At a glance
| Topic | What the 2025 edition says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Edition | EN 16139:2025 supersedes EN 16139:2013. BSI lists BS EN 16139:2025 as current (published 31 August 2025) and BS EN 16139:2013 as withdrawn. | Cover; BSI listings |
| Scope | Safety, strength and durability of all types of non-domestic seating for adults up to 110 kg, including office visitor chairs. | Clause 1 |
| Left out | Seating: ranked, office work, educational, outdoor, linked and industrial work chairs. Properties: durability of upholstery, castors, reclining, tilting and height mechanisms; ageing, degradation, flammability; electrical safety. | Clause 1 |
| Level 1 | General use. Examples in test reports: offices, showrooms, cafes, restaurants, canteens, banks, bars. | Annex F; test reports |
| Level 2 | Extreme use. Examples in test reports: night-clubs, police stations, transport terminals, prisons. More severe loads and twice the cycles. | Annex F; test reports |
| Test methods | Strength and durability to EN 1728:2012; stability to EN 1022; finger entrapment, shear and compression in Annex A. | Clauses 2, 4; Annex A |
| New in 2025 | Single column seating, side-to-side durability, leg rests, backward fall test, finger entrapment and shear tests; rolling resistance of unloaded chairs removed. | Foreword (a) to (k) |
Clause and annex numbers are from the 2025 text (contents, foreword, scope and clauses 1 to 4.2 read). Level wording comes from test reports to the 2025 edition; Annex F itself has not been read.
Which edition, and what happened to 2013
BS EN 16139:2025, Furniture. Safety, strength and durability. Requirements and test methods for non-domestic seating, is the British adoption of EN 16139:2025, and BSI lists it as identical. The European text is dated July 2025: its cover says CEN approved it on 7 April 2025 and that the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre corrected and reissued it on 30 July 2025. BSI's listing shows the British Standard as published on 31 August 2025 and current. FIRA's news item gives 31 July 2025. The three dates probably mark different steps, so quote the number and the year, not a day.
The 2013 edition. The cover says the 2025 text "supersedes EN 16139:2013", and BSI's listing for BS EN 16139:2013 shows it as withdrawn. The European foreword says conflicting national standards are to be withdrawn at the latest by January 2026. Many web pages, catalogues and product test reports still cite 2013: a report to the 2013 edition is a report to a withdrawn standard.
An amendment project for the 2025 text is listed by one standards aggregator at an early stage; BSI lists no amendment. Check the BSI listing when you specify.
Level 1 and Level 2
EN 16139 tests a chair at one of two severities. The scope of the 2025 edition says its Annex F (informative) gives information on the level of test severity in relation to applications. Test reports to the 2025 edition from an accredited laboratory label the two severities L1, general use, and L2, extreme use:
- Level 1, general use. The examples given are offices, showrooms, public halls, function rooms, cafes, restaurants, canteens, banks and bars.
- Level 2, extreme use. The examples given are night-clubs, police stations, transport terminals, sports changing rooms, prisons and barracks.
Level 2 is the more severe test. In the two reports we read, one at each level, Level 2 uses higher static loads, a higher seat-impact drop height and exactly twice the cycles in every durability test listed. A Level 2 pass is therefore the stronger result, and a Level 1 pass says nothing about Level 2.
The standard does not decide which level your venue needs, and the examples are information, not a ruling. The choice is for the client and designer, with the test house if it is unclear. Hotels are not named in the examples we read.
What is tested
The contents list shows how the standard is built: safety requirements in clause 4.1 to 4.3, stability in 4.4, strength and durability in 4.5, then information for use (clause 5) and the test report (clause 6). Clause 2 calls up EN 1728:2012 for the strength and durability test methods and EN 1022 for stability.
- General safety, 4.1. Edges and corners that touch the user are rounded or chamfered; other accessible edges are free from burrs and sharp edges; moving and adjustable parts are designed to avoid injury and inadvertent operation; no load-bearing part can come loose unintentionally.
- Holes, 4.2. No holes between 8 and 12 mm in the ends of tubular components, or in rigid components in accessible parts, unless the depth of penetration is less than 10 mm. Annex A.1 is the finger entrapment test.
- Strength and durability, 4.5. The reports we read list static load tests (seat, back, seat front edge, arm rests, legs), durability tests (seat and back together, seat front edge, arm rest, and for single column seating side-to-side), impact tests (seat, back, arm rest), a backward fall test and a drop test for multiple seating. A line marked N/A means the test does not apply to that chair, so the N/A column shows what was skipped.
- Who it is for. Adults with a weight of not more than 110 kg (clause 1).
What it does not cover
Clause 1 says the standard does not include requirements for the durability of upholstery materials, castors, reclining and tilting mechanisms or seat height adjustment mechanisms; for resistance to ageing, degradation or flammability; or for electrical safety. It does not apply to ranked seating, office work chairs, chairs for educational institutions, outdoor seating, links for linked seating, or work chairs for industrial use.
So a chair can carry a Level 2 report and still need separate evidence for the fire performance of its covers and filling, for fabric wear, and for any swivel, tilt, recline or height mechanism. Ask for each one, and name it in the specification.
