The ANSI/BIFMA Safety and Performance Standards are developed by the BIFMA Engineering Committee. The standards are reviewed every five years according to guidelines established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standards are intended to provide manufacturers, specifiers, and users with a common basis for evaluating safety, durability, and the structural adequacy of the specified furniture, independent of construction materials. The standards define specific tests, laboratory equipment to be used, the conditions of test, and the minimum acceptance levels to be used in evaluating these products. Copies of obsolete editions of the various standards are available upon request. All accredited standards developers must follow the ANSI Essential Requirements and their own set of written procedures in the process of developing new or revising existing standards. To obtain a copy of the ANSI Essential requirements go to http://www.ansi.org. If you are interested in the procedures that BIFMA uses in developing standards you may download a copy from the following: BIFMA Revised Proc_14June07.pdf
BIFMA E3-2008 BUSINESS AND INSTITUTIONAL FURNITURE SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) International and NSF International (NSF) have announced the release of BIFMA E3-2008 Business and Institutional Furniture Sustainability Standard to the NSF consensus ballot process and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) public comment period. The standard is an open, consensus based method to evaluate the sustainable attributes of furniture products.  It addresses all three aspects of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) and includes criteria for evaluating human & ecosystem health, energy, natural resource and corporate social responsibility impacts. The draft standard is downloadable here: BIFMA E3-2008.pdf. For more information, the BIFMA news release is available at http://bifma.org/news/index.html; the NSF news release can be found at http://www.nsf.org/business/newsroom/press_releases/press_release.asp?p_id=16061; and anyone can comment on the standard at http://standards.nsf.org/apps/group_public/document.php?document_id=1626&wg_abbr.
ANSI/BIFMA FURNITURE EMISSIONS STANDARDS
X5.5 DESK/TABLE STANDARD APPROVED BY ANSI JANUARY 2, 2008.
SMALL OFFICE HOME OFFICE PRODUCTS CANVASS HAS BEGUN JANUARY 3, 2008
BIFMA X5.3 - 2007 VERTICAL FILES - NEW EDITION AVAILABLE FROM BIFMA
BIFMA COLOR MEASUREMENT STANDARD Color 3.1-2005 (Approved October 19, 2005)
BIFMA TEXTILE CHARACTERISTICS STANDARD Tex4.1-2005 (Approved March 9, 2005)
BIFMA QUALITY SYSTEM STANDARD
ERGONOMIC GUIDELINES G1-2002
SUSTAINABILITY GUIDELINES-2005 Developed to provide a roadmap for office furniture manufacturers and suppliers of all sizes to establish and/or expand their environmental management systems and include sustainable business practices.
DEFINITION OF STANDARD WORKSTATION SYSTEMS For use in LEED-CI MR Credit 4.1 and 4.2 (Recycled Content)
Information on locations and capabilities of test labs worldwide.
Order ANSI/BIFMA Safety and Performance Standards using our Online Order Form or using our Printable Order Form. (Printable Order Form requies Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Contact: Richard P. Driscoll, Director of Technical Services if you have comments or questions.
This page updated 6/20/08