EN 12520 Furniture - Safety, Strength and Durability - Requirements for Home Living Areas

The European standard "EN 12520 Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for home seating" describes the minimum requirements for the safety, durability and durability of all types of home seating for adults. It also describes additional test methods for seat side-to-side durability and finger pinch, shear and compression.

However, this standard does not include requirements for:

• Requirements for connections for tiered seating, seating for outdoor use, office work chairs, chairs for educational institutions, outdoor seating and connected seating for which European standards exist.
• Requirements for durability of upholstery materials, casters, tilt and recline mechanisms, and seat height adjustment mechanisms.
• Requirements for electrical safety.
• Requirements for resistance to ageing, deterioration, flammability and ergonomics.
• Requirements.

This test method is based on use by individuals weighing up to 110 kg.

The standard annexes are arranged as follows:

• Annex A (normative) specifies seat side-by-side durability testing at DG points.
• Annex B (informative) gives the rationale for some of the tests specified in the table provided in the standard.
• Annex C (normative) specifies test methods for finger compression and shear and compression.
• Annex D (normative) specifies the seat loading point for seating with suspended flexible material.

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

• An accessible part is a part that is easily accessible to the user when the seat is in its intended use configuration and is not likely to be inadvertently touched by the user.
• A footrest is a part designed to support the user's feet and helps the user get on or off the seat.
• A leg rest is an extension of the seat designed to support the user's legs. A leg rest may or may not be permanently attached to the structure of the seat and may not be suitable for use as a seat.
• A single column seat is a seat in which the upper part, including the seat, is mounted on a single support with a diameter of up to 120 mm2 at its narrowest point, such as gas spring chairs.
• A stool is a seating unit that has a backrest or no backrest and is at least 100 mm above the seating surface.

The tests are performed on the same sample and in the order listed in the table, except for test number 15 (EN 13759), for which a separate sample may be used.

General safety requirements: The seat shall be designed to minimize the risk of injury to the user. When the seat is positioned in the intended use configuration, all parts of the seat with which the user comes into contact during intended use shall be designed to prevent physical injury or damage. This requirement is met if:

• If the edges and corners of the seat in direct contact with the user are rounded or beveled
• All other edges and corners accessible during intended use are free of burrs or sharp edges.

Movable and adjustable parts must be designed to prevent injury and accidental operation. Load-bearing parts of the seat must not loosen unintentionally. All parts lubricated to promote sliding must be designed to protect users from oil stains in normal use.

Holes in pipe or rigid components There shall be no holes at the ends of pipe components or in rigid components in accessible parts between 7 mm and 12 mm, but the penetration depth shall be less than 10 mm. This requirement shall be met if no hazard is present when tested in accordance with this standard.

The requirements in this standard for cutting and pressure points do not apply to electrically operated furniture. The requirements for electrically operated furniture are provided in the EN 17684 standard.

The seat shall meet the requirements of EN 1022 standard after the relevant tests listed in the table have been completed in terms of stability. In the case of a seat that may not meet the stability requirements before any testing is carried out, applicable stability tests may be carried out before starting the test series specified in the table.

Seats are tested for strength and durability in the order given in the table and in accordance with the test conditions in the EN 1728 standard. Tests 1, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15 are considered important for safety.

The test methods included in the table given in the standard are as follows:

1. Seat static load and back static load test

2. Seat front edge static load test

3.1 Footrest static load test

3.2 Leg rest static load test

4. Armrest sideways static load test

5. Armrest down static load test

6. Combined seat and back durability test

7. Seat front edge durability test

8. Seat side-by-side durability test

9. Armrest durability test

10. Leg forward static load test

11. Leg sideways static load test

12. Seat impact test

13. Drop test

14. Back impact test

15. Durability of electrically powered seating product

Our organization, which has been trying to support businesses from every sector with its testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies carried out in a wide range for years, has a strong staff that closely follows the developments in the world in the field of science and technology and constantly improves itself. In this context, testing services in accordance with the "EN 12520 Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for home living areas" standard are also provided to businesses.