Sustainable Cork Flooring: What Wicanders and Granorte Declare

This article reads the datasheets, installation instructions, certificates and declarations that Wicanders (Amorim Cork Solutions) and Granorte publish. Manufacturer figures are attributed to their document, and where two documents differ we show both.

What do the product documents declare?

The table covers five Granorte datasheets (16 October 2024 and 9 January 2025), three Wicanders datasheets (July 2026 per file names) and one Wicanders WISE plank with an EPD. All values are the makers' statements; we did not read the test reports.

Three details stand out. First, finish changes the declared class. Granorte's unfinished Tradition tile states Bfl-s1 only "without finish", while its finished Naturals Fix tile states Dfl-s1.^[3][5] Wicanders' Cork Pure datasheet gives "NA" for the sanded and pre-finished versions and a class only for the HRT version.^[8] Second, the wear data differ in kind. According to Granorte's datasheets, abrasion resistance under EN 14354 is above 5000 revolutions for Naturals and Naturals Fix and above 7000 for Vita Classic Premium and Vintage.^[1][2][3][4] According to Wicanders' Cork Go datasheet, wear resistance is 1,000 cycles or more (stated as "≥ 1 000") under EN 14354; its Cork Essence datasheet states a requirement of 5000 cycles or more with the result column marked "TBD".^[6][7] Third, Granorte's Naturals sheet and Wicanders' Cork Go sheet state slip classification DS under EN 13893, and Granorte adds a dynamic friction coefficient above 0.30.^[1][6] EN 13893 is a test method for dry surfaces, so a DS class says nothing about wet conditions.^[14]

The datasheets also describe the cork layer differently. Granorte's floating floors state a 3 mm top layer of agglomerated cork under EN 12104; the Wicanders Cork Go page lists a genuine cork veneer, 2.6 mm of agglomerated cork and a 0.6 mm integrated cork underlay on an HDF core.^[1][22] EN 12104 is the standard for agglomerated cork floor tiles; the Granorte datasheets cite it without an edition, and the 2018 edition was withdrawn on 24 May 2023.^[12] The floating datasheets also cite EN ISO 20326, a specification for floor panels for loose laying.^[1][13]

How should the fire class of a cork floor be read?

EN 13501-1:2018 classifies construction products, and it treats floorings as a separate category from other construction products. The floor classes in the datasheets carry an "fl" suffix.^[11] The datasheets show three different floor classes across the two makers: Bfl-s1, Cfl-s1 and Dfl-s1. Wicanders' Cork Go datasheet states that its class comes from EN ISO 11925-2 and EN ISO 9239-1 under EN 13501-1.^[6] The datasheets do not say which substrate or installation each class was tested on. Granorte's Tradition sheet limits Bfl-s1 to the unfinished tile ("classification without finish (natural)"), and Wicanders' Cork Pure sheet labels its row "Fire resistance (flooring not wall application)" and gives a class for the HRT version only; the Cork Go, Cork Essence and Wise Inspire 700 HRT documents state Cfl-s1 without a thickness-specific scope. We did not read the classification reports. Ask the maker for the report for the exact product, finish and installation method.

What do the emissions labels, EPDs and certificates cover?

Emissions. Granorte's datasheets state "Fulfilled AgBB scheme" and "Fulfilled French Classification A+" under ISO 16000, and its Naturals and Vita sheets state formaldehyde class E1; these are manufacturer statements.^[1][2] Granorte publishes UL GREENGUARD certificates in two levels. For cork floor tiles (24408-410 and 24408-420), the cork floating floor (9411-410 and 9411-420) and Vita (66202-410 and 66202-420), the standard certificates run 2 November 2009 to 2 November 2026 and the GREENGUARD Gold certificates, issued under UL 2818-2022 Gold, run 16 February 2015 to 2 November 2026. The standard certificates show a TVOC limit of 0.50 mg/m³ and the Gold certificates 0.22 mg/m³.^[16] UL's SPOT database, searched on 8 October 2026, lists 12 Granorte, LDA. products, all typed as flooring, with GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certification.^[17]

For Wicanders, SPOT lists 20 results for the keyword "Wicanders", each tagged with GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certification, including Cork Go and Cork Pure; we did not open individual certificates.^[18] The Blue Angel company page for Amorim Cork Solutions lists an entry that names Corkcomfort, Artcomfort, Cork Go, Cork Essence, CorkNATURA and Studiostyle as cork flooring on high-density fibreboard for floating installation (10.5 mm).^[19]

