EN 13150: the 2020 edition excludes universities
In laboratory furniture tenders since 2021, 7.7% name EN 13150 in the notice, mostly university ones. The current edition excludes universities.
Renggli TeamEditorial teamPublished: Reading time: 12 min read
Contents
EN 13150 describes laboratory workbenches: it gives dimensions, safety and durability requirements and test methods. In tenders for laboratory furniture it is the product standard cited most often. The contract notice names it in 68 of the 111 tenders whose notice gives any product standard at all. Whether the standard applies to a given laboratory, however, depends on the edition, and the current edition excludes exactly the contracting authorities that cite it most often.
- tenders with EN 13150 in the notice
- 68
- of laboratory furniture tenders
- 7.7%
- school tenders with this standard
- 0
What does EN 13150 cover?#
The current edition, EN 13150:2020, applies to workbenches in laboratories of educational institutions other than universities, for example schools, and in similar laboratories. This is how the scope of this edition is described by the SS-EN 13150:2020 entry in the Swedish Institute for Standards catalogue (opens in a new tab), the Swedish publisher of the same European standard. The English title begins with the words “Workbenches for laboratories in educational institutions”.
The standard specifies safety and durability requirements, test methods and workbench dimensions. It does not apply to tables and workbenches in industrial laboratories, institutes and universities. Universities, although they also teach, are therefore outside the scope of this edition. The standard does not cover fume hoods either.
The text of the standard is paid, so this article gives no dimensions or values from it. The description of the scope comes from the entry in the publisher's catalogue.
Which edition of EN 13150 is current?#
The current edition is the one from 2020. In the SIS catalogue it has the status “Valid”. It replaced the previous edition, which the entry for the previous edition SS-EN 13150 (opens in a new tab) describes as withdrawn (“Withdrawn”).
The scope of the two editions differs fundamentally. The previous one applied to laboratory workbenches and excluded pupils' workstations in school science rooms. The current one applies to educational institutions other than universities and excludes universities, institutes and industrial laboratories.
Previous edition (withdrawn)
- Safety requirements and test methods for laboratory workbenches
- Does not cover pupils' workstations in school science rooms
EN 13150:2020 (current)
- Workbenches in laboratories of educational institutions other than universities and in similar laboratories
- Safety and durability requirements, test methods, dimensions
- Does not cover industrial laboratories, institutes or universities
- Does not cover fume hoods
The data from the notices record only the standard number, without the year of the edition. They therefore do not show whether the contracting authority meant the withdrawn edition or the current one.
How often do tenders cite EN 13150?#
The contract notice named EN 13150 in 68 of 887 laboratory furniture tenders since 2021. No other product standard appears in notices this often: the second, EN 14727, appears in the notices of 30 tenders.
EN 13150 is the most common product standard in tender notices
Share of tenders (procedures with a contract notice) whose notice names the given product standard, ten most common standards, laboratory furniture tenders, n = 887 tenders, notices from January 2021 to 24 September 2026, 95% intervals
Show data
| Category | Value | 95% interval | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| EN 13150 | 7.7% | 6.1 to 9.6% | 887 |
| EN 14727 | 3.4% | 2.4 to 4.8% | 887 |
| ISO 9227 | 3.2% | 2.2 to 4.5% | 887 |
| EN 16121 | 2.7% | 1.8 to 4.0% | 887 |
| EN 14175 | 2.6% | 1.7 to 3.9% | 887 |
| ISO 10289 | 2.0% | 1.3 to 3.2% | 887 |
| EN 13501-1 | 1.9% | 1.2 to 3.0% | 887 |
| ISO 4628 | 1.9% | 1.2 to 3.0% | 887 |
| EN 14175-2 | 1.8% | 1.1 to 2.9% | 887 |
| ISO 2178 | 1.8% | 1.1 to 2.9% | 887 |
The same chart as an image. Reuse it with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
The share looks low because the data cover only the text of the notice. Contracting authorities often give standards in the tender specifications and the description of the subject matter, and the data do not include those attachments.
The share of tenders with the standard does not show a clear direction over the years. In 2021 the notice named the standard in 7.5% of tenders, in 2025 in 5.4%. This difference is too small to speak of a change.
Share of tenders with EN 13150, 2021 to 2026
Share of tenders (procedures with a contract notice) whose notice names EN 13150, by year of the notice, laboratory furniture tenders, n = 887 tenders (116 to 203 per year), notices from January 2021 to 24 September 2026, 95% intervals
Show data
| Category | Value | Range | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7.5% | 4 to 14% | 120 |
| 2022 | 9.7% | 5.9 to 16% | 144 |
| 2023 | 6.7% | 3.7 to 12% | 149 |
| 2024 | 12% | 7.5 to 18% | 155 |
| 2025 | 5.4% | 3.1 to 9.4% | 203 |
| 2026 (to 24 September) | 5.2% | 2.4 to 11% | 116 |
The same chart as an image. Reuse it with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
The highest share was in 2024: 18 of 155 tenders. The year 2026 is still under way, so its result is incomplete.
