2017 National Standard for Office Chairs

The national standard related to office chairs released in 2017 is GB/T 14531-2017 'Office Furniture - Tables, Chairs, and Stools for Reading'. This standard was jointly issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the Standardization Administration of China, and officially came into effect on July 1, 2018. The following provides an explanation from three aspects: the standard's background, scope of application, and core content and technical requirements.

Standard Background and Release Information

GB/T 14531-2017 is a recommended national standard formulated for reading furniture in the office furniture sector, with its English name clearly defined as 'Office furniture—Tables, chairs and stools for reading'. This standard replaces the old version GB/T 14531-1993 and has undergone a comprehensive revision in line with industry technological advancements and safety requirements. It aims to standardize the quality and safety of tables, chairs, and stools used in places such as libraries, archives, and school reading rooms.

Scope of Application and Target Objects

The standard clearly applies to reading tables, chairs, and stools used in public places such as libraries, archives, educational institutions, and reading rooms of enterprises and institutions, covering the entire process of design, production, inspection, and sales. It should be noted that although the standard focuses on the 'reading' scenario, its requirements regarding the structural strength, stability, and harmful substance limits of chairs also have significant reference value for the design and production of ordinary office chairs.

Core Content and Technical Requirements

1. Quality Requirements
   The standard sets out clear indicators for the dimensional deviations, shape and position tolerances, and appearance quality (such as surface coating adhesion and liquid resistance of wooden part paint films) of chairs to ensure that products meet basic usage requirements. For example, the horizontal deviation of the chair seat surface should be ≤2mm, and the vertical deviation of the chair back should be ≤3mm.

2. Safety Requirements

   • Structural Safety: New impact resistance tests (such as static load tests on the chair seat surface and fatigue tests on the chair back) have been added, requiring that chairs should not break or undergo permanent deformation after bearing specified loads.
   • Harmful Substance Limits: For the first time, environmental protection indicators such as formaldehyde emission and heavy metal content (such as lead and cadmium) have been introduced to limit the content of migratable elements and safeguard user health.

3. Durability Requirements
   Through scratch resistance tests (such as scratch tests on wooden part surfaces) and abrasion resistance tests (such as abrasion tests on coatings), the anti-damage ability of the surface materials of chairs is evaluated to extend the product's service life.

4. Packaging and Storage
   It is stipulated that product packaging should be moisture-proof and shock-proof and marked with warning signs. The storage environment should be dry and well-ventilated, avoiding long-term exposure to high temperatures or corrosive gases.

The implementation of this standard has promoted the development of the office chair industry towards safety and environmental protection, providing consumers with a more reliable basis for quality.