According to Foshan market regulation authorities, in order to comprehensively improve the physical and mechanical safety level of furniture products and prevent structural risks that may arise during use, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China officially approved and released the mandatory national standard GB 28008-2024 Technical Specification for Structural Safety of Furniture on June 25, 2024. The standard will be implemented from July 1, 2025, and will replace and integrate multiple previously scattered product safety standards.

Basic information about the standard

This standard is a mandatory national standard and applies to all furniture products except infant and child furniture. It is a major integrated standard that fully or partially replaces the structural safety clauses in multiple old standards, including GB 22792.2-2008 Office Furniture Screens Part 2: Safety Requirements and GB 26172.1-2010 Safety Requirements and Test Methods for Folding Murphy Beds Part 1: Safety Requirements.

Core content and key technical requirements

The new standard establishes a comprehensive structural safety requirement system that combines general safety with product-specific safety.

1. General structural safety requirements

Edge and corner treatment: edges and corners that can be touched during normal use should be rounded or chamfered, with a rounding radius of not less than 0.5. mm. Other component surfaces should not have sharp edges or sharp corners.

Safety of movable parts: vertical movable parts, such as doors and flaps, should not move by themselves at any position more than 50 mm above the closing point. Sliding parts, such as drawers, should have anti-detachment devices or warning labels in bold black type no smaller than size 5.

Shear and pinch points: for accessible gaps formed by the operation of a driving mechanism or by force during normal use, the gap is required to be either less than 7. mm or not less than 18 mm to prevent fingers from being pinched.

Holes and gaps: in accessible areas, holes and gaps deeper than 10 mm must meet specific probe test requirements. For adjacent blocking parts of headboards, footboards, and safety guardrails, the net space gap between adjacent blocking parts in the same direction must be between 60 mm and 75 mm to prevent the head or torso from becoming trapped.

Stability: when tested according to corresponding product standards, the furniture must not tip over.

2. Structural safety requirements for specific products

Bunk beds: the upper sleeping surface must be equipped with a safety guardrail. The height from the top edge of the guardrail to the upper surface of the upper bed sleeping surface must be no less than 300 mm, and there must be a permanent marking line limiting the maximum mattress thickness. The width of the access opening is strictly limited to between 300 mm and 400 mm.

Glass furniture: precise corresponding provisions are made for glass thickness and maximum single-piece area. For example, when frameless load-bearing tempered glass is used for movable parts, the minimum thickness must be no less than 8.0. mm, and the maximum single-piece area must be no more than 1.8. square meters. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors must use tempered or laminated glass and pass sandbag impact tests.

Folding Murphy beds: the product is required to close automatically when opened within a certain range, such as 150 mm, or be equipped with a positive locking device requiring an operating force of no less than 50 N to prevent accidental opening and injury.

Other categories: laboratory furniture requires work surfaces with water-blocking functions to undergo a 24-hour water seepage test without leakage. Hanging bathroom cabinets must undergo strength testing to ensure secure installation.

The release and implementation of this standard are necessary for protecting consumer personal safety. Its technical requirements will promote industrial upgrading and product technology innovation in the furniture industry and are of great significance for regulating the quality and safety level of furniture products.

Source: News Express