Importing Wooden Urns: Lacey Act and TSCA, in Plain English
Two US rules decide whether a wooden urn line can be imported and sold without drama. Neither is complicated once someone owns the paperwork — which is the part importers most often skip.
The Lacey Act: know your species
The Lacey Act requires an import declaration for plant products, including wood: the species (genus and species), the country of harvest, and the quantity. For an urn, that means the factory must know — and state — exactly what wood is in the box, including veneers and composite parts. A factory that cannot name its species cannot ship compliantly, whatever its catalogue says.
TSCA Title VI: composite wood and formaldehyde
Urns made with MDF, plywood or particleboard fall under TSCA Title VI, the US formaldehyde standard for composite wood panels. Panels must be certified compliant, and the importer must hold the records. Solid-wood urns avoid most of this; composite-wood urns are perfectly importable — with certified panels and paperwork on file.
What ‘documents on file’ actually means
For every Erdengobi line, before it is listed: the species list behind the Lacey declaration, TSCA Title VI certificates for any composite wood used, and biodegradation certification where a product claims eco status. Collected up front, they turn customs from a risk into a routine.
And Canada?
Canada has its own formaldehyde rules for composite wood products, aligned in spirit with the US approach. Lines supplied for both markets are documented for both.