ISO 5684:2023

Adhesives - Floor covering adhesives and products for flooring installation - Assessment and classification of low volatile organic compound (VOC) products

This document specifies a reference method for the determination of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions into indoor air from floor covering adhesives and products used for flooring installation. This method is applicable to determine volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and volatile aldehydes. It is based on the use of a test chamber and subsequent analysis of an air sample for organic compounds by GC-MS respectively HPLC. The main purpose of the test procedure is to obtain relevant performance data for the classification of flooring adhesives and products used for the installation of floor coverings with respect to low VOC emissions during the use phase of the flooring. NOTE 1: This document describes the overall procedure and makes use of existing standards mainly by normative reference, complemented when necessary with additional or modified normative requirements. NOTE 2: No conclusions about occupational health and safety can be drawn from the testing and/or the classification of products according to this standard.

Titre manque

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 13-Apr-2023
• ICS: 83.180 - Adhesives
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 61/SC 11 - Products
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 61/SC 11/WG 5 - Polymeric adhesives
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 20-Aug-2025
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Relations

• Revised: ISO 5684:2025 - Adhesives - Floor covering adhesives and products for flooring installation - Assessment and classification of low volatile organic compound (VOC) products
• Effective Date: 21-Oct-2023

Overview

ISO 5684:2023 - "Adhesives - Floor covering adhesives and products for flooring installation - Assessment and classification of low volatile organic compound (VOC) products" specifies a reference method to measure and classify VOC emissions from adhesives and related flooring installation products. The method uses a ventilated test chamber with subsequent chemical analysis (GC‑MS and HPLC) to quantify volatile organic compounds (VOC), semi‑volatile organic compounds (SVOC) and volatile aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde). The standard is intended to produce comparable emission data for classification of flooring adhesives with respect to low VOC emissions during the service (use) phase. Note: ISO 5684:2023 does not by itself allow conclusions about occupational health and safety.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Test principle: Emission testing in a controlled ventilated test chamber, followed by active sampling and analysis by GC‑MS or HPLC.
• Analytes covered: VOCs, SVOCs and volatile aldehydes (including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde).
• Test duration and sampling: Typical test duration is 28 days with sampling after 3 days and 28 days; specimens remain in the chamber for the full period.
• Test chamber: Chamber volume > 100 L; chamber conditions and specimen placement follow ISO 16000‑9 with additional requirements from EN 16516.
• Emission scenario: Uses the reference room conditions and loading factors defined in EN 16516; flooring scenario loading factor of 0.4 (per EN 16516) is applied for floor adhesives.
• Specimen preparation: Detailed procedures for primers (water‑ and non‑water‑based), adhesives, levelling compounds, tapes and underlays; sampling, storage and transport rules are specified (e.g., wet products tested within 4 months, solid products within 8 weeks after production).
• Result expression and reporting: Emissions expressed in terms of concentrations in a reference room and reported as emission classes (toluene equivalents) following the documented calculation and reporting requirements.

Practical applications and users

Who uses ISO 5684:2023:

• Adhesive and flooring manufacturers - product development and low‑VOC claims
• Independent testing laboratories - standardized emission testing and reporting
• Specifiers, architects and contractors - product selection for improved indoor air quality
• Certification bodies and procurement teams - verifying product performance and eco‑labels
• Indoor air quality consultants - comparative assessment of flooring installation materials

Practical uses:

• Classifying adhesives as low‑emitting for building projects
• Supporting product declarations, environmental product labels and procurement criteria
• Informing formulation changes to reduce long‑term indoor emissions

Related standards

Normative references include:

• ISO 16000 series (Parts 3, 6, 9, 11)
• EN 16516 (construction product emission assessment)
• ISO 3251 (non‑volatile matter)
• ISO 22631 (adhesive test methods)

