On May 30, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China jointly issued two mandatory national standards. They are:

• Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Paints Part 1: Architectural Paints" (GB 30981.1-2025), and
• Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Paints Part 2: Industrial Paints" (GB 30981.2-2025).

These two standards will officially take effect on June 1, 2026. This marks a new phase of more precise and stricter control over hazardous substances in architectural and industrial paints in China, aimed at protecting consumer health, promoting green and high-quality development in the industry, and aiding in the prevention and control of environmental pollution.

PART.01 Background and significance of the new standards

Paint, as a crucial basic material, plays a significant role in consumer health and air pollution control through industrial painting. Under continuous environmental policies, water-based paints, high solid content paints, and powder coatings have thrived in China, with significant reductions in VOC emissions. After over 20 years of implementing mandatory national standards, China's requirements for limiting harmful substances like formaldehyde, heavy metals, and benzene in paints have become increasingly stringent and actively aligned with international standards. The revision and integration of the GB 30981 series standards aim to regulate product safety and environmental protection more scientifically, promote the transformation of the paint industry towards high quality and sustainability, and enhance international competitiveness.

PART.02 Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Paints Part 1: Architectural Paints GB 30981.1-2025

This document replaces GB 18582—2020 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Architectural Wall Paints" and GB 38468—2019 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Indoor Floor Paints."

Purpose: To regulate the permissible limits of hazardous substances in various architectural paints and auxiliary materials, testing methods, inspection rules, labeling, and implementation of documentation.

Core content: Specifies the permissible limits of substances harmful to human health and the environment in industrial paints and auxiliary materials, involving product classification and coating hazard marking, requirements, testing methods, inspection rules, labeling, and implementation of documentation.

Scope: Applicable to on-site painting for decorating, protecting, and providing other special functions (such as mold resistance, algae prevention, thermal insulation, etc.) to interior and exterior surfaces of buildings based on cement and other non-metallic materials, and to auxiliary materials used together. Also applicable to on-site painting for decorating, protecting, and providing other special functions (such as anti-static, corrosion resistance, anti-slip, etc.) to floor substrates made of cement mortar, concrete, stone, plastic, or steel, and to auxiliary materials used together. Not applicable to architectural waterproofing paints or synthetic material surface sports field paints.

PART.03 Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Paints Part 2: Industrial Paints GB 30981.2-2025

This document replaces GB 18581—2020 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Wood Coatings," GB 24409—2020 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Vehicle Paints," GB 24613—2009 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Toy Paints," GB 30981—2020 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Industrial Protective Paints," and GB 38469—2019 "Limitation of Hazardous Substances in Ship Paints."

Purpose: To regulate the permissible limits of hazardous substances in various industrial paints and auxiliary materials, testing methods, inspection rules, labeling, and implementation of documentation.

Core content: Specifies the permissible limits of substances harmful to human health and the environment in industrial paints and auxiliary materials, involving product classification and coating hazard marking, requirements, testing methods, inspection rules, labeling, and implementation of documentation.

Scope: Applicable to on-site and factory painting for decorating, protecting, and providing other functions to surfaces of substrates made of wood, metal, plastic, concrete, composite materials, glass, ceramics, etc., and to auxiliary materials used together. Not applicable to aerospace coatings, nuclear-grade protective coatings, or military equipment and facility coatings.

PART.04 Unified management and execution

The drafting of both standards strictly followed the GB/T 1.1—2020 "Guidelines for Standardization Work Part 1: Structure and Drafting Rules of Standardization Documents." Both are managed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (339) and specifically executed by the National Committee on Paints and Pigments Standardization (TC5).

PART.05 Outlook

The categorized implementation of these two new national standards has established a clearer and more comprehensive system for limiting hazardous substances in paints. Not only do they set unified and stricter safety and environmental protection boundaries for paint products in both the construction and industrial sectors, but they also provide a strong basis for regulation, further guiding and promoting the research, development, and application of environmentally friendly paint technologies, and accelerating the green transformation and upgrading of the entire paint industry chain.

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