Australia and New Zealand furniture compliance: what to check before a quote
Office chairs are certified model by model, wooden furniture imports carry a due-diligence duty, and some buildings set fire properties for materials. These are the evidence routes we check first.
Chairs are certified model by model
In Australia and New Zealand, commercial chairs are usually specified against a joint AS/NZS standard and certified by AFRDI, the Australasian Furnishing Research and Development Institute, which now trades as Furntech. The certificate belongs to a specific model, not to a factory.
Height-adjustable swivel chairs — AS/NZS 4438
Furntech states that most certified office swivel chairs in Australia and New Zealand are tested to AS/NZS 4438:1997, a standard it regards as appropriate for people up to about 110 kg. AFRDI certifies at three levels: Level 4 for office, general keyboard and executive use; Level 5 for heavy-duty office, industrial and similar use; and Level 6 for extremely severe conditions such as police stations, control rooms and heavy industry. Furntech notes that an AFRDI Level 6 chair will meet most commercial needs.
Fixed-height chairs — AS/NZS 4688
Furntech states that most certified fixed-height chairs are tested to AS/NZS 4688:2000, which states it is not for more than occasional use by people over 100 kg. AFRDI Level 4 is described as heavy domestic or light commercial use, Level 5 as general commercial use and Level 6 as heavy commercial use.
Heavier users — AFRDI rated load
For users heavier than these limits, AFRDI publishes rated-load standards: AFRDI 142 for height-adjustable swivel chairs, with options for people up to 135, 160 and 185 kg in single-shift or multiple-shift use, and AFRDI 151 for fixed-height chairs, with options up to 185 kg for public use and a 300 kg bariatric option. Furntech notes that AFRDI 142 does not include dimensional or ergonomic criteria.
Ask for the certificate, then check the list
Furntech has warned that some product advertising claims AFRDI testing or certification that does not exist or has expired. Its advice to the industry is the check we run before we quote:
The four checks
- Ask the supplier for a copy of the AFRDI certificate and review the product description and expiry date.
- Check that the product is on the AFRDI certified products list on Furntech’s website.
- Search for the product with the filter-based search on that website.
- Contact Furntech directly with any question about a certificate.
What we match to the order
The model, level and options on the certificate have to match the chair on the schedule: base, mechanism, arms, back and seat. A certificate for one model does not cover a variant with a different mechanism or base.
Wooden furniture, buildings and toppling furniture
Our main markets are North America and Australia. These rules come up on Australian furniture packages; your specifier, importer and certifier decide what applies to your project.
For how we run Australian packages end to end, see furniture sourcing from China for Australian commercial projects.
| Product and market | Standard or rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Australia — wooden furniture imports | Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 (as amended from 3 March 2025) and Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules 2024 | Importers of regulated timber products must meet due diligence requirements. The Rules list wooden-frame seats (tariff items 9401.61 and 9401.69) and wooden furniture and parts (9403.30 to 9403.60 and 9403.91). |
| Australia — buildings | NCC 2025 Volume One, clause C2D11 | Sets fire hazard properties for internal linings, floor coverings and other listed materials in Class 2 to 9 buildings, including specific seating in some Class 9b buildings; “a joinery unit, cupboard, shelving, or the like” is listed among the exceptions. State variations apply, and your certifier decides what applies to your building. |
| Australia — toppling furniture | Consumer Goods (Toppling Furniture) Information Standard 2024 | Applies to toppling furniture that is a consumer good: clothes storage units and bookcases 686 mm or taller, entertainment units, and hall tables, display cabinets, sideboards and buffets 686 mm or taller. It requires warnings at the point of sale and a permanent, durable warning label on the furniture. |
As of September 2026. These are examples, not a complete list. Furntech reports that the toppling furniture information standard came into effect on 4 May 2025. For New Zealand projects, tell us the specification and the approving authority’s requirements; the AS/NZS chair standards above are joint Australian and New Zealand standards.
Mandatory standards and labelling for Australian supply
Three Australian instruments are written for goods at the point of import or supply and are worth reading against a furniture schedule: an import prohibition, an information standard on care labels and a safety standard on bean bags. Each is summarised below from the legislation as registered on the Federal Register of Legislation, and each links to the article in which we read it. They are examples, not a complete list; the articles state what we did and did not read, and your importer and adviser decide what applies to your project. The toppling furniture standard in the table above is covered in our article on tip-over rules for dressers, wardrobes and storage units.
| Product and market | Standard or rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Australia — engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs | Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, regulation 5M | Prohibits the importation of engineered stone in the form of benchtops, panels or slabs unless one of four routes in the regulation applies: written permission, Comcare confirmation, State or Territory confirmation, or an exemption under the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 or a corresponding law. Read from Compilation No. 147 (13 July 2026). Our reading. |
| Australia — upholstered furniture, mattresses and bed bases | Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023 | Its list of regulated goods names upholstered furniture, bedding, mattresses and bed bases, and lists non-upholstered furniture among exempt furnishings. After the transitional periods, regulated goods must comply with AS/NZS 1957:1998 or ISO 3758:2012 as the instrument sets out. Our reading. |
| Australia — bean bags and bean bag covers | Consumer Goods (Bean Bags) Safety Standard 2014 | Requires a warning label with fixed wording and minimum letter height, and a child-resistant slide-fastener on every opening through which filling can be inserted or removed, with no tag, handle or other object that could help move the sliding piece. Read from compilation F2015C00924. Our reading. |
As of 15 October 2026, read from the Federal Register of Legislation. Each article above records the instrument, its compilation or registration date and what we did not read. For how we run Australian packages end to end, see furniture sourcing from China for Australian commercial projects.
Australia and New Zealand compliance: questions project teams ask
Which standard applies to office chairs in Australia?
Furntech states that most certified office swivel chairs in Australia and New Zealand are tested to AS/NZS 4438:1997, certified by AFRDI at Level 4, 5 or 6.
What is the difference between AFRDI Level 4, 5 and 6?
For swivel chairs, Furntech describes Level 4 as office, general keyboard and executive use, Level 5 as heavy-duty office and industrial use, and Level 6 as extremely severe use such as control rooms and police stations.
What if users weigh more than 110 kg?
AFRDI publishes rated-load standards: AFRDI 142 for swivel chairs with 135, 160 and 185 kg options, and AFRDI 151 for fixed-height chairs.
How do we know an AFRDI certificate is genuine?
Ask for a copy of the certificate, check the product description and expiry date, and find the product on the AFRDI certified products list on Furntech’s website.
Does FBM Furniture decide which rules apply?
No. Your specifier, importer and certifier decide. Tell us the destination and the specification, and we check the product evidence before we quote.
Send the specification with the schedule
We check the certificate for the exact model before we quote.