CPSC bunk bed requirements part 1513.

Scope, purpose and who is covered

Section 1513.1(a) states the purpose: the part "prescribes requirements for bunk beds to reduce or eliminate the risk that children will die or be injured from being trapped between the upper bunk and the wall or in openings below guardrails or in other structures in the bed. Bunk beds meeting these requirements are exempted from 16 CFR 1500.18(a)(18)." That is the ban in part 1500: a bunk bed that does not comply with part 1513 is a banned article.

Under 1513.1(b), the part "applies to all bunk beds, except those manufactured only for institutional use, that are manufactured in the United States, or imported, on or after June 19, 2000." Facilities intended for use by children under age 6 "are not considered to be institutions." Bunk beds not intended for use by children are subject to 16 CFR part 1213 instead, but "the provisions of 16 CFR 1213 are substantively identical to the requirements in this part 1513."

Definitions that decide scope

A "bunk bed" is "a bed in which the underside of any foundation is over 30 inches (760 mm) from the floor." The other definitions are: a "bed end structure" is an upright unit at the head and foot of the bed to which the side rails attach; a "foundation" is the base or support on which a mattress rests; and a "guardrail" is a rail or guard on a side of the upper bunk to prevent a sleeping occupant from falling or rolling out. The test turns on the 30 inch height of the foundation underside, so on the wording of the definition a bed with a single raised sleeping surface and one with two stacked bunks are both measured the same way, and a low platform bed is outside it.

Guardrail requirements

Section 1513.3(a) lists seven guardrail rules. (1) At least two guardrails, "at least one on each side of the bed." (2) One must be continuous between the end structures, meaning any gap between guardrail and end structure may not exceed 0.22 inches (5.6 mm), "so as to not cause a finger entrapment hazard for a child." (3) The other may stop short, with no more than 15 inches (380 mm) between either end of that guardrail and the nearest end structure. (4) If a ladder is attached to one side, the continuous guardrail must be on the other side. (5) Guardrails must be attached so they cannot be removed without either intentionally releasing a fastening device or applying forces sequentially in different directions. (6) The upper edge must be no less than 5 inches (130 mm) above the mattress top surface when a mattress of the maximum thickness in the manufacturer's instructions is on the bed; a wall-side guardrail ending in a quarter-circle bend attached to the side rail is not prohibited. (7) With no mattress on the bed, no opening between the lower edge of the uppermost guardrail member and the underside of the upper bunk foundation may let the Figure 1 wedge block pass when tested under 1513.4(a).

The findings in the appendix explain why the wall-side guardrail must run the full length. The Commission reports that the voluntary standard allowed up to 15 inches at each end of the wall-side guardrail, and the mandatory rule eliminates that option. In the findings, the Commission cites 57 deaths of children under age 15 over a recent 9.6-year period in entrapment between the upper bunk and the wall or in openings in the bed structure, with over 96 percent of those who died age 3 or younger.

End structure requirements

Section 1513.3(b)(1) requires the upper edge of the upper bunk end structures to be at least 5 inches (130 mm) above the mattress surface "for at least 50 percent of the distance between the two posts at the head and foot of the upper bunk," with the thickest mattress and foundation allowed by the instructions in place. With no mattress, rigid end structures above the upper foundation may have no openings that let the wedge block pass freely (b)(2).

The lower bunk rule (b)(3) is the most technical. With no mattress and then again with the maximum thickness mattress and foundation, there may be no openings in the end structures between the underside of the upper foundation and the upper side of the lower foundation that permit free passage of the wedge block, "unless the openings are also large enough to permit the free passage of a 9-inch (230-mm) diameter rigid sphere." Any such larger opening must also pass the neck entrapment test in 1513.4(c)(3), which uses the "A" and "B" template sections: simultaneous contact with both sides of the "A" section, then entry of the "B" section neck portion 0.75 inch or more beyond the contact points, is a failure unless the lower boundary slopes downward at 45 degrees or more. The wedge block and template dimensions are in Figures 1 to 4, which are images.

Marking, labels and instructions

Each bed needs a permanent label giving the name and address (city, state, ZIP) of the manufacturer, distributor or retailer, the model number, and the month and year of manufacture (1513.5(a)). A warning label is permanently attached to the inside of an upper bunk end structure, where bedding cannot cover it; the label is an image in the eCFR and is not reproduced here.

Instructions must come with each bunk bed set. They state the mattress and foundation length and width, "either numerically or in conventional terms such as twin size, twin extra-long, etc.," and their maximum thickness. They must include six warnings: do not allow children under 6 years of age to use the upper bunk; use guardrails on both sides of the upper bunk; prohibit horseplay on or under beds; prohibit more than one person on the upper bunk; use the ladder to enter or leave the upper bunk; and if the bed is placed next to a wall, the full-length guardrail should go against the wall (this last applies only to beds without two full-length guardrails).

Worked example

A bed has its foundation 54 inches off the floor, so it is a bunk bed under the 30 inch definition. Its wall-side guardrail runs the length of the bed with a 0.2 inch gap at one end, within the 0.22 inch limit. A 0.3 inch gap at the other end exceeds it and the guardrail is not "continuous." The open-side guardrail stops 12 inches from each end structure, within the 15 inch allowance. With a 10 inch thick mattress allowed by the instructions, the guardrail top sits 4.5 inches above the mattress: under 5 inches, so it fails 1513.3(a)(6). The checker above runs these number comparisons; it cannot run the wedge block tests.

Limits of this page

The tool checks the heights and gaps the text states as numbers. It cannot run the opening probes, decide the "most adverse orientation" or apply the neck entrapment templates. It also cannot decide whether a particular facility qualifies as an "institution." This page quotes the CFR and the Commission's published findings and is not a determination about any bed.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 16 CFR part 1513, bunk beds (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)