The "General Technical Requirements for Hardwood Furniture" national standard (hereinafter referred to as the "New National Standard") announced by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Standardization Administration of China will be officially implemented on August 1 this year.
Hardwood furniture manufacturers and dealers in Dongguan believe that the introduction of the New National Standard is a good thing for the entire hardwood furniture industry. However, they also believe that its impact on the market will be very limited because hardwood is not just an ordinary product and is relatively difficult to define.
The New National Standard Requires Hardwood Furniture to Have a "Birth Certificate"
Previously, the hardwood furniture standard had been enforced for 11 years, with many unclear standards leading to chaos in the hardwood furniture market. Some merchants inserted other cheap woods into hardwood, only treating the surface, making it hard for consumers to determine which ones are real hardwood.
The New National Standard mainly includes ten items: the scope of hardwood furniture, terms and definitions, requirements, quality disclosure, testing methods, etc., and for the first time clearly defines and regulates the definition of hardwood furniture. It stipulates that hardwood furniture should be named and marked according to the species name of the main wood used in the product.
Notably, the New National Standard explicitly stipulates that each piece of hardwood furniture must come with a "birth certificate," namely the "Hardwood Furniture Product Quality Disclosure Card." The content on the card should include at least the product's execution standard, product classification, product name, product model, specifications, production date, main materials used in the product, product coating and decoration process, product warranty, and product delivery party information (manufacturer or dealer information).
This regulation offers several benefits to consumers purchasing hardwood furniture. If they find their purchased hardwood furniture does not meet the advertised specifications, they can use the "Hardwood Furniture Product Quality Disclosure Card" as evidence for complaints and claims.
Regarding this regulation, legitimate hardwood furniture manufacturers in Dongguan expressed no pressure. The hardwood furniture sold in Wuchian Wood Industry Store has always come with a product quality disclosure card. Additionally, they place the raw materials used to make the hardwood furniture on the furniture itself, making it easier for consumers to identify.
Some Industry Insiders Dissatisfied with the Expansion of the Scope of Hardwood
The introduction of the New National Standard will help curb market chaos to a certain extent in the entire hardwood furniture market. With clearer standards for hardwood furniture, it is beneficial for merchants.
However, there are also differing voices within the industry. Mr. He, the head of Dongguan Huaiyi Hardwood Furniture, stated that the New National Standard expands the scope of hardwood. Therefore, although it suppresses counterfeiting to some extent, it also gives more room for unscrupulous merchants to counterfeit. "In general, hardwood with a density above 1.0 is better, but the new national standard now relaxes the density requirement to above 0.7 or 0.8, thus expanding the range of hardwood. A batch of woods that were previously not considered hardwood have now been included, which is actually detrimental to the market and will confuse consumers even more."
Mr. He pointed out that in this market, there have always been some unscrupulous merchants who make furniture from poor-quality hardwood and sell them at high prices to consumers, deceiving and misleading them. Now, after the introduction of the New National Standard, these merchants can legitimately use these "hardwoods" to make furniture, essentially gaining another layer of protection. (Editor Tian Tian)