From January 1, 2026, Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) will enforce stringent restrictions under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) on formaldehyde levels in paints. Here are the details:
Impacted Parties:
These rules apply to importers, manufacturers, and distributors of indoor, outdoor, and industrial-use paints.
Prohibition (Indoor Paints Only):
- Indoor Paints Only: Importing, manufacturing, or selling indoor paints with formaldehyde content ≥0.01% w/w is prohibited.
- Restrictions (Indoor, Outdoor, and Industrial-use Paints):For paints with formaldehyde content ≥0.01% w/w, adherence to labelling requirements in Appendix A is mandatory.
Additional Requirements:
- For Formaldehyde-containing Indoor Paints
Importers and manufacturers must provide test reports from an ILAC MRA-accredited laboratory demonstrating <0.01% w/w formaldehyde content in each paint type. Refer to Appendix B for testing methods.
- For Re-exported Paints
Companies importing indoor paints for re-export or export manufacturing, while exempt from formaldehyde limits, must hold a NEA-issued Hazardous Substances License to prevent domestic use or sales.
Appendix A: Label Requirements
a) Labels must clearly display:
"Contains Formaldehyde. Only for outdoor or industrial use. Indoor application prohibited."
b) Label dimensions must be:
- Minimum 52 x 74 mm for up to 3-liter containers.
- Minimum 74 x 105 mm for containers over 3 liters and up to 50 liters.
- Minimum 105 x 148 mm for containers over 50 liters and up to 500 liters.
- Minimum 148 x 210 mm for containers over 500 liters.
Appendix B: Accepted Test Methods
a) Determine total formaldehyde content in each paint product by:
- Testing white or transparent color bases.
- Testing color mixes expected to have the highest formaldehyde content.
b) Measure total formaldehyde content in each paint product using methods in the following table:
| Type of paint | Total formaldehyde content measurement method | |
| Extraction of formaldehyde | Analysis of extracted formaldehyde | |
| waterbased | Acid-steam distillation [1, 2] |
|
| solventbased | An appropriate method [3] | |
Note:
- VdL Guideline 03: Guideline for the determination of the formaldehyde concentration in water-dilutable paints and varnishes, and polymer dispersions; or equivalent.
- ISO/DIS 7012-2: Paints and varnishes — Determination of preservatives in waterdilutable coating materials, Part 2: Determination of in-can total formaldehyde; or equivalent.
- In the absence of international standard methods, NEA is amenable to appropriate test methods validated for extraction of total formaldehyde from solvent-based paints, which the test laboratories have been accredited for.
- GB/T 34683: Determination of formaldehyde content in water-borne coatings – High performance liquid chromatographic method; or equivalent.
- HPLC method shall be used for pigmented paint products if there is potential interference by pigments in the photometric method.
