ASTM Publishes New Safety Specification For Child Safety Locks And Latches For Use With Cabinet Doors And Drawers

May 28, 2021

On February 11, 2021, ASTM published a new consumer safety specification standard (ASTM F3492-21) that covers child safety locks and latches for use with cabinet doors and drawers.

A child safety lock / latch within the scope of this standard is a lock/latch that is installed to the interior of a cabinet door and drawer. It is designed to help prevent children under the age of 48 months from accessing the contents within the cabinet or drawer.

This consumer safety specification covers safety requirements, test methods, and marking / labelling requirements.

A total of 30 samples are tested to measure the breaking strength of the lock/latch. In order to meet the requirements of the standard, an average breaking strength of 45.3 lbs or greater must be achieved when tested, per the requirements of this standard.

Child safety locks and latch devices that are NOT covered under this specification include:

Devices installed on the exterior of a cabinet door or drawer
Devices requiring installation by professionals, or that are an integral part of the cabinet door or drawer system
Child safety locks, latches and straps intended for use on furniture or appliances as anchoring devices to prevent tip over

For the EU market, EN 16948:2017 is also applicable for similar products. However, it does not restrict to apply on the interior of a cabinet door and drawer.

A simple comparison between the 2 standards are listed below:

	ASTM F3492-21	EN 16948:2017
Scope	Child safety locks and latches for use with cabinet doors and drawers	Consumer fitted child resistant locking devices for cupboards and drawers
	Installed to the interior of a cabinet door and drawer	Not specified
	Children under the age of 48 months	Not specified
Durability	No requirement	5,000 cycles (attempt to open, disengage and re-engage)
Operation	No requirement	It shall be either: require one action and not release the locking mechanism with specific opening force; or require at least two consecutive actions to release the locking mechanism, the operation of the second action being dependent on the first action having been carried out and maintained and not release with specific opening force; or require at least two separate but simultaneous actions to release the locking mechanism operating on different principles and not release with specific opening force; or require the use of a specifically designed removable device or removable tool (e.g. a key or a magnet); or comply with the child panel test
Strength	45.3 lbs (20.5 kg); Test for 30 samples	250 N (56.2 lbs); Test for 1 sample
Opening gap	No requirement	Not accept to insert Ø30 mm probe to 10 mm depth at inserting force of 5 N, while maintaining a 90 N opening force

At SGS we offer a range of consulting, training, product development, testing, audit and inspection services to ensure that you comply with strict regulations worldwide, demonstrating the safety and quality of juvenile products you bring to market. Our labs are internationally recognized by major industry associations, accreditation bodies and authorities and our services cover all types of juvenile products.

For enquiries, please contact one of our Sales Associates for details!

To obtain a copy in PDF, please click here.