Naef makes Mixed precious hardwoods: maple, ash, sweet chestnut, beech, elm, acacia, oak and walnut wooden toys. Naef sits at the top tier, a safe natural material of the Throne toy standard. Naef finishes its products with natural finish for uncoloured wood; high quality lacquer for coloured pieces, exact chemistry not specified in sources found. Naef is independently owned.
Brand stated, not yet independently verified. The certifications and material claims below are as the brand states them on its own site.
| Material | Mixed precious hardwoods: maple, ash, sweet chestnut, beech, elm, acacia, oak and walnut |
| Material tier | Safe natural material (top tier) |
| Finish | natural finish for uncoloured wood; high quality lacquer for coloured pieces, exact chemistry not specified in sources found |
| Certifications | none separately stated in sources found |
| Where made | Production relocated to southern Germany in 2012; management, administration and product development remain in Zofingen, Switzerland (Naef company history). |
| Ownership | Independent, family-owned Swiss company. Founded 1954 by Kurt Naef in Basel; after Kurt Naef sold it in 1988 the firm struggled and was repurchased in 2003, returning to family ownership; now managed by Hans-Peter Engeler and his son Patrick Engeler. |
| Caveat | Design object positioning, precision sanded hardwood building blocks. |
small geometric pieces are a choking hazard for under 3s; lacquer chemistry on coloured pieces not confirmed as water based
Why this verdict: Some materials are published but not the full picture, for example the wood species without the finish, so a partial verdict rather than a full one.
Sources checked: Naef's materials and finish were read from Naef's own website, https://www.naefspiele.ch. The certifications shown are as Naef states them, not yet checked against a certifier register.
