RESTON, VA - The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association says the American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, approved revisions to the U.S. performance standard for kitchen cabinets and bath vanities, ANSI/KCMA A161.1-2012.

The ANSI approval concludes a two-year process initiated by KCMA under ANSI guidelines including participation and review by consumer and supplier organizations, builders, remodelers, the U.S. government, architects, and other related groups.

“ANSI/KCMA A161.1 is the only standard for kitchen and bath cabinets in the world to undergo such a widespread review and approval process,” KCMA executive VP Dick Titus said in announcing it. It is the seventh review since the standard's launch in 1970.

Changes include clarification that the drawers, as well as the doors, of the cabinets must be properly aligned and close without excessive binding; static loading test for wall cabinets over 24 inches in height has been increased from 500 pounds to 600 pounds; timing of the open/close cycles for doors and drawers has been standardized; and lighting conditions for observing finish performance have been established.

Currently, over 100 companies representing over 50 percent of the U.S. market are KCMA certified. To meet the KCMA standards, the cabinets must meet general construction requirements, pass five structural tests, two door operation tests, two drawer tests, and five finish tests. A blue and white KCMA seal can be placed by manufacturers to let consumers know the cabinetry meets the ANSI standard.