The European pre-standard ENV 12521:2000 which had been used for years in evaluation of the mechanical and structural safety requirements of domestic tables, was revised and approved in July 2009 by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 207 into an official European Standard EN 12521:2009 "Furniture – Strength, durability and safety – Requirements for domestic tables".
This EN 12521:2009 supersedes ENV 12521:2000 and all CEN members are required to adopt this new standard into their national standards and withdraw the conflicting standards at the latest by January, 2010.
In UK, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has adopted this EN 12521:2009 and republished it in November 2009 as the British Standard BS EN 12521:2009. This BS EN 12521:2009 supersedes DD ENV 12521:2000 and the two recently published British Standards BS 4875-5:2009 Strength and stability of furniture - Requirements for strength, durability and stability of tables and trolleys for domestic use and BS 7376:2009 Inclusion of glass in the construction of tables and trolleys for domestic use, which are withdrawn.
EN 12521:2009 specifies the minimum requirements for the safety, strength and durability of all types of domestic tables for use by adults, including those with glass in their construction. However, office tables or desks, non-domestic tables, tables for educational institutions, outdoor tables, and tables with tabletop not fixed to the understructure are not covered by this standard. This standard also does not address requirements for the durability of castors and height adjustment mechanisms, electrical safety, and resistance to ageing and degradation.