What changed from the 2013 edition
The European foreword of the 2025 edition lists eleven significant technical changes with respect to 2013. In plain English, and with what to look for in a report:
| Change in the 2025 edition | What to look for in a report | Foreword |
|---|---|---|
| Single column seating is defined, with a side-to-side durability requirement and test method (Annex B). | Applies where the seat and upper part sit on one support up to 120 mm at its narrowest point (clause 3.6). The side-to-side durability line is not marked N/A. | (a), (d) |
| Leg rests: a static requirement, and a durability requirement with its own test method (Annex C). | Applies to an extension of the seat area intended to support the legs (clause 3.3). Static and durability leg rest lines. | (h), (i) |
| A backward fall test requirement. | A backward fall line in the strength and durability results. | (j) |
| New test methods for finger entrapment, and for shear and compression points (Annex A). | Results for holes and tubular components (4.2) and shear and compression (4.3). | (f) |
| A method for finding the seat loading point of seating with suspended flexible material (Annex D). | Applies to such seats only; ask how the loading point was set. | (k) |
| The requirement for rolling resistance of unloaded chairs is removed. | No rolling resistance line. | (g) |
| Annexes reordered (normative first), the recommended dimensions annex changed, a rationale annex for single column seating added. | Nothing to check; it explains why 2013 and 2025 copies look different. | (b), (c), (e) |
The foreword lists only "significant technical changes" and does not itemise any change to loads, cycle counts or the levels. Do not assume a 2013 result carries over to 2025: ask for a report to the 2025 edition.
Two terms matter for bespoke work. Single column seating (clause 3.6) is an item whose upper part, including the seat, is mounted on a single support with a dimension of up to 120 mm at its narrowest point; the standard's note names chairs with gas lifts, with or without swivel. A leg rest (clause 3.3) is an extension of the seat area intended to support the legs of the sitter.
What to ask a supplier or partner for
- The edition and the level, written down. "BS EN 16139:2025, Level 1" or "Level 2", for the real venue. A report that cites 2013, or names no level, is not enough.
- The full signed test report, not a summary or a marketing certificate, from a laboratory accredited for the tests (the reports we read state testing accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017; in the UK the accreditation body is UKAS). Check the laboratory's schedule lists the EN 1728 and EN 16139 tests.
- The exact model and variants. The reports we read say the results apply to the tested item, and list any other article numbers the test also covers. A different frame, arm, leg rest or base needs its own cover or its own test.
- Results clause by clause, including stability, strength and durability, and the information for use. Look at the N/A lines and ask why each applies.
- Separate evidence for fire performance, upholstery wear and any mechanism (see above).
- For a bespoke design, a report on another model does not cover it. Ask the partner workshop how it will be evidenced, for example a test on a representative sample at an accredited laboratory before production, and settle the cost and programme early.
- Extra assurance, if wanted. FIRA describes its Gold Certification as a quality mark that includes regular factory audits and a re-testing programme. It is a separate scheme from the standard, and the FIRA page does not name EN 16139.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
Seating to BS EN 16139:2025, Level [1 general use / 2 extreme use]. Supplier to provide the full signed test report from a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for the tests, naming the edition, the level and the exact model and variants supplied, with results for each test and for information for use. [Reports to the withdrawn 2013 edition are not accepted.]
BS EN 16139 does not cover upholstery durability, castors, mechanisms, ageing or flammability. The supplier is to evidence separately: [fire performance of covers and filling to the project's stated standard] [upholstery abrasion to the stated standard] [mechanism test, if fitted].
Where a seat is bespoke and no report exists, the supplier shall [have a representative sample tested to BS EN 16139:2025 Level [1 / 2] at an accredited laboratory before production / provide [ ] as agreed with the client], and submit the report before the production order is released.
Terms used on this page
- Single column seating
- A seat whose upper part, including the seat, is mounted on a single support up to 120 mm across at its narrowest point, for example a gas-lift chair (clause 3.6).
- Leg rest
- An extension of the seat area intended to support the legs of the sitter (clause 3.3). It has its own static and durability requirements in the 2025 edition.
Standards and sources
- BS EN 16139:2025: Furniture. Safety, strength and durability. Requirements and test methods for non-domestic seating. BSI listing: published 31 August 2025, current. Text read: cover, contents, foreword, clauses 1 to 4.2.
- BS EN 16139:2013: BSI listing: withdrawn.
- EN 16139:2025 preview pages (Slovenian national adoption, sample copy): pages 1 to 9 of the standard.
- FIRA: new version of BS EN 16139 published: news item of 1 August 2025 (archived). FIRA Gold: quality mark page.
Questions we are asked
What is the difference between EN 16139 Level 1 and Level 2?
They are two test severities. Test reports to the 2025 edition label Level 1 general use (offices, cafes, restaurants, bars) and Level 2 extreme use (night-clubs, transport terminals, prisons). Level 2 uses higher loads and, in the reports we read, twice the cycles in every durability test, so a Level 2 pass is the stronger result.
Is BS EN 16139:2013 still valid?
BSI lists BS EN 16139:2013 as withdrawn, and the 2025 text says it supersedes the 2013 edition. Ask for a test report to BS EN 16139:2025.
Does EN 16139 cover upholstery or fire performance?
No. The scope excludes the durability of upholstery materials, castors, reclining, tilting and height mechanisms, ageing, degradation and flammability, and electrical safety. Those need separate evidence.
What weight is a chair tested for?
The scope covers seating intended for adults with a weight of not more than 110 kg.
What does a chair 'tested to Level 1' actually prove?
That the tested sample passed the standard's safety, stability, strength and durability tests at the general-use severity, with the results in the report. It does not prove a different model or variant, a Level 2 result, or anything outside the scope.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the edition facts, what Level 1 and Level 2 mean, what the standard covers and leaves out, what changed from 2013, and wording for a specification.