EN 15939 Strength and Loading Capacity of Wall Mounted Furniture Hardware

The EN 15959 standard, a European standard, offers test methods for the verification of the loading capacity of storage furniture and components of all types of wall fastening equipment. In our country, this standard has been published by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) with the following title: TS EN 15939 Furniture hardware - Strength and loading capacity of the wall connection assembly.

This standard does not apply to equipment intended to prevent storage furniture from tipping over. In the tests performed, loads and forces that simulate normal functional use are applied and misuse patterns that are expected to occur reasonably are simulated.

Tests other than the corrosion test included in the standard are designed to evaluate product properties regardless of material, design or production processes. The tests are also applied to fittings that are attached directly to furniture or to a combination of parts that are attached to both the furniture and the wall. Wall connections only are not covered by the standard.

Equipment strength tests are carried out within the framework of a test method with specified properties. Test results are valid only for tested devices. It is possible to use these results to express the performance of the production model provided that the model under test represents the production model.

Apart from the corrosion test, aging, temperature and humidity effects were not included in the tests. There are requirements for product information in the standard appendix. The annexes also contain an informative method for determining the loading capacity and an approximate calculation method of vertical and horizontal forces for informative purposes.

Wall-mounted furniture hardware, which is also called fixing kits in general, consists of two brackets that are usually connected by a strap or cable. One bracket is screwed directly into the piece of furniture, while the other is fixed to a stud in the wall. The attachment strap or cable is attached to each bracket and then secured.

Injuries and deaths caused by furniture overturns are an important safety problem. However, fixing dressers, cabinets, televisions and similar furniture to the wall properly reduces the risk significantly. It has been determined that more than 15 people are injured each year in the United States due to furniture toppling, and a child dies every 10 days.

The last update of the EN 15939 standard was published in 2019. In this latest update, three different types of test methods are offered to verify the loading capacity of various wall fastening equipment for storage furniture and components:

• Method A: for building situations where height is greater than depth
• Method B: for building situations where height equals depth
• Method C: for building situations where the height is less than the depth

These test methods in the standard cover the main furniture hanging units on the market. The value verified according to EN 15939: 2019 standard refers to the maximum load capacity (in kg) specified by the manufacturer for each connection equipment.

Factors such as the structural features of the wall mounted cabinets, the types of materials used, the wall mounting location and the addition of a rear panel to the cabinets affect the maximum load carrying capacity of the entire structure. During the tests carried out in advanced laboratories, not only the wall-mounted furniture hardware, but also the strength and loading capacity of the cabinets are taken into account. In addition to normal usage patterns, situations arising from misuse at an acceptable rate are also taken into consideration.

Our organization, among countless tests, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, provides durability and loading capacity services of wall-mounted furniture equipment within the scope of EN 15939 standard to the demanding enterprises within the framework of national and international standards.