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IS 6632:1988 is the Indian Standard (BIS) for wooden folding chairs. This standard specifies the material, dimensional, constructional, and performance requirements for wooden folding chairs. It covers suitable types of timber, hardware, and adhesives, and prescribes tests to ensure the strength, stability, and durability of the chairs.
Consolidated list per BIS. For the text of each amendment, refer to the BIS portal link above.
woodtimbermetal fastenersadhesives
International Equivalents
Similar International Standards
EN 12520:2015CEN (European Committee for Standardization), Europe
MediumCurrent
Furniture — Strength, durability and safety — Requirements for domestic seating
Covers all domestic seating, including folding chairs, but is performance-based and material-agnostic.
ANSI/BIFMA X6.4-2021BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association), USA
MediumCurrent
Occasional-Use Seating
Applies to seating for occasional use, a common application for folding chairs, but with more rigorous testing.
EN 581-2:2015CEN (European Committee for Standardization), Europe
MediumCurrent
Outdoor furniture — Seating and tables for camping, domestic and contract use — Part 2: Mechanical safety requirements and test methods for seating
Covers safety and strength for outdoor seating, where many wooden folding chairs are used.
AS/NZS 4688.2:2000Standards Australia / Standards New Zealand, Australia/New Zealand
LowCurrent
Furniture — Fixed height chairs — Part 2: Determination of strength and durability
Focuses on strength and durability testing for non-domestic chairs, sharing test principles but not specific to folding or wooden types.
Key Differences
≠IS 6632 is prescriptive, specifying timber species (teak, sissoo) and construction methods (mortise and tenon joints). International standards are performance-based, allowing any material or construction that passes the required tests.
≠International standards like EN 12520 include dynamic and cyclic fatigue tests (e.g., 25,000-100,000 cycles of seat/back loading) to assess long-term durability, which are absent in IS 6632.
≠The static load requirements in IS 6632 (e.g., 90 kg seat load) are significantly lower than those in EN and BIFMA standards, which test for user weights of 110 kg to 136 kg or more.
≠IS 6632 is specific to 'wooden folding chairs', whereas international equivalents cover a broader scope such as 'all domestic seating' (EN 12520) or 'occasional-use seating' (ANSI/BIFMA X6.4) regardless of material.
Key Similarities
≈All standards have the fundamental objective of ensuring the strength, stability, and safety of the seating for the end-user.
≈Both IS 6632 and its international counterparts mandate static load tests on the seat and backrest to simulate user weight and prevent structural failure.
≈All standards include stability tests (e.g., backward and forward overturning) to ensure the chair does not tip over easily during normal use.
≈There is a common focus on preventing user injury, with considerations for eliminating sharp edges and minimizing pinch points in the folding mechanism.
Parameter Comparison
Parameter
IS Value
International
Source
Seat Static Load Test
90 kg (882 N) applied vertically on the seat.
1300 N (~133 kg) for domestic seating.
EN 12520:2015
Back Static Load Test
35 kg (343 N) applied horizontally at the top of the backrest.
430 N (~44 kg) for general domestic use.
EN 12520:2015
Seat & Back Durability (Fatigue) Test
Not specified.
25,000 cycles of combined seat and back loading.
EN 12520:2015
Backward Stability Test
10 kg horizontal push at seat height without tipping.
Chair loaded with weights, then a 20 N horizontal force is applied without tipping.
EN 12520:2015
Material Specification (Timber)
Prescribes specific species (e.g., Teak, Sissoo) with max 12% moisture content.
Not specified; standard is material-agnostic. Pre-test conditioning is defined instead.
EN 12520:2015
Drop Test (Impact)
Not specified.
250 lb (~113 kg) dropped from a height of 6 inches (152 mm) onto the seat.
ANSI/BIFMA X6.4-2021
Seat Height Dimension
430 mm to 450 mm
Not specified as a mandatory dimension; assessed for safety and performance based on the actual design.
EN 12520:2015
⚠ Verify details from original standards before use
What types of timber can be used for these chairs?+
Annex A lists suitable timbers such as teak, rosewood, and sissoo. The timber must be free from defects and have a moisture content of 12 ± 3% (Clause 4.1).
What is the specified test load for the seat?+
The chair seat must withstand a static vertical load of 100 kgf without any damage or permanent deformation (Clause 8.2).
What are the key dimensions for a folding chair as per this code?+
Table 1 specifies dimensions like a seat height of 420-450 mm and a seat depth of 370-420 mm to ensure user comfort and stability.