oe BS6396 Electrical Furniture System Instruction Manual
- June 4, 2024
- oe
Table of Contents
oe BS6396 Electrical Furniture System
Summary
BS6396 is the British standard covering the installation of electrical systems
in all furniture except special purpose workstations in laboratories or
workshops.
BS6396 defines in detail the requirements for the safe use of electrical power
sockets (up to 250V), supplied from either the fixed mains wiring via a 13A
fused plug or from batteries at a nominal voltage not exceeding 48Vd.c. It
also covers areas such as cable management and the segregation of power and
data cables.
NOTE: Any power distribution systems that are connected to the building
installation by anything other than a 13A BS1363 plug or a supply derived from
batteries installed within the furniture should follow the requirements of
BS7671.
Power Sockets. Maximum Number & Fusing
BS6396 limits the number of BS1363 13A sockets connected to a single supply to either:
- No more than 6 sockets fused at 3.15A
- No more than 4 sockets fused at 5
BS6396 also specifies the number of Extra Low Voltage (ELV)outlets allowed.
In addition to the above permitted max number of AC sockets, up to 150W output
of ELV is allowed.
If more than 150W is required then:
- For every 3.15A socket removed you can add up to 500W output of ELV power
- For every 5A socket removed you can add up to 700W output of ELV power.
Power Sockets Continued
Socket resettable fuses/thermal overloads should be either inaccessible without the use of a tool, trip free or inaccessible unless the load is disconnected.
- Resettable fuse, covered by power plug, requires load to be disconnected before resetting. Highest safety level
- Resettable fuses, may be accessible with use of a tool. Acceptable safety level
- Resettable fuses, accessible without a tool are only acceptable if they are TRIP FREE. Check with supplier
- Tool release fuses can be used in place of thermal overloads. no positional requirement Acceptable safety level
Earthing
- For power sockets mounted directly in furniture with no external housing, the furniture requires earthing
- For power mounted in plastic insulated housing, the furniture does not require earthing
- For power encased in an earthed metal housing, the furniture does not require earthing
OE products are supplied with an external earth point as standard, but can be provided without if requested.
Cable Management
Furniture should allow for suitable cable management. Cable management systems
should be free from sharp edges to protect cabling. Grommet holes should be
adequately sized to allow cables to pass through easily. Cable bend radius
should be kept to minimum to prevent damage to cables. Cable supports may be
used in place of cable management, cable supports should have no more than a
maximum of 300mm gap between supports.
Power cables from the connection point that are exposed should be no more than
2m in length from furniture
Cable Segregation
Cable segregation should be allowed for within cable management to separate power cables from other cables such as ELV, data and telecommunications cables.
Batteries and Inverters
Inverters for use with battery systems should be no more than 500W capacity.
Battery voltage should be no more than 48V DC. Battery inverter systems must
comply with BS EN IEC 62040-1 or BS EN IEC 62368-1. 
When using power sockets with a battery system an RCD is required to protect
the user. RCD’s should not be rated more 30mA
Furniture Marking
Furniture should be clearly marked near cables or sockets with:
- Name, trademark of manufacturer or vendor
- BS6396
- If furniture is earthed or not and if so where
- Where instructions are located
- The rating of the system
- Max current rating
- Supply cable labelled with connection requirements
- Instruction that the system cannot be reconfigured without first observing manufacturer’s instructions
- If furniture contains batteries, the information must state battery type, for indoor or outdoor use and that manufacturer’s instructions are followed