Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies test methods and requirements for the strength and durability of all types of extension elements and their components for all fields of application, except table extensions.

The tests consist of the application of loads, forces and velocities simulating normal functional use, as well as misuse, that might reasonably be expected to occur.

With the exception of the corrosion test in 6.4, the tests are designed to evaluate properties without regard to materials, design/construction or manufacturing processes.

The strength and durability tests only relate to the extension elements and the parts used for the attachement, e.g. screws.

The strength and durability tests are carried out in a test frame with specified properties. The test results can only be used as a guide to the performance of a piece of furniture.

The test results are only valid for the extension element tested. These results may be used to represent the performance of production models provided that the tested model is representative of the production model.

Ageing and influences of heat and humidity are not included.

Purpose

Standards provide clarity about the properties of a product and are considered to be clear and recognized rules of technology. ISO/TC 136 develops standards for all kinds of furniture, in order to support the business to business (B2B) as well as the business to consumer (B2C) relationship. So far, these standards focus on the whole furniture as ‘completed consumer product’ and only partly consider subcomponents, e.g. furniture hardware.

There are some national standards (see below) determination of technical product data of hardware components and fittings. International standards will help to provide save and functional furniture with high grade of serviceability to a worldwide networked market.

Furniture manufactures are faced to the challenge to choose a sub-component, e.g. runners, drawers, hinges before any test with the completed furniture can be performed. For integration of furniture hardware, a large bundle of technical data is required to enable the manufacturer to compare different products and find out the most suitable ones.

Hardware standards, as the one proposed, ensure that technical data is determined according to the same rules in a uniform test setup. The determined data is transparent, uniform and comparable. The standards also serve to rationalize and reduce production costs while maintaining good quality. Moreover, by complying with quality and safety standards, the risk of accidents can be demonstrably reduced, thereby contributing significantly to the health protection of consumers and employees.