EPDs for Countertops in the United States: Data guide

What the 2026 countertop EPD landscape looks like

The public registry shows 33 currently valid countertop EPDs in the United States over the last five years, published by 9 manufacturers, across 5 program operators and 10 different PCRs. The most recent publication in this set was Formica Brand Laminate sheets Grade 20 on Sep 11, 2024, verified by EPD International AB under PCR 2019:14 EN 15804 A2 v1.3.2, expiring on Sep 11, 2029.

Why this matters commercially is simple. If a project team needs product‑specific declarations, a brand without one faces a penalty in carbon accounting and is easier to swap out late in the bid cycle. Getting in the “has an EPD” column keeps you in more specs without leaning on discounts.

Who is actually publishing

A few brands carry most of the volume. DuPont accounts for 13 countertop EPDs and Formica for 11. The rest spread across smaller counts including A & S Building Systems, Cadman, Daltile, Hufcor, KI, LX Hausys America, and USG. For a category long dominated by surface brands, those two leaders set the pace for refresh cycles and comparability.

Two reading tips for competitors

1. Look at which product lines competitors covered first. Leaders usually start with high‑run SKUs that appear most in bids.
2. Watch their reference years and declared units. Apples to apples beats apples to fruit salad when sales engineers compare numbers in submittals.

Which program operators countertop brands choose

Operator selection concentrates, then diversifies. UL hosts 16 current EPDs from 3 manufacturers. EPD International AB hosts 9 from 2 manufacturers. SCS Global Services carries 5 from 3, with NSF International at 2 and ASTM International at 1. That mix tells you two things. First, UL and EPD International AB are well‑trodden paths for this category. Second, several competitors are comfortable with SCS and NSF, so switching to a different operator does not signal a risk to specifiers when the documentation is complete and third‑party verified.

A practical filter. If speed to publish is critical, work with a partner that can adapt to the operator you prefer while keeping data collection on rails. The operator logo helps, but a tight LCA model and clean evidence files win trust.

The PCRs that actually get used for countertops

“PCR for Residential Countertops” is the workhorse with 16 EPDs and latest expiries on Jul 28, 2029. The rest split across more general construction product rules, including ISO 21930 based PCRs and EN 15804 A2 families, plus a few edge cases tied to furniture or cladding rule sets. That spread suggests three scenarios. Some brands follow the countertop‑specific PCR. Others opt into general construction PCRs to future‑proof across regions. A few products sit at category boundaries, like laminate sheets that serve casework and wall systems.

If you are starting now, begin with the PCR your nearest competitor used unless there is a compelling reason not to. A good LCA partner will check comparability, expiry horizons, and operator fit so you do not publish into a format that ages poorly.

Renewal clock and expiry hotspots

Across the next five calendar years, expiries cluster as follows. 7 EPDs in 2026, 7 in 2027, 4 in 2028, and a wave of 15 in 2029. The 2029 group is dominated by “PCR for Residential Countertops” renewals, which sets up a busy refresh window for quartz and solid surface lines.

Three plays to avoid a crunch year

1. Pull forward data collection by 3 to 6 months if you know a portfolio refresh is coming.
2. Decide now whether to stay with the current PCR family or pivot to a more common one among your direct competitors.
3. Lock the program operator by quarter‑end so verification slots are not the bottleneck.

Publishing momentum since 2021

Below is the five‑year issue cadence for current countertop EPDs in the United States. 2024 spiked with a late push to A2‑aligned rule sets. 2025 shows a pause, consistent with teams regrouping around PCR versions and portfolio scope.

Year	EPDs issued
2021	7
2022	7
2023	4
2024	15
2025	0

The take‑home for 2026. Expect renewed activity as teams clear backlog and align on which operator and PCR to standardize on for the next cycle.

EPD service providers are the norm in this category

32 of 33 countertop EPDs in this period list an external EPD consultant or service provider. That is not a vanity spend. It is a time trade, moving data wrangling, modeling, and operator coordination off your R&D and manufacturing leaders so they can stay on core work. If you are weighing partners, prioritize who will own data collection inside your business rather than handing you a spreadsheet and hoping for the best. If you want a starting point, an EPD service provider like Parq focuses on speed, quality, and completeness so your team is not stuck chasing utility bills and mass‑balance proofs.

Notably absent or underrepresented brands

A few large names appear lightly or not at all in publicly listed, product‑specific countertop EPDs in the United States as of Jan 17, 2026. Cambria does not show a product‑specific countertop EPD in major US‑facing registries. MSI Surfaces likewise does not show a product‑specific countertop EPD. That is not a judgment on product quality. It is a signal that a brand planning an EPD in 2026 can still differentiate, especially in quartz where bids often shortlist by availability of verified declarations. If you are one of these teams, the first EPD can unlock specs quickly because comparators already exist for sales engineers.

Cosentino and Caesarstone do show product declarations, including quartz surfaces verified under European operators, which many US specifiers still review alongside domestic publications. Wilsonart shows laminate EPDs via SCS that often end up in countertop conversations even when the PCR chosen is broader than strictly “countertops.” The field keeps moving, so check whether your channel partners carry declarations that touch your brand story, then decide if a product‑specific countertop EPD is worth the focus.

How to pick your operator and PCR in one afternoon

1. List the 3 competitors you face most often by product name.
2. Note their program operator and PCR version from their public PDFs.
3. Match the most common pair, unless your merchandising requires a different declared unit or scope.
4. Confirm renewal dates so your publish month lands outside their cluster.
5. Start data collection with a structured questionnaire that maps to the LCA model. This is where white‑glove partners save weeks.

A PCR is the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart. Picking the same rulebook your buyers already see in submittals keeps reviews smooth and reduces back‑and‑forth.

Practical watch‑outs for 2026 countertop EPDs

Countertop products can fall into adjacent rule sets if they also serve wall, casework, or furniture systems. That is how you end up with valid, verified EPDs tied to furniture or cladding PCRs that still touch countertop bids. It is fine if you are consistent and transparent. Just avoid splitting a single SKU across multiple PCRs unless there is a strong rationale, because sales teams hate explaining scope differences in front of a GC.

Natural stone fabricators sometimes ask whether a generic industry EPD is enough. It usually keeps you in play, but a product‑specific declaration can lift close rates when the project is carbon budgeted at trade‑package level. If a project requires product‑specific data, a generic record will not carry you across the line.

Data notes and how to get the full dataset

This article is based on the global public registry of EPDs that most architects and specifiers consult. Due to normal publishing and indexing timelines, EPDs from the last half of 2025 may not all be reflected yet. If you want the underlying tables and the freshest cut, connect with me on LinkedIn and send a note. I am happy to share the full up‑to‑date background dataset, talk through the PCR fit for your product, or hop on a quick call at no cost to defintely point you toward the fastest credible path.