The answer to this question is simple as it is really the incorrect question to ask.
In December 2017 the MFA formalized the way we would refer to the flooring types within the multilayer category: Rigid core or polymer composite core flooring products = Multilayer Flooring In addition, the association will actively promote sustainability throughout both the life cycle of the product and the supply chain.” “The mission of the Multilayer Flooring Association is to establish standards to insure the performance and safety of polymer composite core products for indoor residential and commercial environments, as well as monitor compliance of its members’ products through third party certification of these standards. Just like the wood flooring industry has the NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) as its governing body, the vinyl flooring industry created and adopted the MFA (Multi-Layer Flooring Association) as their governing body in 2016. We recently invited him to meet with several local interior designers to present this knowledge and the information that came out of that meeting was important enough that we decided to present it here for everyone’s reference. Mark Howe from US Floors/ Fusion ( ) is an industry veteran with decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge.
We have tapped the knowledge of one of the vinyl flooring industry’s most seasoned professionals to help break it down for us. Both were also referred to as “rigid core”. Likewise, SPC was largely referred to “stone plastic composite” or “solid plastic composite” because of the limestone content within the solid core.
When we first started seeing these new flooring types emerge into the marketplace in 2012, many manufacturers referred to WPC as “wood plastic composite” because of a small amount of wood fiber mixed into the expanded foam core. A few examples of this include the acronyms WPC and SPC. You might be familiar with acronyms such as VCT (vinyl composite tile) or LVT (luxury vinyl tile), but it seems like every manufacturer likes to come up with new terms and acronyms with every product release, and there has been no consensus historically of what those acronyms really mean. While vinyl flooring is not a new category, many of its latest incarnations are. If you have been shopping for flooring recently or even if you are in the flooring industry you have probably noticed the massive influx of vinyl flooring options that have flooded the marketplace in recent years.