EPDs. We read two IBU declarations from Amorim companies. The EPD for a floating cork floor with high-resistance varnish (WRT) and UV varnish (WPS), owned by Amorim Revestimentos, was issued 24 August 2021, is stated valid to 23 August 2026, and covers modules A1 to A3 only. It declares a global warming potential of 5.43 kg CO₂e per m², and says this is the result without sequestered CO₂, with the CO₂ content of the product stated as 1.30 kg per m².^[10] That date has passed. We could not search the IBU registry for a renewed version, because its public EPD database asks for a login; the copy we read is hosted by a retailer. The EPD for Amorim Wise Inspire 700 HRT, owned by Amorim Cork Flooring, was issued 14 September 2022 and is valid to 13 September 2027. For 1 m², it states GWP-total for A1 to A3 of 0.723 kg CO₂e, made up of fossil +3.96, biogenic −3.54 and land use change +0.303 kg CO₂e; the EPD also declares modules A4, A5, B2, C and D.^[9] The figures cover different products and scopes, so they are not comparable. We found no Granorte EPD in its downloads list or in a web search; that list does include HPD documents and a carbon footprint certificate, which we did not read.^[31]

Sourcing and approvals. Granorte's FSC chain-of-custody certificate C044061 (APCER, first issued 3 February 2010, current version issued 3 February 2025, valid to 2 February 2030) covers cork granules and agglomerates and cork flooring, and states that it is not itself evidence that a given product is FSC-certified; the Naturals datasheet says FSC certified products are available on request.^[20][1] We did not re-check the FSC registry for this article. Granorte's German building approval Z-156.613-1057 for cork flooring panels shows validity to 5 April 2017 in the DIBt listing.^[21] For Amorim's FSC status, see our cork profile.

What are the installation and care limits?

Limits as stated, each named:

• Wet rooms. According to Granorte's floating-floor laying instructions (2024.01), do not install in bathrooms, shower rooms, saunas or other rooms exposed to excessive moisture.^[26] According to Wicanders' HDF installation instructions, floors can go in all residential and most commercial areas, except saunas, hot tubs and permanently wet areas.^[23]
• Subfloor moisture. According to Granorte, the concrete moisture content must not exceed 2.0 % CM, or 1.5 % CM with floor heating, with a 0.2 mm polyethylene sheet laid first.^[26] According to Wicanders, concrete without radiant heating should not exceed 75 % RH, with a waterproof membrane over concrete.^[23]
• Climate. According to Granorte, acclimatise for at least two days at 18 to 26 °C and 35 to 65 % relative humidity.^[26] According to Wicanders, at least 48 hours at 18 to 28 °C and 35 to 65 %.^[23]
• Underfloor heating. Maximum surface temperature is 28 °C in Granorte's Naturals and Vita datasheets and floating-floor instructions, 26 °C in its floor-tile instructions (2022.01) although its tile datasheets state 28 °C, and 25 °C in Wicanders' HDF instructions; Wicanders' Cork Pure instructions give 28 °C.^{[1][2][3][26][27][23][24]} Granorte also says the floor covering's thermal resistance should not exceed about 0.15 m²K/W, and gives 0.10 for 10.5 mm and 0.12 for 13.5 mm floating floors.^[28]
• Finish. According to Wicanders, unfinished Cork Pure must be finished on site with three coats of varnish and PU pre-finished Cork Pure with two.^[24] Granorte recommends varnishing glue-down tiles after installation to seal joints.^[27]
• Light and heat. According to Wicanders, protect from sunlight and avoid heat above 45 °C; both makers' care guides say cork may fade in sunlight.^[23][25][29]
• Cleaning. According to Granorte's care guide (2022.01), do not wet mop, and do not use ammonia-based cleaners, acrylic finishes, wax, bleach, oil soap or vinegar.^[29] According to Wicanders' Preventive Care sheet, no abrasive or solvent-based products such as acetone, and no latex or rubber-backed mats.^[25]

What we could not check

• We found no catalogue entry for EN 14085 and so do not rely on it. We read catalogue pages only for EN 13501-1, EN 12104, EN ISO 20326, EN 13893 and EN ISO 24343-1, not the standards' texts, and we quote no limit values from them.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}
• Wicanders' sustainability downloads list an EY study on Cork Pure. We did not read it.^[30]
• We did not read the warranty documents, and the SPOT searches were read at list level only.

Frequently asked questions about cork flooring

Related reading

For cork as a material, including harvesting, insulation board and carbon, see our cork profile. For another bio-based floor covering with its own documents, see Forbo Marmoleum and our linoleum profile. For a rapidly renewable alternative, see bamboo.