Check a cabinet certification claim in the KCMA directory

What the seals cover

KCMA describes three seals: an A161.1 quality certification, an Environmental Stewardship certification and a severe-use certification. It says a design must pass 14 tests, including a 600-pound load test, and that KCMA mediates warranty issues on certified cabinets. Its consumer summary groups the tests into structure, door and drawer operation, finish, and a heat and humidity exposure.

The Environmental Stewardship Program is a manufacturer-level certification. KCMA lists ESP 01-24 as the current guidebook, with a 70-point minimum plus mandatory requirements. The readable 01-20 edition says the program is audited by an accredited third party, is awarded annually, and makes TSCA Title VI compliance of particleboard, MDF and hardwood plywood mandatory. It does not rate an individual cabinet's emissions.

Look up the company

1. Find the seal, which KCMA says is usually inside a cabinet door or on a drawer edge, and note its company code.
2. Look the code or company up in the KCMA certified company directory, which filters by seal type and region.
3. Open the company's certificate and read its expiry date; the directory is company-level and does not say which product lines are certified.

Treat manufacturer statements as claims

Some manufacturer pages state certification. Cabinetworks Group's certifications page, for example, states that all of its products are certified to ANSI A161.1. Statements like that are a starting point; the directory, the certificate and the seal on the delivered cabinet are the record.