SGS Mexico Obtains ASTM F2057-23 Safety Standard Accreditation to Export Furniture to the U.S.

SGS Mexico, the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company, has obtained the accreditation under ASTM F2057-23 safety standard to test clothing storage units (better known as "drawers" or "chests of drawers").

On September 1, 2023, the ASTM F2057-23 federal safety standard for Clothing Storage Units (CSU) was adopted as mandatory by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect people, especially young children, from injury and possible death from furniture tip-overs. When a piece of furniture does not meet the stability requirements specified in the standard, it can lead to excessive hazards.

The new standard is part of efforts to implement the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act, which aims to protect minors from these types of accidents.

The standard requires Clothing Storage Units (CSU) to pass objective, repeatable and measurable tests that simulate real-world use, considering multiple factors. The standard applies to CSUs that are freestanding furniture items, typically used for storing clothes, excluding furniture for other uses.

The ASTM F2057-23 safety standard defines a CSU as a freestanding furniture item with drawer(s) and/or door(s), that may be reasonably expected to be used for storing clothing, that possesses the following attributes:

• Designed to be configured to greater than or equal to 27 inches (686 mm) in height.
• Has a mass greater than or equal to 30 pounds (13.6 kg) in mass.
• Has a total functional volume of the enclosed storage greater than 3.2 cubic feet (90.6 dm3)

Important considerations that distinguish the rule from other stability methods include:

• Placing the CSU on a test block to replicate the tilt induced by carpeted floor.
• Testing with drawers loaded with 8.5 pounds of weight per cubic foot (0.136 kg/dm3) to simulate drawers filled with clothing.
• A separate strength test for units with interlocks.

With this accreditation, SGS Mexico supports manufacturers related to the furniture sector that market and export furniture to the United States so that they can comply with this regulation. In this way, SGS represents a strategic ally for international trade in the nearshoring era.