National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 12521:2023. It supersedes BS EN 12521:2015, which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee FW/0/2, Domestic and Contract Furniture.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 December 2023.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 22 October 2023.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists 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.

European foreword

This document (EN 12521:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 207 “Furniture”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by month May 2024, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by May 2024.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 12521:2015.

In comparison with the previous edition EN 12521:2015, the following modifications have been made:

updated to reflect the finger entrapment requirements within CEN/TR 17202, including an Annex containing test methods;
new requirements for delicate tables added;
improved definition of safety glass;
durability requirements for height adjustable tables added;
amended was a vertical durability test for cantilever or pedestal tables for tables ≤ 600 mm in height, or for tables with tops with a surface area ≤ 0,3 m²;
amended was a durability test for tables with castors.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: 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 the United Kingdom.

1 Scope

This document specifies the minimum requirements for the safety, strength and durability of all types of domestic tables intended for use by adults, including those with glass in their construction. It also contains additional test methods in Annex A and Annex B.

It does not apply to office tables and office desks, tables for non-domestic use, tables for educational institutions or outdoor tables for which European Standards exist.

It does not apply to trestle tables.

With the exception of stability tests, this document does not provide assessment of the suitability of any storage features included in domestic tables.

It does not include requirements for electrical safety.

It does not include requirements for the resistance to ageing and degradation.

Annex A (normative) contains test methods for finger entrapment.

Annex B (informative) contains a table top deflection test.

Annex C (informative) contains a rationale.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Test conditions and test sequence

5 Safety requirements

5.1 General

5.2 Holes in tubular or rigid components

5.3 Shear and compression points

5.4 Glass

5.5 Stability

5.6 Strength and durability

6 Information for use

7 Test report

Bibliography

BS EN 12521:2023

Furniture. Safety, strength and durability. Requirements for domestic tables

Current, Under Review

Published:

31 Dec 2023