Abstract The indoor environment can constitute a serious health hazard if buildings are not properly constructed and finished. Building, finishing and furnishing materials may emit a large number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the indoor air. That wood-composite products are among the sources of formaldehyde emissions is well documented. Up until now very little has been known about the emission of VOCs from wood-composite products (Merrill and Steiber 1987; Levin 1992; Sundin and Edenholm 1992; Catananti et al. 1993; Barry and Corneau 1999). The aim of this work is the determination of VOC and formaldehyde emissions from particleboard veneered with decorative paper foil.