Keywords: ISO 5684:2023, floor covering adhesives, VOC emissions, low VOC, test chamber, GC‑MS, HPLC, indoor air quality, flooring installation, emission classification.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 5684
First edition
2023-04
Adhesives — Floor covering adhesives
and products for flooring installation
— Assessment and classification of
low volatile organic compound (VOC)
products
Reference number
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms.2
5 Emission scenario and reference room . 2
5.1 Emission scenario . 2
5.2 Reference room and loading factor . 2
6 Test chamber conditions .2
7 Product sampling and transport to the laboratory . 3
8 Handling of product samples in the laboratory . 3
8.1 General . 3
8.2 Preparation of test specimen . 3
8.3 Preparation of water-based primers . 3
8.4 Preparation of non-water-based primers . 3
8.5 Preparation of flooring adhesives . 3
8.6 Preparation of levelling compounds . 4
8.7 Preparation of (dry) film adhesives (tapes) and underlays for flooring . 4
9 Determination of vapour-phase organic compounds in test chamber air .4
9.1 General . 4
9.2 Determination of VOCs and SVOCs in test chamber air . 5
9.3 Determination of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in test chamber air . 5
9.4 Determination of carcinogenic substances of category 1 in test chamber air . 5
10 Expression of results . 5
11 Reporting of test results .6
Bibliography . 7
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 11 Products.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
Introduction
Safety in use is an important criterion when selecting adhesives and installation materials. This applies
both to the user of the installation materials and to the residential user of the floor or flooring over its
entire service life. Volatile solvents with boiling points of less than 200 °C, which occur in relatively high
concentrations at the workplace during application, should not be used with respect to occupational
safety. Even those products that are referred to as "solvent-free" by the manufacturers and labelled
accordingly can, if they contain higher-boiling solvents and/or plasticisers, release volatile ingredients
into the indoor air over long periods of time (e.g. weeks, months and years), which is not compatible
with today's requirements for indoor air quality. In addition, products used in residential areas should
not release long-term emissions of volatile and very volatile organic compounds (VOC, VVOC)
that can be detected in the indoor air over weeks, months and sometimes years in relatively low but
nevertheless health-relevant concentrations.
This document specifies an easy reference method for testing the emission (release) of substances from
floor covering adhesives and products for flooring installation into indoor air, expressed as emission
classes based on toluene equivalents. This method uses a test chamber to determine the emissions
under conditions, which are kept constant during the test. These conditions are selected so, that the
test results can be expressed in terms of concentrations of substances in the air of the reference room.
The reference room dimensions, associated product loading factors, as well as climate and ventilation
conditions are selected according to existing standards for determining product emissions to represent
the general indoor environment.
This test setup determines a material characteristic of the floor covering adhesives and products for
flooring installation and is limited to this.
v
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 5684:2023(E)
Adhesives — Floor covering adhesives and products for
flooring installation — Assessment and classification of
low volatile organic compound (VOC) products
1 Scope
This document specifies a reference method for the determination of volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions into indoor air from floor covering adhesives and products used for flooring installation.
This method is applicable to determine volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds,
and volatile aldehydes. It is based on the use of a test chamber and subsequent analysis of an air sample
for organic compounds by GC-MS respectively HPLC.
The main purpose of the test procedure is to obtain relevant performance data for the classification
of flooring adhesives and products used for the installation of floor coverings with respect to low VOC
emissions during the use phase of the flooring.
NOTE 1 This document describes the overall procedure and makes use of existing standards mainly by
normative reference, complemented when necessary with additional or modified normative requirements.
NOTE 2 No conclusions about occupational health and safety can be drawn from the testing and/or the
classification of products according to this standard.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 3251, Paints, varnishes and plastics — Determination of non-volatile matter content
ISO 16000-3, Indoor air — Part 3: Determination of formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds in indoor
and test chamber air — Active sampling method
ISO 16000-6, Indoor air — Part 6: Determination of organic compounds (VVOC, VOC, SVOC) in indoor and
test chamber air by active sampling on sorbent tubes, thermal desorption and gas chromatography using
MS or MS FID
ISO 16000-9, Indoor air — Part 9: Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds from
building products and furnishing — Emission test chamber method
ISO 16000-11, Indoor air — Part 11: Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds from
building products and furnishing — Sampling, storage of samples and preparation of test specimens
ISO 22631:2019, Adhesives — Test methods for adhesives for floor and wall coverings — Peel test
EN 16516, Construction products: Assessment of release of dangerous substances Determination of
emissions into indoor air
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 16516 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms
For the purpose of this document, the following abbreviated terms apply.
GC Gas chromatography
HPLC High performance liquid chromatography
MS Mass spectrometry
SVOC Semi-volatile organic compound
TIC Total ion current chromatogram
TSVOC Total semi-volatile organic compound
TVOC Total volatile organic compound
VOC Volatile organic compound
5 Emission scenario and reference room
5.1 Emission scenario
Regarding the determination of emission into indoor air, the emission scenario specifies the climate and
ventilation conditions of the air surrounding the product in the reference room. The actual condition(s)
of use in reality can be different. It is also not possible to evaluate emissions under all possible use
scenarios. Therefore, this document refers to defined
...