In 1966, the Dept. of Commerce, the National Bureau of Standards, FHA and the VA withdrew product standard CS 56-60, strip flooring, and accepted NOFMA Official Flooring Grading Rules as the standard for the industry. Flooring certified as meeting NOFMA standards is identified by the NOFMA certification stamp and mill number on the back. The consistent quality of NOFMA-certified flooring sets it apart from other manufacturers due to proprietary milling specifications and tolerances. NOFMA quality standards address 4 critical areas of manufacture: Grade, Configuration, Moisture Content and Average Length.

NOFMA FLOORING GRADES: NOFMA-certified flooring is categorized into 4 grades: NOFMA Clear, NOFMA Select, NOFMA No. 1 Common and NOFMA No. 2 Common, any of which will result in a serviceable floor. The primary differentiator between the grades is the degree to which natural characteristics, such as knots and mineral streaks, or manufacturing marks, such as sticker burn, are allowed. The flooring grade will have the greatest impact on the overall look of the installed floor.

CONFIGURATION: NOFMA standards include strict rules for wood flooring configuration, including tongue-andgroove fit and location, flooring thickness, end squareness and width consistency. These rules ensure that flooring purchased from a NOFMAcertified manufacturer will fit together neatly, and the installed floor will not require excessive sanding.

MOISTURE CONTENT: NOFMA standards call for moisture content at manufacture to be compatible with the range of site conditions likely to be encountered so that the end-user can be assured the flooring will perform as expected.

AVERAGE LENGTH: NOFMA’s minimum average length requirements help ensure that expectations are met regarding ease of installation, coverage and frequency of end-joints.

Download and specify NOFMA-certified flooring by using the links below:

  Mission and Services       Manu Spec (word or PDF available)        Spec Data