NACE 31.0 – Manufacture of Furniture | Public Tenders

NACE 31.0: Furniture manufacture in public tenders. CPV codes, contracting authorities and procurement procedures for office, school and hospital furniture.

Definition: NACE 31.0 covers the manufacture of furniture of all kinds — including office and administrative furniture, kitchen and bedroom furniture, shop furniture and seating and reclining furniture — irrespective of the material used. The group belongs to Section C (Manufacturing) and Division 31.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: April 2026

What does NACE 31.0 cover?

NACE 31.0 (Manufacture of furniture) classifies companies that produce seating, office furniture, kitchen furniture, bedroom furniture and other furnishings — an industry with significant volume in public procurement.

Group 31.0 within Division 31 is broken down into several classes:

Class	Title	Typical Products
31.01	Manufacture of office and shop furniture	Desks, office chairs, shelves, counters
31.02	Manufacture of kitchen furniture	Kitchen cabinets, fitted kitchens, kitchen fronts
31.03	Manufacture of mattresses	Cold foam, sprung and latex mattresses
31.09	Manufacture of other furniture	Living room, bedroom and bathroom furniture

Public contracting authorities relevant for NACE 31.0 are federal and regional authorities, municipalities, schools, universities, hospitals and public undertakings that regularly procure office and functional furniture.

Public Tenders: Furniture Public Contracts

Furniture for public institutions is among the standard procurement of all administrative levels — from the local council office to the federal authority, thousands of contracts are awarded each year.

Typical Contract Types

Office fit-outs: Complete fit-out of administrative buildings with desks, mobile pedestals, filing cabinets and ergonomic office chairs
School equipment: Pupil desks, chairs, boards, library shelves and teacher furniture for schools and educational institutions
Hospital furniture: Patient beds, bedside cabinets, ward furniture and waiting room seating for public hospitals
Town hall and meeting furniture: Conference tables, lecterns, public seating for council chambers and authorities
Library fittings: Shelving systems, reading areas, reception counters for public libraries
Framework agreements: Central purchasing bodies (e.g. BBL, BIG Beschaffung) conclude framework agreements for office furniture from which subordinate authorities can call off

Relevant CPV Codes for NACE 31.0

CPV Code	Title	Scope
39100000	Furniture	General furniture procurement
39130000	Office furniture	Desks, filing cabinets, shelves
39111000	Seats	Office chairs, visitor chairs
39160000	School furniture	Pupil desks, school chairs
33192000	Medical furniture	Patient beds, examination couches
39150000	Miscellaneous furniture and equipment	Library and waiting room furniture

Contracting Authorities and Bidders

Public Contracting Authorities

The largest public buyers in the furniture area are federal authorities (in Germany via the BMI Procurement Office, in Austria via the BBG), regional administrations, municipalities and public education and healthcare institutions. Central purchasing bodies often bundle demand in EU-wide framework agreement tenders, enabling individual authorities to call off without conducting their own procurement procedure.

Bidders and Suitability Requirements

Furniture manufacturers and dealers that participate in public tenders must typically demonstrate:

Technical capability: Reference deliveries of comparable type and scale from the last three years
Economic capability: Minimum turnover, credit references, business liability insurance
Quality evidence: Quality marks (e.g. RAL Quality Mark Furniture), certifications under EN standards, evidence of freedom from pollutants (e.g. REACH conformity)
Environmental standards: Environmental labels such as Blue Angel or EU Ecolabel are frequently required

FAQ

Which standards are relevant for furniture in public tenders? Contracting authorities frequently require compliance with European product standards (e.g. EN 527 for office desks, EN 1335 for office chairs). In addition, sustainability requirements — such as FSC certification for wood-based materials or low emission classes — are increasingly used as award criteria.

Above which contract value must furniture procurement be tendered EU-wide? The EU threshold for supply contracts of public contracting authorities is EUR 221,000 (as of 2024/2025). Procurement above this value must be published on TED. Below the threshold, national procurement rules apply, which prescribe different procedure types depending on federal state and contract value.

NACE 31.0 in context: Section C and Division 31

NACE C – Manufacturing: Parent section covering all manufacturing branches
NACE 31 – Manufacture of furniture: Parent division
NACE 32 – Other manufacturing: Adjacent division with jewellery, toys and sports goods

Last updated: April 2026 All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.