Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

BIFMA Releases New Standard for Occasional-Use Seating

  • 06/27/18

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has approved a new safety and performance standard, BIFMA X6.4-2018 Occasional Use Seating. Copies are available on the BIFMA website, www.bifma.org.

The BIFMA Board of Directors observed the need for this new standard to align with market expectations for seating products designed for less frequent use. The Board worked closely with the BIFMA Subcommittee for Seating Standards to develop the new standard. Upon draft completion and verification of all tests, the full association approved adoption of this new standard. 

The X6.4-2018 standard defines the specific tests, laboratory equipment, conditions of test, and recommended minimum levels to be used in evaluating the safety, durability, and structural adequacy of Occasional-Use Seating products. Tests are based on the 95thpercentile male, now weighing 275 lbs. Many of the tests align with ANSI/BIFMA X5.4-2012 Lounge and Public Seating, while outlining a reduction to the number of durability testing cycles in keeping with the intent of this new standard. 

The BIFMA Seating Subcommittee submitted a Project Initiation Notice (PINS) to ANSI on February 13, 2018, providing intent to make BIFMA X6.4-2018 a future ANSI standard. The Subcommittee also provided a PINS to ANSI to revise ANSI/BIFMA X5.4-2012 Lounge and Public Seating.

About BIFMA
The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association is the voice for the commercial furniture industry. BIFMA develops safety, performance, and sustainability standards that ensure product performance. BIFMA provides data and analytics that the industry uses to make key manufacturing decisions. The organization advocates for regulatory conditions that enhance value and foster innovation. BIFMA is the go-to resource providing tools commercial furniture manufactures need to ensure that products work.

Featured

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.