U.S. – CPSC Approves 16 CFR 1232 Safety Standard for Children’s Folding Chairs and Stools

Vol. 1006 | 03 Jan 2018

As part of the rulemaking process required by Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal regulation: 16 CFR 1232 Safety Standard for Children’s Folding Chairs and Stools. The rule adopts the existing ASTM F2613 – 17a Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Children’s Chairs and Stools, without any modification, but limits the scope of the mandatory standard to only folding chairs and stools.

Since the publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR), the ASTM F2613 standard has been revised four times to add clarifications to the test requirements and to align with the NPR modifications to add backwards and sideways stability tests, as well as revisions for more prominent placement of marking and labeling requirements.

A children’s chair, as defined in the standard, is seating furniture with a rigid frame that is intended to be used as a support for the body, limbs, or feet of a child when sitting or resting in an upright or reclining position and children’s stools are considered a subset of chairs, “children’s chair without back or armrests.” The standard further defines “folding chairs” and “folding stools” as “children’s chair or stool which can be folded for transport or storage.”

Some significant features addressed by the ASTM F2613-17a standard include:

• Scissoring, shearing, and pinching hazards
• Latching and locking devices
• Folding mechanisms
• Hinge line clearance
• Strength requirements
• Stability
• Labeling

This rule is effective June 15, 2018. Children’s folding chairs and stools manufactured on and after this date shall meet requirements of this rule. Additionally, the children’s folding chairs and stools manufactured on and after this date will also require certification per 16 CFR 1110 based on testing at a CPSC-approved third-party accreditation body (third-party lab) for 16 CFR 1232.

The Final Rule can be viewed at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-12-15/pdf/2017-26997.pdf

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-630-209-9265).