Request a Demo
On May 07, 2022, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published a draft standard for limits of harmful substances in furniture, which will replace the GB 18584-2001 Limit of Harmful Substances of Wood Based Furniture and GB 28481-2012 Limit of Harmful Substances of Plastic Furniture. In addition, three standards under draft, including No. 20073020-Q-607 Limit of Harmful Substances of Wood Based Furniture, No. 20080836-Q-607 Limit of Hazardous Substances of Mattresses and No. 20080837-Q-607 Limit of Hazardous Substances of Sofas will be incorporated in this new standard and will not be formulated as separate national standards anymore. Public consultation will end on June 06, 2022.
In the past decade, China’s management on furniture safety was mainly focused on labelling/marking and structural integrity, and the control on the use of harmful substances was lagged behind. However, chemical safety of furniture has been put under the spotlight since a slew of health impacts have been found linked to the exposure to harmful substances in furniture in recent years. It is imminent to publish a national standard to mandate the limits of hazardous chemicals in furniture to ensure customer safety.
In 2019, the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) issued a plan to draft Limits of Harmful Substances in Furniture numbered 20190075-Q-3. The standard drafting committee studied relevant international and domestic regulations and standards and conducted in-depth research to formulate the first draft. In September 2020, consultation within relevant institutions and companies generated 134 comments. On October 12, 2021, the draft for approval, as well as its compilation instructions were finished.
The Standard applies to all kinds of furniture, e.g., wood furniture, metal furniture, upholstered furniture, plastic furniture, bamboo and rattan furniture, stone furniture etc., as well as furniture composed of various materials. It specifies the terms, definitions, requirements, test methods and determination of inspection results of harmful substances in furniture. The limits of harmful substances for different furniture products are stipulated as below.
Table 1: Emission Limits of Formaldehyde, Benzene, Toluene, Xylene and TVOC in Furniture
Item | CAS No. | Limit (mg/m3) | Scope of Application | Test Methods |
Formaldehyde | 50-00-0 | ≤0.08 |
Interior furniture |
Appendices D, E, F, G. |
Benzene | 71-43-2 | ≤0.06 | ||
Toluene | 108-88-3 | ≤0.15 | ||
M,p,o-Xylenen | 95-47-6；108-38-3； 106-42-3 |
≤0.20 | ||
Total volatile organic compounds(TVOC) |
/ |
≤0.50 |
Table 2: Limits of Migratable Harmful Elements in Furniture
Item | Limit (mg/kg) | Analysis Correction Factor (%) | Scope of Application | Test Methods |
Sb | ≤60 | 60 | Infant and children's furniture: coating for all accessible areas; Other furniture: color paint coating. | 8.1 and 9 of GB 6675.4-2014
|
As | ≤25 | 60 | ||
Ba | ≤1000 | 30 | ||
Cd | ≤75 | 30 | ||
Cr | ≤60 | 30 | ||
Pb | ≤90 | 30 | ||
Hg | ≤60 | 50 | ||
Se | ≤500 | 60 |
Table 3: Limits of Other Harmful Substances
Item | Limit | Scope of Application | Test Methods | |
Phthalates | Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
Total amount≤0.1% | Plastic furniture, plastic parts in accessible areas of furniture for infants and children |
GB/T 40906 |
Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP) | ||||
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) | ||||
Di-n-octyl Phthalate (DNOP) |
Total amount≤0.1% | Plastic parts in accessible areas of furniture for infants and children | ||
Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP) | ||||
Diisodecyl Phthalate (DIDP) | ||||
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons | Benzo(a)pyrene | ≤1.0 mg/kg | Plastic furniture, plastic parts in accessible areas of furniture for infants and children |
GB/T 40971 |
Total amount of 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) |
≤10 mg/kg | |||
Decomposable Aromatic Amine Dyes |
≤20 mg/kg | Furniture containing textile fabrics |
GB/T 40904 | |
≤30 mg/kg | Furniture containing leather | |||
≤20 mg/kg | Furniture containing artificial leather | |||
Radionuclide | Radium-226 |
IRa≤1.0 Ir≤1.3 | Furniture containing stone parts |
GB/T 38724 |
Thorium-232 | ||||
Potassium-40 | ||||
Dimethyl Fumarate | ≤0.1 mg/kg | Upholstered furniture for shipping | GB/T 27717 | |
Polybrominated Biphenyls |
≤1000 mg/kg | Public places and furniture with flame retardant properties |
GB/T 40908 | |
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers | ≤1000 mg/kg | |||
