When it comes to cabinet boards, a topic that cannot be avoided is glue and formaldehyde. Many people have such questions in their minds: Everyone knows that the glue of the board contains formaldehyde, so why do merchants still use it? Today, let us explain this issue clearly, so that everyone can have a clear idea when making cabinets in the future.
No formaldehyde, no glue: the role of formaldehyde in glue
“No formaldehyde, no glue”, this is almost a law in the glue industry. The reason why formaldehyde is widely used in glue production is that it can make the glue have strong viscosity. In the process of board production, various wood fragments, fibers, etc. need to be bonded together to form boards with certain strength and stability. Formaldehyde-based glue, such as urea-formaldehyde glue, can firmly connect wood parts with its excellent bonding properties, ensuring that the board is not easy to crack or deform during use, and meeting the requirements of furniture production for board strength.
The dilemma of promoting formaldehyde-free glue
Since formaldehyde glue has environmental risks, why has the developed formaldehyde-free glue not been vigorously promoted? There are two main reasons behind this.
The obstacle of high price
Take the well-known MDI glue in the current market as an example. Its price is more than 10 times that of urea-formaldehyde glue. In the era of fierce competition and chaotic prices in the board industry, cost is an important factor that enterprises have to consider. For many board factories, the use of MDI glue means a substantial increase in production costs. If you insist on using formaldehyde-free glue, the product price will inevitably increase, and you may lose price competitiveness in the market and find it difficult to stand out among many low-priced boards. Therefore, in order to maintain the survival and development of the enterprise, many factories have to choose formaldehyde glue with relatively low cost.
Limitations of performance defects
In addition to price factors, the performance defects of formaldehyde-free glue itself are also an important reason restricting its promotion. Take soybean glue as an example. It is a natural formaldehyde-free glue, but due to its low bonding strength and poor temperature resistance, the board is prone to debonding and deformation in high temperature or humid environment. In order to make up for these performance deficiencies, in actual production, it is often necessary to add a certain amount of melamine glue (triamine glue) to enhance the performance of the board. In this way, not only the complexity of production is increased, but also, to some extent, the environmental advantages of formaldehyde-free glue are weakened.
Urea-formaldehyde glue is not useless: environmental protection level is the key
So, are boards made with urea-formaldehyde glue necessarily bad? In fact, this is not the case. This mainly depends on the environmental protection level of the board. At present, China’s environmental protection standards for indoor boards mainly include three levels: E1, E0 and ENF. E1 is the lowest environmental protection standard for indoor boards, requiring the formaldehyde emission in the board to be within a certain range; E0 is more environmentally friendly than E1, with lower formaldehyde emission; and ENF is the most stringent environmental protection standard at present, with the requirement for formaldehyde emission reaching an almost harsh level.
In the market, most boards can meet the E0 standard, which shows that companies have made certain progress in production technology and quality control. Boards that can truly reach the ENF level are scarce goods due to the difficulty of production and high cost. Therefore, we cannot generalize that boards made with urea-formaldehyde glue are not good. The key is to see whether their environmental protection level meets our needs.
Consumers’ selection suggestions when making cabinets
After understanding the relationship between board glue and formaldehyde, how should consumers choose when making cabinets?
First, check the environmental protection test report of the board to confirm whether its environmental protection level meets your requirements. If you have higher requirements for environmental protection, you can choose E0 or ENF grade boards.
Secondly, don’t just look at the price. Although price is an important consideration, environmental protection and quality should not be ignored. Don’t choose products that do not meet environmental protection standards just for the sake of cheapness, otherwise it may bring hidden dangers to your family’s health.
Finally, you can pay attention to the products of some well-known brands. These brands usually have stricter guarantees in production process, quality control and environmental protection. Although the price may be relatively higher, it can make us more at ease.
In short, the formaldehyde problem in board glue is a complex topic and cannot be simply attributed to the conscience of the merchant. By understanding the principles and key factors, we can make more wise choices when making cabinets and create a healthy and environmentally friendly living environment for ourselves and our families.
