In early July 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) released three mandatory national standards:

  • GB 28008—2024 Technical Specification for the Safety of Furniture Structure,
  • GB 18584—2024 Limit of Harmful Substances in Furniture, and
  • GB 28007—2024 Technical Specifications for the Safety of Infants’ and Children’s Furniture.

These standards outline the minimum safety requirements for furniture in terms of structure, harmful substance content, and protection for specific groups.

Specifically, the Technical Specification for the Safety of Furniture Structure stipulates the basic safety requirements for features such as rounded corners and edges, the sturdiness of component connections, sharp edges and points, vertical movable parts, anti-detachment devices or warning labels, caster locking mechanisms, and overall product stability. Additionally, it sets specific safety requirements for products like bunk beds, screens, folding and retractable beds, laboratory furniture, bathroom furniture, and glass furniture. This standard will come into effect on July 1, 2025, and will fully or partially replace previous mandatory standards, including GB 22792.2-2008, GB 26172.1-2010, GB 24820-2009, GB 24977-2010, GB 24430.1-2009, GB 28008-2011, and GB 28478-2012.

The Limit of Harmful Substances in Furniture regulates the limits of harmful substances in various types of furniture. It introduces definitions and limit values for total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), specifies the limits for migratory harmful elements and heavy metals in different furniture products, standardizes testing indicators for phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and decomposable aromatic amine dyes, and introduces new non-destructive testing methods for formaldehyde emissions. This standard will also take effect on July 1, 2025, and will fully replace the previous mandatory standards GB 18584-2001 and GB 28481-2012.

The Technical Specifications for the Safety of Infants’ and Children’s Furniture apply to the quality and safety control of all furniture products for infants and children aged 0 to 14 years. It specifies general safety requirements for materials, structure, flame resistance, electrical safety, limits on harmful substances, and warning labels, as well as specific safety requirements and corresponding testing methods for certain products like high chairs, bunk beds/high beds, children’s beds and folding cribs, infant cribs, and upholstered furniture. This standard will come into effect on January 1, 2026, and will fully or partially replace previous mandatory standards GB 22793.1-2008, GB 28007-2011, and GB 24430.1-2009.

In sum, these three standards will replace numerous previously scattered mandatory national standards and will become the new market entry requirements for furniture products in China. As these standards were not developed in alignment with European or other regional standards, there may be technical differences between these and the standards implemented by overseas manufacturers. Therefore, European furniture manufacturers exporting to China should compare their current standards with these new standards and make timely adjustments to their production processes to meet future market access requirements.