Product Safety

Furniture Safety Standards: Lead Paint, Stability, and CPSC Compliance

You hand-craft beautiful furniture—wooden tables, upholstered chairs, children's bedroom sets. You sell on Etsy with glowing reviews. But are you compliant with CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) furniture regulations? Handmade furniture makers often overlook safety standards. Lead paint testing, structural stability requirements, flammability standards—these sound like big manufacturer concerns, not small artisans. But the CPSC actively investigates handmade furniture, especially children's pieces. This guide explains which furniture safety standards apply to you, what testing might be required, and how to stay compliant without expensive certifications.

CPSC Furniture Regulations Overview

CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission): Federal agency that regulates furniture safety to prevent injuries.

Key areas regulated:

  • • Lead paint (in any painted furniture)
  • • Structural stability (especially for children's furniture)
  • • Flammability (upholstered furniture)
  • • Small parts hazards (especially children's furniture)

Real Enforcement

The CPSC investigates Etsy listings for unsafe furniture. Non-compliant products get delisted. Accounts get suspended. Cease-and-desist letters are sent. Recalls happen.

Lead Paint: The Most Common Issue

Lead Paint Limits

Federal limit: No more than 90 ppm (parts per million) of lead in surface paint or coating on any furniture, regardless of intended user.

Why this matters: Even furniture marketed for adults must comply with the 90 ppm limit. Children may use adult furniture, so the standard applies to all.

Sources of Lead in Handmade Furniture

  • • Paint: Older paint formulas may contain lead (especially imported or vintage paints)
  • • Wood stain: Some stains may contain lead pigments
  • • Finish coatings: Certain varnishes or sealers may contain lead
  • • Hardware and fasteners: Some imported or vintage hardware may have lead-based coating

How to Avoid Lead Issues

  • ✓ Use modern paints: Reputable brands (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr) are lead-free
  • ✓ Request certifications: Ask paint suppliers for lead-free documentation
  • ✓ Document materials: Keep supplier certifications showing products are lead-free
  • ✓ Use new hardware: Buy from reputable suppliers with lead-free certifications

Do You Need Lead Testing?

If using documented lead-free materials: No testing required. Supplier documentation is sufficient.

If using vintage/reclaimed materials or unknown suppliers: Consider testing to be safe. Cost: $200-$500 per item.

Best Practice

Use modern, reputable paint and finish suppliers exclusively. Keep documentation. You won't need testing and can confidently claim lead-free status.

Structural Safety and Stability

Children's Furniture: Tip-Over Hazard Standards

CPSC requirement: Children's furniture (dressers, bookcases, beds marketed for kids) must meet tip-over stability standards.

Standard: When tested with specified weight distribution, the furniture must not tip over. Specific standards for different furniture types.

What this means: A wobbly dresser or unstable shelving could be unsafe for kids. The CPSC has recall lists full of handmade and artisan furniture that tipped.

General Structural Requirements

Even adult furniture must be:

  • • Structurally sound (no sharp edges, splinters, or obvious defects)
  • • Properly joined (no loose connections that could fail)
  • • Safe when used as intended

Best Practices for Structural Safety

  • ✓ Use quality joinery (mortise-and-tenon, dovetail, reinforced joints)
  • ✓ Test stability by applying reasonable force (without breaking it, of course)
  • ✓ Sand smooth to prevent splinters and sharp edges
  • ✓ Use appropriate fasteners and hardware for weight distribution

Bottom line: Build furniture that's structurally sound and won't break under normal use. If it's wobbly or feels unsafe, it probably is.

Flammability Standards for Upholstered Furniture

If you make upholstered furniture (chairs, sofas, cushioned pieces): You must comply with flammability standards.

Flammability Requirements

Standard: Upholstered furniture must meet open-flame resistance standards. When tested with an open flame, the cover fabric must not ignite and burn rapidly.

What this means: If someone puts a cigarette or lighter to your upholstered chair, it shouldn't catch fire and burn quickly.

How to Comply

  • • Use compliant fabrics: Many modern upholstery fabrics are designed to meet flammability standards
  • • Request certifications: Fabric suppliers should provide flammability testing documentation
  • • Use flame-retardant filling: Modern foam and batting are typically flame-retardant

Good news: Most reputable fabric and filling suppliers meet standards. Ask for documentation when you buy materials.

Small Parts Hazards (Children's Furniture)

If making children's furniture: No small parts that can detach and become choking hazards.

  • ✗ Small knobs that can unscrew
  • ✗ Decorative elements that can be pulled off
  • ✗ Hardware that's not properly secured
  • ✗ Parts smaller than a choke-tube (1.25" diameter, 2.25" length)

Best practice: Secure all hardware with screws or bolts (not nails). Use larger decorative elements. Design for safety.

Furniture Compliance Checklist

Step 1: Use only modern paints/finishes with lead-free documentation
Step 2: Ensure furniture is structurally sound (test stability)
Step 3: For upholstered pieces, use fabrics with flammability documentation
Step 4: For children's furniture, secure all hardware and remove small parts hazards
Step 5: Keep all supplier documentation of material safety certifications

Key Takeaways

  • All furniture must comply with lead paint limits (90 ppm). Use modern, documented lead-free paints and finishes.
  • Children's furniture must meet tip-over stability standards. Test and ensure it's structurally sound.
  • Upholstered furniture must meet flammability standards. Use fabrics with flammability documentation.
  • Children's furniture cannot have small parts that detach. Secure all hardware permanently.
  • Document all material compliance. Keep supplier certifications for lead-free, flammability, etc.

Other Craft-Specific Compliance Guides

Track Furniture Compliance

Material certifications, lead paint documentation, flammability testing, supplier information—managing furniture compliance is complex. TrueCraft helps furniture makers track material sourcing and safety compliance documentation.

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