The measurements of formaldehyde emission (FE) from solid wood, plywood, flooring and blockboard used for building and furnishing materials were obtained using the European small-scale chamber (EN 717-1) and gas analysis (EN 717-2) methods to identify the major sources of formaldehyde among construction and wood products in the Czech Republic. The differences in the FE values reported for various wood products were a function of their structural differences. These results showed that the wood species, plywood type and thickness significantly affected the FE measured by EN 717-2 (P<0.001). The FE values from solid wood ranged between 0.0068 and 0.0036 ppm and 0.084-0.014 mg/m(2) h. The initial FE ranged from 0.006 mg/m(3) for engineered flooring with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) to 0.048 mg/m(3) for painted birch blockboard. Furthermore, the FE dropped noticeably by the end of the measuring period, ranging between 0.006 mg/m(3) for engineered flooring with PVAc and 0.037 mg/m(3) for painted beech blockboard. Additionally, the initial FE was higher for the painted blockboard (0.035-0.048 mg/m(3)) than for the uncoated boards (0.022-0.032 mg/m(3)). In the first week after manufacturing, the FE was high, but the decrease in FE was noticeable at the two-week measurement for all of the materials, especially for the painted blockboards. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.