The standard addresses business and institutional lounge seating.
by Staff

The Lounge Seating Standard, produced by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association, provides manufacturers, specifiers, and consumers criteria for evaluating business and institutional lounge seating. An updated version of the criteria, which evaluates safety, durability, and structural adequacy, was released this week.

ANSI/BIFMA X5.4-2012 supplies means for evaluating lounge seating, apart from construction materials, manufacturing processes, mechanical designs or aesthetic designs.

Only specific laboratory equipment and tests under particular conditions can be performed within the standard. The X5.4 standard also defines the minimum acceptance levels to be used in evaluation, based on the actual field use and test experience of BIFMA International members. Tests assess new products only, not products currently in use.

General-purpose office chairs or seating used for stadiums, auditoriums, lecture rooms and similar high-density public seating areas are excluded from the standard. In addition, flammability, surface material durability, cushioning materials, product emissions, or ergonomic considerations are not included (other tests address these features).

The X5.4 standard is available for download (pdf) on the BIFMA Web site. The form can also be requested via 616-285-3963.