EN 1729-2:2023/prA1

Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions - Part 2: Safety requirements and test methods

This document specifies safety requirements and test methods for chairs and tables for general educational purposes in educational institutions including kindergarten, childcare institutions and early years education settings.
It applies to furniture for use with laptop computers or portable devices, but not to special purpose workstations, e.g. laboratories, ranked seating and workshops.
The chairs fulfilling the applicable requirements of this document are suitable for users weighing up to 110kg.
The figures illustrate test principles only and cannot be used to carry out the tests.
NOTE   EN 1729-1 specifies functional dimensions and marking of chairs and tables for general educational institutions.
Annex A (informative) gives a test method for determination of the displacement of chairs placed on tabletops.

Möbel - Stühle und Tische für Bildungseinrichtungen - Teil 2: Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren

Meubles - Chaises et tables pour les établissements d'enseignement - Partie 2 : Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d'essai

Pohištvo - Stoli in mize za vzgojno-izobraževalne ustanove - 2. del: Varnostne zahteve in preskusne metode - Dopolnilo A1

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 31-May-2026
• ICS: 97.140 - Furniture
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 207 - Furniture
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 207/WG 6 - Test methods for fire behaviour
• Current Stage: 4060 - Closure of enquiry - Enquiry
• Start Date: 10-Apr-2025
• Due Date: 04-Apr-2025
• Completion Date: 10-Apr-2025
• Ref Project: SIST EN 1729-2:2023/oprA1:2025 - Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions - Part 2: Safety requirements and test methods

Relations

• Amends: EN 1729-2:2023 - Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions - Part 2: Safety requirements and test methods
• Effective Date: 21-Feb-2024

Overview

EN 1729-2:2023/prA1 (CEN draft amendment) updates the European standard for safety requirements and test methods for chairs and tables used in educational institutions, including kindergarten, childcare and early-years settings. It covers furniture for general educational purposes and is applicable to items intended for use with laptop computers and portable devices. The standard excludes special-purpose workstations such as laboratory benches, ranked seating and workshop furniture. Chairs meeting the requirements are suitable for users up to 110 kg. Figures in the document illustrate test principles only and are not to be used as test setup instructions. EN 1729-1 remains the reference for functional dimensions and marking.

Key Topics

• Draft amendment scope: prA1 modifies EN 1729-2:2023 and is issued for CEN member enquiry. If approved, it will be incorporated into national standards.
• Updated normative references: replaces EN 1022:2018 with EN 1022:2023 and prEN 15372 with EN 15372:2023 where cited.
• Sequence of testing: clarifies that all applicable tests shall be carried out on the same sample and defines the recommended order for chair and table tests (dimensional checks per EN 1729-1 should be performed before the safety tests).
• General safety changes: hole-size hazard rule revised - no holes between 8 mm and 18 mm in accessible parts unless capped or depth is < 10 mm, and compliance verified per CEN/TR 17202:2018 clauses 7.3/7.4.
• Stability and overturning: references to stability and overturning tests (forwards, sideways, rearwards) are updated to reference EN 1022:2023.
• Durability and load clarifications: figure keys for seat front edge and foot rail tests updated to indicate vertical force rather than horizontal force in specified figures.
• Annex A: an informative Annex provides a test method for determining displacement of chairs placed on tabletops.

Applications

EN 1729-2:2023/prA1 is used by:

• Furniture manufacturers designing chairs and tables for schools and early-years settings to ensure compliance with European safety expectations.
• Procurement teams and specifiers in education authorities who need to require verified stability, durability and device compatibility.
• Test laboratories and certification bodies performing stability, overload and durability testing in accordance with the standard sequence.
• Designers and product managers developing seating for laptop and device use in classrooms.

Benefits include safer classroom environments, consistent test methods for compliance, and clearer requirements for device-use suitability and user weight capacity.

Related Standards

• EN 1729-1 - Functional dimensions and marking for chairs and tables for educational institutions.
• EN 1022:2023 - Seating - Determination of stability (referenced for overturning and stability tests).
• EN 15372:2023 - Strength, durability and safety - requirements for non-domestic tables.
• CEN/TR 17202:2018 - Guidance for hazards related to openings and entrapment (used for hole-size evaluation).

For procurement, compliance or test-lab use, refer to the full EN 1729-2:2023 text and this prA1 amendment once it is published as a final amendment by CEN.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-februar-2025
Pohištvo - Stoli in mize za vzgojno-izobraževalne ustanove - 2. del: Varnostne
zahteve in preskusne metode - Dopolnilo A1
Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions - Part 2: Safety requirements
and test methods
Möbel - Stühle und Tische für Bildungseinrichtungen - Teil 2: Sicherheitstechnische
Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
Meubles - Chaises et tables pour les établissements d'enseignement - Partie 2 :
Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d'essai
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 1729-2:2023/prA1
ICS:
97.140 Pohištvo Furniture
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 1729-2:2023
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
prA1
January 2025
ICS 97.140
English Version
Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions -
Part 2: Safety requirements and test methods
Meubles - Chaises et tables pour les établissements Möbel - Stühle und Tische für Bildungseinrichtungen -
d'enseignement - Partie 2 : Exigences de sécurité et Teil 2: Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und
méthodes d'essai Prüfverfahren
This draft amendment is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 207.

This draft amendment A1, if approved, will modify the European Standard EN 1729-2:2023. If this draft becomes an amendment,
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for inclusion of
this amendment into the relevant national standard without any alteration.

This draft amendment was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 1729-2:2023/prA1:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
1 Modification to Clause 2, “Normative references” . 3
2 Modification to Clause 2, “Normative references” . 3
3 Modification to 4.3, “Sequence of testing” . 3
4 Modification to 5.1, “General safety requirements” . 4
5 Modification to 6.1, “General” . 4
6 Modification to 6.2.1, “General” . 4
7 Modification to 6.2.2, “Forwards overturning” . 4
8 Modification to 6.2.3.1, “Sideways overturning of chairs without armrests” . 4
9 Modification to 6.2.3.2, “Sideways overturning of chairs with armrests” . 4
10 Modification to 6.2.4, “Rearwards overturning for all chairs with backrests” . 4
11 Modification to 6.2.4, “Rearwards overturning for all chairs with backrests” . 4
12 Modification to
...