrictions.
DOES COLUMBIA'S PUREBOND PLYWOOD MEET ANSI/HPVA STANDARDS?
Columbia Forest Products plywood conforms to all of the requirements established in ANSI/HPVA HP-1 developed cooperatively with the industry and published by the Decorative Hardwoods Association. Standard is available for free download at this link: ANSI-HPVA HP-1-2024.pdf
GENERAL PRODUCT SPECIFICATION QUESTIONS
ARE YOUR FINISHES VOC FREE?
Columbia uses 100% solids ultra-violet cured coating of modified epoxy acrylate finish that does not emit any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as defined by the EPA.
ARE YOUR HARDWOOD PLYWOOD PANELS FIRE RATED?
Our standard PureBond veneer core plywood meets a Class C Flame Spread rating as described in the Fire Safety Code. Most untreated wood products meet Class C. Our PureBond® veneer core panels are not treated with a fire retardant and are not available with a Class A rating. For more information on flame spread: Class C Assertion
WHAT IS AN ARCHITECTURAL PANEL AND HOW DO I SPECIFY ONE?
Architectural plywood is essentially any panel product intended for a high-end application. Typically, the grade or custom specifications are provided by the architect, specifier or designer, but even standard grades such as “AA” or “A” in most species would be considered applicable to architectural specifications. There are also architectural "blueprint" panels are specified by the architect and produced to very specific sizes for very specific locations in accordance with the blueprint design.
The Architectural Woodwork Standards, published by the Architectural Woodworkers’ Institute (AWI) can be consulted before finalizing any woodworking project specifications.
IS WHEAT OR ANY DERIVATIVE USED IN THE ADHESIVES OR MANUFACTURING OF YOUR PLYWOOD?
At this time we do not include any wheat components in panels or adhesives. Over the years a few panel adhesives may have included wheat flour as an extender and some panel products have been manufactured using post harvest wheat grain stalk reduced to fiber and bonded together to form a panel product resembling particle board. Also referred to as “agri-fiber,” this panel product utilized an isocyonate adhesive to produce a non-wood, formaldehyde-free substrate option for decorative panel producers. Columbia used to offer this product, but we had to discontinue it because that it is no longer being produced on a commercial scale.
IS THERE ANY LEAD, MERCURY, OR ASBESTOS IN YOUR SOY-BASED ADHESIVE OR WOOD?
No form of lead, mercury or asbestos is intentionally added in the process of manufacturing or finishing our hardwood plywood. Any lead, mercury or asbestos present in our wood would be infinitesimally small, naturally occurring, and absorbed with other minerals from the air and soil.
ARE THERE ANY VOCS IN YOUR SOY-BASED ADHESIVE OR WOOD?
We utilize small amounts of acetone as a solvent in our patching material, which constitutes less than ½ % of the product by weight, but almost all of that is immediately volatilized (or pass off as vapor), leaving only inconsequential levels remaining.
Wood naturally contains hundreds of extraneous and heterogeneous compounds in trace amounts. Some of these may be volatilized at ambient conditions, while many others would be expected to volatilize only during thermal decomposition (burning). These extraneous compounds are not introduced during the manufacturing process, and if they do exist, would be through a natural process over which no manufacturer has legitimate control.
CAN I USE PUREBOND PLYWOOD AS A SUB-FLOOR?
Our product is rated as a decorative and not structural panel. Just as with any wood product, our panels obviously have structural properties, but because they are specifically designed for aesthetic applications where the beauty of the wood is to be seen, we don’t recommend them for structural use or hidden beneath a floor. Most softwood plywood sub-flooring is manufactured with phenolic resins that, while they do utilize formaldehyde in their formulation, emit only minute traces of formaldehyde gas.
I'D LIKE TO SPECIFY HARDWOOD ANSI HP-1 PLYWOOD AS A DECORATIVE FORMALDEHYDE-FREE FLOORING TREATMENT. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?
Columbia makes decorative hardwood plywood for furniture, cabinets and architectural millwork. While we have seen plywood used as a floor system, we do not recommend, nor warrant the use of our plywood for this application. The decorative face veneer of our plywood is much thinner than you will find in the “wear layer” of an engineered flooring system. And as such our veneer face would likely wear-through in time, use at your own risk.
IS YOUR PLYWOOD INSECT (TERMITE) RESISTANT?
This comes up a lot, and while there may be chemically treated insect resistant wood for use in decorative products, we know of none in common use. We have not done any testing, but typically wood products used indoors are not susceptible to insect infestation from subterranean termites. Dry wood termite infestation and powder post beetle infestations are typically avoided through commonly used household insect control and operational measures. For more information: Position Statement on Insect Infestation in Hardwood Plywood
DOES COLUMBIA MAKE MARINE GRADE PLYWOOD?
Marine grade plywood is a designation of the American Plywood Association covered in their product standard PS-1-95. Our industry does not produce this product under that proprietary designation, although the term is sometimes used generically to describe panels made with waterproof glue.
WHERE IS YOUR PUREBOND PLYWOOD MADE?
All of the core for our veneer core PureBond Formaldehyde-Free Hardwood Plywood is made from responsibly harvested North American trees and is manufactured at our plants in the US and Canada.
HOW CAN I PURCHASE OR GET PRICING FOR PUREBOND OR OTHER COLUMBIA PRODUCTS?
Columbia hardwood plywood is sold through our distributor network in the US and Canada. Go to our Wholesale Distributor locator link on our home page, enter your zip code and find a distributor near you. If you are looking for a fabricator or manufacturer who uses PureBond® in their cabinetry or furniture products, then go to our PureBond® Fabricator Network locator to find a manufacturer in your area.
In some parts of the country, you may be able to find Columbia hardwood plywood in Home Depot stores. Check with your local Home Depot retailer for more information.