To shorten the measuring time of formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels and reduce the costs of quality control processes during industrial furniture production, more efficient methods for measuring formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels need to be developed. In this study, the formaldehyde emissions from 18-mm-thick veneered particleboard were measured using the desiccator method and the 1 m³ climate chamber method according to Chinese national standard GB/T17657-2013, and the correlation between these two methods was determined. Through a correlation analysis of 60 groups of data, the results indicated that the linear correlation coefficient (R) between two methods was 0.718, and the regression model was established, which by F and P values demonstrated a significant correlation at the 0.01 level of significance. As long as the quality of materials and the production processes remained consistent, the desiccator method was reliable enough for conducting routine quality control measurements of formaldehyde emissions from veneered boards of 18 mm thickness. In case of dispute, the results can be verified using the 1 m³ climate chamber method for accuracy.

Desiccator method is a fast and effective way to measure formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels. This method is popular in the Chinese furniture industry and testing institutions. It is also an important method for production control due to its characteristics of low cost, fast speed, and simple operation. In order to further increase the measurement speed of the desiccator method, this study focuses on the impact of temperature and time conditions in regard to standard GB/T 17657-2013. The corresponding relationships for the measurement of formaldehyde emissions between the standardized desiccator method and those under different temperature and time conditions were studied. Four different experimental conditions were used: 60 °C for 6 h, 40 °C for 6 h, 43 °C for 4 h, and 45 °C for 4 h. The results showed that under 40 °C for 6 h the formaldehyde emissions measured using desiccator method were about twice as much as those under 20 °C for 24 h, at a correlation coefficient of R = 0.820. Under 45 °C for 4 h, the formaldehyde emissions measured using desiccator method were almost near equilibrium to emissions under 20 °C for 24 h, which was supported by a correlation coefficient of R = 0.955. A corresponding relationship between the formaldehyde emissions measurement results under these two conditions and those under the standardized conditions was observed. This relationship can be applied in the actual production control in the furniture industry in order to shorten the formaldehyde measurement time from 24 h to 6 h and 4 h, which can greatly improve measurement efficiency.