Furniture fittings, hinges and hardware

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — REACH
• EN standards for furniture hardware
• Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 for construction hardware

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union supplying furniture hardware to EU manufacturers and consumers. Components sold to furniture makers still need documentation because the furniture maker's own risk assessment depends on the component data.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Gas struts and lifting mechanisms carry pressure and stored-energy hazards that require specific attention.

What must appear on the label

Manufacturer and responsible person details for consumer sale, load ratings and cycle life data for the component, and installation instructions specifying the fixings and substrate assumed.

Marketplace fields

Furniture manufacturers require test data as a purchasing condition, and failures in hinges and gas struts surface as furniture recalls attributed to the furniture brand rather than the component maker.

Documentation you must hold

Technical documentation with load and cycle test reports, material specifications, REACH evidence for coatings and platings, and installation guidance defining the tested configuration.

Standards and testing

EN 15570 for hinges, EN 15706 for drawer slides and EN 16121 for storage furniture at assembly level, plus cycle testing to the declared endurance and corrosion resistance testing.

Language requirements

Installation instructions in the language of the customer's market where sold to consumers.

When it applies

Before placing on the market.

How long records are kept

Ten years.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal where the hardware is sold to consumers, and contractual and liability exposure where a component failure causes a furniture recall.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Gas struts store energy and fail dangerously when corroded or over-cycled, which is why cycle life and corrosion data matter more than the price difference between suppliers. Hardware for doors and windows in buildings can fall under the construction products rules with a declaration of performance instead.

Questions we are asked

Do components sold to manufacturers need documentation?

Yes in practice: the furniture manufacturer's risk assessment relies on your load and cycle data, and it will demand it contractually.

Are gas struts pressure equipment?

Below the pressure and volume thresholds they are not, but the stored energy hazard must still be addressed in the risk assessment and the installation instructions.