Borax Extension as Wood Biocide: What Changes in 2026

Key data

Manufacturers and distributors of wood preservative biocides with disodium tetraborate have the green light to continue operating normally in 2026. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1111, adopted on 22 May 2026, delays the expiration date of the approval of this active substance for biocides of product type 8, avoiding a regulatory vacuum that would have forced products to be withdrawn from the market.

The decision is framed within the Regulation (EU) 528/2012 on biocides, which regulates the marketing and use of biocidal products in the European Union. The extension is a common mechanism when the renewal process for an active substance does not conclude before the current authorization expires.

What does this regulation establish?

The decision delays the expiration date of the approval of disodium tetraborate —commercially known as borax— for its exclusive use in biocides of product type 8: wood preservatives. This means that the active substance maintains its approved status under Regulation (EU) 528/2012 until the ongoing technical review is completed.

Without this extension, biocidal products containing borax for wood protection would have been left in a situation of legal uncertainty, which would have forced their withdrawal from the market before the scientific evaluation was completed. The decision prevents precisely that scenario.

Economic and operational impact

The immediate economic impact is positive: there is no additional cost resulting from this decision. Companies that already market products with disodium tetraborate for wood preservation can continue to do so without the need to reformulate, withdraw, or replace their products.

The real operational risk lies in the medium term. The extension is temporary and is conditional on the outcome of the technical renewal process. If the re-evaluation of the substance does not conclude favorably, manufacturers will have to adapt their formulations or seek alternative active substances. That reformulation process can involve significant costs in R&D, new registrations, and labeling adaptation.

• Immediate impact: None. Operational continuity guaranteed.
• Medium-term impact: Need to monitor the result of the technical renewal of borax.
• Risk if renewal does not succeed: Obligation to reformulate products and obtain new authorizations for alternative substances.
• Indirectly affected sectors: Construction and sectors that use wood treated with preservatives containing borax.

Who does it affect?

This decision has direct and indirect impact on the following profiles:

• Manufacturers of wood preservative biocides that use disodium tetraborate as the active substance in their formulations.
• Distributors and marketers of biocidal products of type 8 containing borax.
• Companies in the wood treatment sector that apply these products in their production processes.
• Construction and real estate companies that use wood treated with preservatives based on borax.
• Compliance and regulatory officers in companies in the chemical and construction materials sectors.

Practical example

A wood preservative manufacturer that markets a biocidal product with disodium tetraborate as the active substance was facing the imminent expiration of the approval of that substance. Without Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1111, it would have had to consider withdrawing the product from the market or urgently initiating a reformulation process with an already-approved alternative active substance.

Thanks to the extension, that company can continue manufacturing and distributing its product without changes. However, its technical director or regulatory officer must now incorporate into their monitoring calendar the new expiration date established by the decision, and monitor the progress of the borax renewal process before the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). If the renewal is approved, the product will remain on the market without changes. If it is not approved, the company will need sufficient time to reformulate before the authorization definitively expires.

What should companies do now?

1. Verify if your products are affected: Review whether any of the biocides manufactured or distributed contain disodium tetraborate as the active substance for product type 8 (wood preservatives).
2. Update regulatory planning: Incorporate the new expiration date established by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1111 into the company's regulatory compliance calendar.
3. Monitor the renewal process: Track the status of the technical re-evaluation of disodium tetraborate before the ECHA and the European Commission to anticipate the outcome.
4. Evaluate alternative scenarios: If there is a risk that the renewal will not succeed, already initiate an analysis of alternative active substances approved for product type 8, to have a margin for reformulation without urgency.
5. Inform the distribution chain: Communicate to distributors and customers that products with borax for wood maintain their authorization, avoiding confusion or unnecessary order cancellations.