Which contracting authorities cite EN 13150 in notices?#
Most often universities: the notice named the standard in 43 of their 415 tenders. Research institutes cited it in the notices of 10 of their 125 tenders. Schools did not cite it in any of their 55 tenders.
EN 13150 is cited mainly by universities, never by schools
Share of tenders (procedures with a contract notice) whose notice names EN 13150, by type of contracting authority, laboratory furniture tenders, n = 887 tenders, notices from January 2021 to 24 September 2026, 95% intervals; types with fewer than 30 tenders are in the group “Other”
Show data
| Category | Value | 95% interval | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 10.4% | 7.8 to 13.7% | 415 |
| Research institutes | 8.0% | 4.4 to 14.1% | 125 |
| Other (including uniformed services and enterprises) | 7.9% | 2.7 to 20.8% | 38 |
| State inspectorates and laboratories | 6.7% | 2.3 to 17.9% | 45 |
| Healthcare | 4.7% | 2.2 to 9.9% | 127 |
| Administration and local government | 3.7% | 1.3 to 10.2% | 82 |
| Schools | 0.0% | 0.0 to 6.5% | 55 |
The same chart as an image. Reuse it with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
This is a surprising result. The current edition of EN 13150 excludes universities and institutes, and applies precisely to educational institutions other than universities, such as schools. The data do not say where this mismatch comes from. Universities may have the withdrawn edition in mind, which covered laboratories without distinguishing the type of institution. Schools may give standards in attachments, or buy furniture in contracts below the threshold of the law, which the data do not cover.
The other groups announced far fewer tenders than universities, so their results are less certain.
Which standards appear in notices alongside EN 13150?#
EN 13150 rarely stands alone: in only 6 of the 68 tenders with this standard does the notice name no other product standard. The one that appears next to it most often is ISO 9001, a quality management system standard: in the notices of 35 such tenders. Among product standards the most common are EN 14727 (26) and EN 16121 (18).
Standards named in notices together with EN 13150
Share of tenders with EN 13150 whose contract notice also names the given standard, ten most common, laboratory furniture tenders, n = 68 tenders with EN 13150, notices from January 2021 to 24 September 2026, 95% intervals; grey bars are management system standards
Show data
| Category | Value | 95% interval | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 (management system) | 51% | 40 to 63% | 68 |
| EN 14727 | 38% | 28 to 50% | 68 |
| ISO 14001 (management system) | 34% | 24 to 46% | 68 |
| EN 16121 | 26% | 17 to 38% | 68 |
| ISO 9227 | 24% | 15 to 35% | 68 |
| ISO 2178 | 21% | 13 to 32% | 68 |
| EN 61010-1 | 18% | 10 to 28% | 68 |
| ISO 45001 (management system) | 18% | 10 to 28% | 68 |
| EN 13501-1 | 16% | 9.3 to 27% | 68 |
| EN 14175 | 16% | 9.3 to 27% | 68 |
The same chart as an image. Reuse it with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
A workbench description in a tender is therefore usually based on several standards at once. The EN 13150 number alone, without the other requirements, is the exception in these notices.
What to put in the SWZ when citing EN 13150#
When describing laboratory workbenches in the tender specifications (SWZ, in Polish specyfikacja warunków zamówienia), four steps help.
Give the standard number with the year of the edition
A reference to “PN-EN 13150” without a year does not say which edition the contracting authority requires. The 2020 edition replaced the previous one, and the previous one is withdrawn.
Check that the scope of the edition fits the institution
EN 13150:2020 applies to laboratories of educational institutions other than universities and to similar laboratories. The entry for the standard expressly excludes laboratories of universities, institutes and industrial plants, so their workbenches are better described by requirements in the description of the subject matter.
Describe fume hoods separately
EN 13150 does not cover fume hoods, so a requirement of this standard says nothing about a fume hood in the same delivery.
Name the document that confirms conformity
The bare statement “compliant with EN 13150” in a bid does not say who tested the workbenches or to which edition. The SWZ can name the document the contracting authority expects, for example a test report giving the number and the year of the edition of the standard.
The criteria by which contracting authorities score bids in the same tenders are described in the analysis of award criteria for laboratory furniture.
Method and data#
The unit of the data is the tender, that is, a procedure with a contract notice, also when it has several lots. A tender announced in both the BZP and TED counts once. A “tender with EN 13150” is a tender whose contract notice names this standard.
Frequently asked questions#
It is the same European standard; the PN prefix denotes its Polish edition. The data from the notices count both forms together.
Yes, the current edition EN 13150:2020 applies to educational institutions other than universities, for example schools, and to similar laboratories. It excludes universities, institutes and industrial laboratories. In school laboratory furniture tenders since 2021, however, no notice names the standard.
No. The entry for the 2020 edition in the publisher's catalogue states plainly that the standard does not apply to fume hoods.
In laboratory furniture tenders since 2021, the contract notice named the standard in 68 of 887 tenders. Standards are also often given in attachments, which these data do not cover.