On January 1, 2026, the mandatory national standard GB 28007-2024 "Technical Specifications for Safety of Furniture for Infants and Children" came into effect. The standard unifies mandatory requirements and extends the protection scope to all children aged 0 to 14 years.
China's children's furniture industry exhibits a typical "large market, small enterprises" structure, with over a thousand companies operating in a market characterized by low concentration and inconsistent product quality. Previously implemented mandatory standards such as GB 28007-2011 "General Technical Requirements for Children's Furniture" and GB 22793.1-2008 "Furniture-Children's High Chairs-Part 1: Safety Requirements" have remained unchanged for over a decade, with certain technical specifications no longer meeting current product development needs.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has intensively updated multiple child furniture safety standards in recent years, including ISO 9221-1:2015 "Furniture-Children's Stools-Part 1: Safety Requirements", ISO 7175-1:2019 "Furniture-Household Children's Beds and Foldable Cots-Part 1: Safety Requirements", and ISO 9098-1:2023 "Double Beds and High Beds-Safety Requirements and Test Methods", among others, which have been successively released.
Against this backdrop, the State Administration for Market Regulation consolidated and streamlined multiple existing mandatory standards, approving and releasing GB 28007-2024 in June 2024 with a one-and-a-half-year transition period, which will be officially implemented with mandatory effect on January 1, 2026.
The most significant change in the new standard lies in its substantially expanded scope of application. While the previous standard primarily targeted furniture for children aged 3-14, the updated standard comprehensively incorporates furniture for infants aged 0-3 years, covering all product categories including cribs, high chairs, diaper changing tables, bedside railings, rocking beds, and suspended beds. This means that from newborns to adolescents, all furniture products used by children now have unified safety technical guidelines.
At the technical indicator level, the new standard establishes a dual-layer architecture integrating "general safety" with "specific product safety":
General safety requirements encompass six dimensions: materials, structure, flame retardancy performance, electrical safety, limits of hazardous substances, and warning labels. Among these, chemical safety is implemented in accordance with the concurrently issued GB 18584-2024 "Limits of Hazardous Substances in Furniture," which establishes stricter limits for indicators such as heavy metals, phthalates, formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC).
Specific product safety requirements have been established for key categories such as high chairs for children, double-layer beds/high beds, children's beds and folding cribs, cribs, and upholstered furniture, with dedicated technical specifications and testing methods formulated.
for instance ：
Electrical Safety: The electronically controlled lifting device must be equipped with at least two layers of protection, such as child locks or combination buttons, to prevent accidental contact by young children that may result in crushing injuries.
Anti-tipping device: Cabinet products with a height exceeding 600mm must be equipped with a fixing device connected to the wall.
Structural safety: Corners and edges in accessible areas must be rounded with a radius of no less than 10 mm; gaps in holes must be designed to prevent accidental finger insertion.
Protective measures for small components: Infant and toddler furniture must not contain detachable small parts in accessible areas to mitigate the risk of accidental ingestion at the source.
Current market issues
The smart lifting table was not equipped with a child lock, and the staff responded that "it is easy to operate, and children can use it once they are older," which violates the new electrical safety standards.
The product label still bears the obsolete GB/T3325-2017 standard and does not indicate GB 28007-2024.
Some children's cabinets exceed 600mm in height but lack anti-toppling fixing holes. The product description only states "EU E0 environmental protection standard" and does not mention China's national standards for children's furniture.
The nonconformities detected in sampled furniture for infants and children mainly focused on critical safety indicators such as edges and sharp points, holes and gaps, and mechanical properties.
Four Major Trends Are Reshaping the Landscape of Children's Furniture Industry
Multifunctional and growth-oriented design: Products such as convertible cribs and height-adjustable study desks extend service life and enhance consumer perceived value.
Promotion of eco-friendly materials: Certified wood, water-based coatings, and low-emission adhesives have become standard features in high-end products
Spatial efficiency priority: Dual-layer beds and storage-integrated furniture are in high demand in compact urban residences
Intelligent Integration: Some brands have introduced technological applications such as AR virtual display and smart storage.
Service Recommendations
Furniture Testing – Ensuring Furniture Compliance with Relevant Quality Standards and Safety Standards
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Safety is not only a baseline but also a competitive advantage. The implementation of GB 28007-2024 marks the entry of China's children's furniture industry into a new phase of "safety first." For manufacturers, compliance is not a cost burden but a ticket to market competition. The new standard provides clear purchasing guidelines- "three checks and one inspection": check whether the standard number is GB 28007-2024, verify whether safety configurations are in place (child locks, anti-toppling devices), and examine whether details are handled smoothly to eliminate hand-pinch risks.
The purchasers of children's furniture are parents, while the users are children. Safety testing of children's furniture must not be overlooked in terms of safety prevention, as it provides multi-dimensional protection for the safe growth of children.