Is there an industry wide EPD for MDF boards

The quick answer

Yes. In the United States and Canada there is a current industry wide EPD for Medium Density Fiberboard published by the Composite Panel Association and verified by ASTM International. You can download the MDF EPD directly from ASTM’s site, published 2 April 2024 and valid until 1 April 2029 (ASTM International, 2024) (PDF).

What exists in Europe

Europe does not have a single EU level sector EPD for MDF boards. Instead you will find national or association EPDs published through IBU and other ECO Platform operators. For example, Germany’s wood panels association VHI provides association EPDs via IBU’s Published EPDs portal, which is the official listing for EN 15804 declarations in that program (IBU, 2025) (IBU Published EPDs). Many manufacturers in the EU also carry product specific MDF EPDs through IBU or EPD International.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia previously offered a sector average MDF EPD owned by Forest and Wood Products Australia. That document is now expired with validity ending 8 December 2022, and the program page confirms the status today (EPD Australasia, 2025) (EPD Australasia listing). Manufacturers in the region are responding with fresh product specific MDF EPDs through the same program.

Who is behind these sector EPDs and how they are built

Sector or industry wide EPDs are typically sponsored by an industry association, then modeled by an LCA research group, and verified by a program operator. In North America the Composite Panel Association engaged CORRIM to conduct the MDF LCA, with ASTM International acting as program operator. That process pools data across multiple mills and rounds off outliers. The result is a representative average for the category, but it is intentionally conservative at a product level.

Why product specific MDF EPDs usually score better than a sector average

A sector number blends efficient mills with average mills. If your resins, energy mix, and yield are better than the pooled dataset, a product specific EPD lets you show that advantage line by line. In whole building LCAs and design tools, default or generic values often carry extra safety margins, so the sector average can act like a speed limiter. A verified, product specific MDF EPD removes that drag and helps win specifications where carbon targets are tracked.

Live examples of product specific MDF EPDs

• United States. Clarion Boards LLC publishes a product specific MDF EPD through EPD Hub. It was issued 27 July 2025 and is valid for five years to 27 July 2030 (EPD Hub, 2025) (EPD page).
• Canada. Uniboard lists MDF environmental documents and their MDF EPD in its documentation center. Look under Declarations environnementales de produits for MDF to download the current file (Uniboard, 2025) (Documentation hub).
• European Union. Sonae Arauco provides MDF uncoated and coated EPDs published through IBU with English downloads available from its sustainability documents page (Sonae Arauco, 2025) (MDF EPDs). You will also find MDF EPDs in the Environdec library, such as an MDF declaration published 11 February 2025 and valid to 10 February 2030 (EPD International, 2025) (library entry).

How to decide quickly which path to take

If you need a credible MDF number today for bids in North America, the CPA sector EPD is acceptable and easy to cite. If you want to differentiate on climate performance or compete where whole building LCA is mandatory, commission a product specific MDF EPD. The payback typically comes from landing specs that would otherwise default to conservative values. The real oppportunity is freeing your engineers and plant team from ad hoc data wrangling so the EPD gets done fast and accurately on the first pass.

Final take

• Industry wide MDF EPDs do exist and they help cover the basics.
• They are averages, so they tend to be conservative for above average mills.
• Product specific MDF EPDs unlock your true performance and increase specability, especially where projects calculate embodied carbon.

Links you can keep handy

• North America MDF industry wide EPD by CPA at ASTM International: direct PDF above and association overview here: https://www.compositepanel.org/resourcesold/environmental-product-declarations/
• IBU Published EPDs search page for European declarations: https://ibu-epd.com/en/published-epds/
• Australia sector EPD status page for MDF: https://epd-australasia.com/epd/medium-density-fibreboard-mdf/
• Example product specific MDF EPDs mentioned: Clarion Boards EPD Hub page, Sonae Arauco MDF EPDs, EPD International MDF entry