Member Resources

Product & Technical Standards

AHFA leads the industry in the development and maintenance of product and technical standards related to comfort, safety and durability of home furnishings products. Working through ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) and other standards-setting organizations, AHFA helps advance test methods, product specifications and industry practices that improve product durability, enhance product safety and help build consumer confidence in our industry’s products.

AHFA member companies have exclusive access to an extensive Construction and Safety Standards Index via the link below.

Quick links to four key voluntary standards developed by ASTM International also are provided below, along with three standards developed by AHFA in conjunction with joint industry committees.

Construction and Safety Standards Index

This index of furniture construction, safety and health standards and specifications is organized by product category. Although extensive and updated regularly, the referenced standards and specifications are not necessarily the most recently issued.

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Bunk Bed Standard – ASTM F1427

This voluntary ASTM safety specification establishes minimum requirements for the design and performance of bunk beds. Although voluntary, it is the most up-to-date safety specification for bunk beds. (Last updated in March 2013.)

Bunk beds must comply with a mandatory standard for bunk beds (16 CFR Part 1513 – Requirements for Bunk Beds) adopted in 1999. Bunk beds marketed for children also must comply with requirements in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Manufacturers and importers of these products must certify in a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) that the bunk beds comply with the standard. CPSIA further requires bunk beds to be tested for compliance at a CPSC-accepted, third party laboratory.

View ASTM Bunk Bed Standard 

View Federal Bunk Bed Standard

Furniture Stability Standard – ASTM F2057

This voluntary ASTM safety specification (last updated in 2019) is intended to reduce injury and death from accidents involving the tip over of clothing storage furniture. Specifically, it covers chests, dressers, bureaus, armoires and other furniture with drawers or storage compartments for clothing. Procedures for stability testing are presented in detail within the standard.

A link to a companion standard for tip restraints (ASTM F3096) – which are required by F2057 – is also provided below, as well as a link to AHFA’s Furniture Stability Compliance Toolbox.

View Tip-Over Standard 

View Tip Restraint Standard 

AHFA Stability Compliance Toolbox

Horizontal Glass Standard – ASTM F2813

This specification covers performance requirements to ensure the use of safety glass when employed as a horizontal surface for a desk or table under 44 inches in height. It is intended to minimize the likelihood of serious injuries that may occur when glass breaks in a desktop or tabletop used indoors or outdoors.

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Leather Standard

In the mid-1990s, the upholstery industry asked AHFA to develop standards and guidelines for upholstery leathers. A leather technical committee was formed, and this group subsequently published standards and guidelines. The committee on leather operated by consensus of the members participating and included representatives from upholstery manufacturers, leather tanners, leather testing facilities, leather service companies and leather care and cleaning industries.

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Polyurethane Foam Standard

Published in 1994, the Joint Industry Foam Standards and Guideline is an 82-page document covering standards for all types of foam used in upholstery construction.

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Woven & Knit Upholstery Fabric Standards & Guideline

The Joint Industry Fabric Standards and Guidelines Committee was formed in the mid-1970s to develop standards for woven and knit upholstery fabrics. This 45-page document was the third update to the original standard. Through continuing reviews and refinements, the committee kept test methods and performance criteria updated to reflect field performance of fabrics.

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