ARGENTINA – After two and a half years of work by the Argentine Federation of the Timber and Allied Industries (FAIMA) with the Ministry of Commerce, the technical framework regulation for furniture was published in the Official Gazette of Argentina.

This regulation establishes the basic criteria for the commercialization of furniture in Argentina where criteria of durability, resistance to bending, standards of nominal measures and maximum permitted levels of formaldehyde emission must be met.

This technical framework regulation is an umbrella on which specific technical regulations for the family of products of the furniture industry will be promulgated. Unlike technical standards, which are voluntary, technical regulations are mandatory for all those who market the goods covered by the regulation within the country.

Each specific regulation details its adaptation times, steps to follow and other specific information.

In practical terms, the usefulness of a technical regulation is to implement control mechanisms for the entry of imported products that do not meet these standards and require demonstration to those who do comply, implying that actions such as statements, procedures or certifications that must be approved.

This is the second technical regulation promoted by FAIMA, adding to the one sanctioned in November of 2017 for wood composite boards. The complete standard can be downloaded here (in Spanish).