SIST EN 12520:2025/oprA1:2026

Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for domestic seating

This document specifies the minimum requirements for the safety, strength and durability of all types of domestic seating for adults. It also specifies additional test methods for seat side-to-side durability as well as finger entrapment and shear and compression.
It does not apply to ranked seating, seating for non-domestic use, office work chairs, chairs for educational institutions, outdoor seating and to links for linked seating for which European Standards exist.
It does not include requirements for the durability of upholstery materials, castors, reclining and tilting mechanisms and seat height adjustment mechanisms.
It does not include requirements for electrical safety.
It does not include requirements for the resistance to ageing, degradation, flammability and ergonomics.
The requirements are based on use by persons weighing up to 110 kg.
Annex A (normative) specifies the seat side-to-side durability test in D-G points.
Annex B (informative) gives rationales for some of the tests referred to in Table 1.
Annex C (normative) specifies the test methods for finger entrapment and shear and compression.
Annex D (normative) specifies the seat loading point for seating with suspended flexible material.

Möbel - Sicherheit, Festigkeit und Dauerhaltbarkeit - Anforderungen an Sitzmöbel für den Wohnbereich

Meubles - Sécurité, résistance et durabilité - Exigences relatives aux sièges à usage domestique

Pohištvo - Varnost, trdnost in trajnost - Zahteve za sedežno pohištvo za domačo uporabo - Dopolnilo A1

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 01-Mar-2026
• ICS: 97.140 - Furniture
• Technical Committee: POH - Furniture
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 18-Dec-2025
• Due Date: 07-May-2026
• Ref Project: EN 12520:2024/prA1 - Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for domestic seating

Relations

• Revises: SIST EN 12520:2025 - Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for domestic seating
• Effective Date: 01-Feb-2026

Overview

SIST EN 12520:2025/oprA1:2026 is a European standard developed by CEN that specifies minimum requirements for the safety, strength, and durability of domestic seating furniture for adults. This standard focuses exclusively on indoor seating used in residential environments and excludes specialized seating such as office chairs, educational institution chairs, ranked seating, outdoor seating, and linked seating covered by other standards. It is designed to ensure seating can safely support users weighing up to 110 kg, addressing key aspects like structural integrity and hazard prevention.

Key Topics

• Safety Requirements: The standard details critical safety parameters to prevent accidents, including test methods for hazard identification such as finger entrapment. Notably, the amendment prA1 refines the focus, removing shear and compression test methods and concentrating on finger entrapment safety.
• Strength and Load Capacity: Tests ensure that seating withstands daily functional loads without failure, based on typical adult use, guaranteeing durability and reliability.
• Durability Tests: Includes procedures like seat side-to-side durability to simulate long-term use conditions and evaluate the robustness of the furniture structure.
• Scope of Use: Applicable only to residential seating for adults, excluding commercial, educational, and outdoor furniture, as well as components like upholstery, castors, and adjustment mechanisms. Electrical safety, flammability, aging, and ergonomic factors are also outside its purview.
• Defined Terminology: The addition of precise definitions for “shear point” and “compression point” clarifies terminology related to mechanical hazard points, further supporting consistent application during testing and evaluation.

Applications

SIST EN 12520:2025/oprA1:2026 is vital for:

• Furniture Manufacturers aiming to comply with European safety and durability standards for domestic seating products.
• Quality Assurance Professionals conducting product testing and certification to ensure seating meets rigorous performance standards.
• Regulatory Bodies and Safety Inspectors tasked with enforcing consumer safety in residential furniture markets.
• Design Engineers who need to understand hazard points and durability concerns when developing new seating designs.

The standard ensures that seating sold across the European Economic Area achieves a harmonized safety benchmark, reducing the risk of injury and product failure in everyday domestic use.

Related Standards

• EN 1728 – Furniture - Test methods for strength, durability and stability of domestic furniture, often referenced for durability test positioning.
• Other CEN standards for linked seating, office chairs, and institutional seating, which cover seating types excluded from this standard.
• Standards addressing upholstery materials, mechanical adjustment mechanisms, and electrical safety, which complement but are outside EN 12520’s scope.

By aligning with SIST EN 12520:2025/oprA1:2026, manufacturers and stakeholders contribute to safer, longer-lasting domestic furniture that meets European market expectations. This standard is a key reference in furniture safety compliance and supports consumer confidence in seating products for home use.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-februar-2026
Pohištvo - Varnost, trdnost in trajnost - Zahteve za sedežno pohištvo za domačo
uporabo - Dopolnilo A1
Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements for domestic seating
Möbel - Sicherheit, Festigkeit und Dauerhaltbarkeit - Anforderungen an Sitzmöbel für
den Wohnbereich
Meubles - Sécurité, résistance et durabilité - Exigences relatives aux sièges à usage
domestique
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 12520:2024/prA1
ICS:
97.140 Pohištvo Furniture
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 12520:2024
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
prA1
January 2026
ICS 97.140
English Version
Furniture - Safety, strength and durability - Requirements
for domestic seating
Meubles - Sécurité, résistance et durabilité - Exigences Möbel - Sicherheit, Festigkeit und Dauerhaltbarkeit -
relatives aux sièges à usage domestique Anforderungen an Sitzmöbel für den Wohnbereich
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 12520:2024. 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
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 12520:2024/prA1:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents
European foreword . 3
1 Modification to Clause1, Scope. 4
2 Modification to Clause 3, Terms and definitions . 4
3 Modification to 5.1.2, Holes in tubular or rigid components . 4
4 Modification to 5.1.3.2, Shear and compression points when setting up and folding. 4
5 Modification to 5.1.3.3, Shear and compression points under influence of non-
electrically powered mechanisms . 4
6 Modification to 5.1.3.4, Shear and compression points during use . 4
7 Modification to A.2.1 General . 5
8 Modification to Annex C, Test methods for finger entrapment and shear and
compression .
...