Australia tightens VOC limits for floor coatings

Updated indoor-air-quality provisions in the National Construction Code (NCC) now set tighter ceilings on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in field-applied floor coatings used in occupied buildings. The change continues a trend that's been underway in Australia for over a decade, and it brings local rules closer to the stricter US LEED v4.1 thresholds.

What changes in practice

Traditional solvent-borne epoxies routinely exceed 350 g/L of VOC content. Most water-borne and 100% solids systems sit well under 100 g/L. The new ceiling makes specifying solvent-borne systems for indoor commercial work harder to justify, even before considering occupant safety during install.

For residential garages and outdoor areas the impact is smaller — those spaces are typically well ventilated and aren't covered by the same provisions. But for commercial kitchens, retail, healthcare and offices, the practical effect is that 100% solids and water-borne systems are now the default.

What this means for our work

Honestly: not much. We've quoted 100% solids systems as the standard for indoor commercial jobs for years, and solvent-borne only on outdoor or industrial sites where the spec specifically required it. The new rules formalise what was already best practice.

For homeowners considering a DIY epoxy kit, the wider takeaway is that low-VOC products aren't just a regulatory tick-box — they're noticeably better to work with, with much less odour during cure and faster ventilation back to normal.