Commercial Cafe Furniture – What Does ‘AFRDI Tested’ Mean?

When doing extensive research for commercial-grade cafe furniture, you’ll probably come across a whole load of incomprehensible acronyms for codes and standards you may never have heard of. One of those you’ll find pretty much everywhere throughout Australia and New Zealand is the term AFRDI. So what does it actually mean when a piece of furniture is ‘AFRDI tested’ ? Let’s take a closer look….

The Australian Furnishing Research and Development Institute (AFRDI) are a body of people designed to research and develop furniture for use within the workplace and hospitality sectors. In addition to researching the best designs they also run a series of stringent tests for a wide variety of manufacturers to ensure that their furniture meets the highest safety and quality standards. Any commercial-grade furniture that has passed these tests and met these standards is certified by a blue tick with the words ‘AFRDI tested’. I guess you could say that it’s a seal of approval and shows buyers that a particular piece of furniture is going to last.

So what type of tests do the AFRDI carry out?

They carry out a wide variety of tests including

• Stability

• Strength

• Durability

• Functionality

• Workmanship

• Flammability

Each piece of furniture is put through all of these tests and it needs to pass everyone with flying colours to be awarded the AFRDI tick of approval. If for example a piece of furniture passes every test yet it doesn’t make the grade on the final test, it will be rejected and won’t pass. For this reason when you buy commercial grade cafe furniture that’s been AFRDI tested, you know that you’re purchasing a piece of furniture that’s going to last.

Is there anything that isn’t tested?

The only thing that the institute doesn’t test for in circumstances such as these is the ergonomics and comfort of any furniture. So what does this mean to any cafe owner looking for new furniture? Even if you are considering buying furniture that’s AFRDI tested, don’t assume it’s comfortable. Instead you really should still sit on it and test it out before making your final decision. This is highly important because research shows that uncomfortable cafe furniture can be a real deal-breaker for customers. More so in fact than bad coffee or rude staff. Here At Cafe Furniture Melbourne as well as purchasing AFRDI Furniture online, we also have a Campbellfield depot where you can see the furniture first hand and of course..try before you buy!

The main point is that AFRDI certified cafe furniture doesn’t have to be expensive and in fact some of the cheapest commercial-grade furniture is AFRDI tested, so why not log on and take a closer look at what we have to offer. At Cafe Furniture Melbourne we guarantee you quality furniture and seriously competitive prices so call us on 03 9357 9688 for further information.