Unqualified Sampling Inspection Standards for Office Chairs
The unqualified sampling inspection standards for office chairs mainly include sampling methods, inspection items and bases, and past inspection failures.
Sampling Methods: Samples are randomly selected from the products to be sold by the sampled manufacturers and sellers. Random numbers can be generated using methods such as random number tables. Four samples are taken from each batch of products, with three serving as inspection samples and one as a backup sample.
Inspection Items and Bases:
- Limit of Harmful Substances: This covers formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), benzene, toluene, xylene (sum of ortho-, meta-, and para-xylene), migratable harmful elements, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, decomposable aromatic amine dyes, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, etc. Inspection methods are based on standards such as GB18584โ2024, GB/T 40906โ2021, GB/T 40971โ2021, GB/T 40904โ2021, and GB/T 40908โ2021.
- General Structural Safety: This includes basic structural safety, shear and crush points, holes and gaps, etc., inspected according to the GB28008โ2024 standard.
- Stability: Inspected according to the QB/T 2280โ2016 standard, stability is an important indicator for assessing the quality of office chairs. Unstable office chairs are prone to tipping over when users lean forward, backward, or sit sideways, potentially causing injury to consumers.
- Vertical Downward Static Load on Armrests, Horizontal Static Load on Armrests, Drop Test, Seat Impact Test, Base Static Load: All are inspected according to the QB/T 2280โ2016 standard.
- Flame Retardancy: Inspected according to the GB17927โ2024 standard.
- Caster Wear and Tear: Also an inspection item, the quality of casters affects the service life of office chairs.
Past Inspection Failures: In 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation conducted national supervision inspections on office chair products, inspecting 11 provinces and cities. A total of 21 batches of products failed inspection, with a batch failure rate of 23.3%. The non-compliant items involved product flame retardancy, caster wear and tear safety, formaldehyde emission, etc., with relatively more quality issues found in office swivel chairs. The latest national supervision inspection results released by the State Administration for Market Regulation showed that a total of 101 batches of office chair products produced by 101 enterprises nationwide were inspected, and 15 batches were found to be non-compliant, with a non-compliance rate of 14.9%. Among them, 7 batches failed the stability test, 5 batches failed the caster wear and tear test, and 4 batches failed the formaldehyde emission test.
