The sofa is an important piece of furniture for homes and offices worldwide. The biggest manufacturers of sofas today reside in China. As the demand for sofas rises, international standards for sofa inspection and quality control increase in number.
InTouch helps sofa importers and manufacturers verify the quality of their sofas through pre-shipment inspection and product testing.
Common quality tests for sofas
In creating inspection and testing procedures for sofas and other upholstered furniture, InTouch draws on the following kinds of testing. We can include on-site testing within our inspection regiment for your sofas or help you coordinate more sophisticated testing in one of our certified partner labs. The following are some common quality tests to consider for sofas:
AATCC microorganisms test
The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) offers AATCC Test Method 147 (antibacterial activity of fabrics) and AATCC Test Method 194 (anti-house dust mite properties of textiles). These tests are essential in determining whether sofas harbor harmful microorganisms after long-term use.
ANSI fire safety testing
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) offers ANSI/NFPA 260 (cigarette ignition resistance of components of upholstered furniture) as an international standard test method to determine whether sofas are vulnerable to fire from cigarette ignition. This testing is especially important if the target consumers of the sofas include smokers or if the sofas may be used in smoking zones, such as the clubs.
UFAC flammability test
The Upholstery Furniture Action Council (UFAC) Flammability Test Methods for Upholstered Furniture Components - 1983 is an international standard which comprises of the various methods that could be used in the different types and designs of sofas.
ASTM heat release rate test
The American Standard for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has ASTM E1474 - 10 which is the standard test method for determining the heat release rate of upholstered furniture.
AATCC chemical safety test
Sofa manufacturers may also perform a chemical safety testing following the AATCC Test Method 112 (formaldehyde release from fabric, sealed jar method) which was formulated by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists.
They may also test following ISO 17070:2006 (pentachlorophenol content) and ISO 17072 – 1 and 2 (metal contents in leather) which were developed by the International Standards Organization. These tests are just some of the many other test methods that help ensure that sofas are safe from harmful chemical compounds.
ANSI durability test
ANSI/BIFMA X5.4-2005 is an American national standard for office furnishings and lounge seating test methods) from the American National Standards Institute and the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association. It's designed to determine sofa back strength and durability, sofa arm strength and durability, seating impact, structural durability, unit stability and more.
FNAE upholstered furniture test
FNAE-80-214A is a standard from the United States General Services Administration that includes advanced test methods for measuring sofa durability. Tests covered in the standard are the backrest foundation test, backrest frame test, horizontal side thrust arm load test and front-to-back load test for legs.
