How Is Formaldehyde-Free Furniture Made? Inside Yihang's Manufacturing Base

With the introduction of the ENF eco-standard, China's furniture industry is undergoing an all-around test and welcoming a new wave of “formaldehyde-free offices.” To meet the standard, companies must optimize and improve everything from raw materials to processing technology to quality inspection.

Yihang office furniture, a leader in the industry, has long pursued green development, anchored to the “dual carbon” goals. By introducing new equipment, new technologies, and new processes, it carries out intelligent manufacturing, energy saving and emission reduction, building a green, low-carbon ecological base. Recently, reporters visited Yihang's production base to witness how eco-friendly, formaldehyde-free office furniture is made.

Choosing the right boards: no-added-formaldehyde makes a better panel

The base manager introduced the newly upgraded no-added-formaldehyde panels: “no-added-formaldehyde panels” means no formaldehyde is added during production. As the saying goes, “no formaldehyde, no glue; where there's glue, there's formaldehyde.” Any man-made board requires adhesives, and where there are adhesives, formaldehyde has always followed — until MDI adhesive quickly became today's solution for “no formaldehyde added.”

Yihang office furniture is now working with upstream partner Wanhua Chemical to champion “healthy work, formaldehyde-free offices.” Wanhua Chemical, a globally operated chemical new-materials company, has spent years researching no-added-formaldehyde technology, built up its own intellectual property, and provides customers with formaldehyde-free adhesives, formaldehyde-free auxiliaries, and application solutions for formaldehyde-free boards.

Notably, boards made with MDI adhesive also gain improved moisture resistance. MDI adhesive has strong bonding power that effectively raises the boards' internal bond strength, so the panels resist deformation and are eco-friendly and durable. “For some high-end office spaces, customers now specifically choose this board,” the base manager said.

Refreshing the craft: coating and edge banding stand guard

Choosing eco-friendly boards is only the first step. Upgrading manufacturing processes such as coating and edge banding further safeguards environmental performance. In Yihang's coating workshop, the reporter could barely detect any pungent smell — because Yihang uses eco-friendly water-based paint. Years ago, Yihang boldly retooled its production lines, and after more than three years of dedicated R&D, repeated testing, and refinement, officially launched its 7-PLUS water-based finishing technology in 2015.

Water-based paint uses water as its thinner, effectively cutting VOC emissions. Furniture finished with water-based paint is therefore more eco-friendly — even on scorching hot days, there is no pungent odor.

Water-based paint also resists yellowing and abrasion, making upkeep easier. As a result, tender documents in many cities across the country now require water-based coatings — schools, government agencies, and similar institutions pay especially close attention to whether formaldehyde-free office furniture uses water-based paint.

Beyond finishing, edge banding is another key means of strengthening product protection. Good edge banding keeps office furniture free of hygiene dead zones and extends its service life. Yihang has brought in advanced edge-banding machines and upgraded its laser edge banding technology year after year. Its 3D laser seamless edge banding uses a special laser polymer to bond the edge band and the board seamlessly, producing a unified, integrated finish that keeps furniture looking new for years.

Strict testing: eco-friendly in, eco-friendly out

From material selection to manufacturing to testing, green principles run throughout. The Yihang office furniture laboratory is CNAS-accredited and can run more than 200 test items, covering finished products such as chairs and desks as well as raw materials like textiles and leather used in office furniture production. The company also regularly commissions outside professional quality inspection bodies, enforcing strict control from incoming materials through production to final shipment.

For the formaldehyde release issue consumers care most about, the lab is equipped with a formaldehyde climate chamber, and professional testers verify compliance with environmental standards so customers can buy with confidence and use with peace of mind.

The head of the production base said proudly that his trump card now is the “transparent factory, inspection anytime” promise: customers are welcome to visit the factory at any time to see what materials the products use and how they are made, to smell whether the workshop has any odor, and to take in the overall state of the plant — making health and environmental protection something you can see and touch.