Construction products detail

Decorative wall coverings in roll or panel form are primarily applied to interior walls, partitions or ceilings for decorative purposes. They can be made of a variety of materials (e.g. vinyl, foamed plastic, cork, glass fibres, coated paper etc.) and be made of one or multiple layers.

Regulatory framework

Plastic-based decorative wall covering (e.g. vinyl wall covering on paper, textile or non-woven substrates, plastic wall covering) is relevant from a regulatory perspective if it is used in accommodation areas (indoor spaces regularly occupied by people) or adjoining rooms that are not partitioned from them because emissions from these products have an influence on the indoor air quality.

For these products, national technical approvals were granted until October 2016 for verification of health protection. As a result of the implementation of the judgement of the European Court of Justice of 16 October 2014 in case C-100/13, national technical approvals are no longer granted for these products if they bear the CE marking on the basis of the Construction Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 305/2011). The products may not be marked with the national conformity mark. Approvals for which the period of validity has not yet expired are listed below. They can be used on a voluntary basis to prove fulfilment of the regulatory requirements.

In accordance with the Administrative Provisions – Technical Building Rules (VV TB) of the federal states, requirements pertaining to the release of volatile organic compounds apply, cf. the common model MVV TB, Part A 3.2.1 and Annex 8.

No performance regarding release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be declared for plastic-based decorative wall coverings in accordance with EN 15102:2007+A1:2011 based on said standard. To declare such performance related to the release of VOCs, European Technical Assessment (ETA) can be requested.

Also, evaluations verifying the fitness for use of plastic-based decorative wall coverings in terms of health protection can be issued in accordance with MVV TB, Section D 3 'Technical documentation pursuant to Section 85a(2) point (6) MBO'.

In this work area, DIBt prepares European Technical Assessments (ETAs) and voluntary evaluations for verifying the fitness for use of the products in terms of health protection.