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Laboratory Casework

Written and maintained by SynC.

Rev4
IssuedOct 12, 2026
LicenseCC BY 4.0
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1 Scope

NOTE This standard covers the furnishing and installation of laboratory-grade casework, the chemical-resistant work surfaces that top it, the laboratory sinks and cup sinks set into those surfaces, the service fittings and electrical raceways mounted on the casework, and the flammable liquid and corrosive storage cabinets furnished with it. (1.1)
NOTE The decisions made once for the project live in the datasheet: the casework material and its grade or finish, the casework system type, the hardware, the work surface material and thickness, the sink and fitting materials, the storage cabinet construction and listing, the accessible station configuration, and the warranty. The values that differ from one room or run to the next, such as cabinet widths, heights, and depths, the mounting type of each unit, the services at each bench, the curb heights and work surface colors by location, and which stations are accessible, live on the casework plans and elevations, the casework schedule, the laboratory service fixture plans, and the finish schedule, and this standard defers to them by reference. (1.3)
NOTE The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: (1.4)
  • Chemical fume hoods, including the hood body, sash, liner, baffle, airfoil, and face-velocity performance, specialty and ductless hoods, and the exhaust ductwork, fans, and controls that serve them (Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods); this standard furnishes the base cabinets, work surfaces, and storage cabinets a hood sits on
  • Biosafety cabinets and laminar-flow clean benches, which are NSF/ANSI 49 equipment with their own listing, certification, and field testing
  • Architectural casework graded under the Architectural Woodwork Standards, and the plastic-laminate countertops that top it (Wood And Laminate CaseworkWood and Laminate CaseworkResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/wood-and-laminate-casework)
  • Solid surface and engineered quartz countertops, which are fabricated and installed under Solid Surface CountertopsSolid Surface and Quartz CountertopsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/solid-surface-countertops and coordinated with the casework under this standard for support, cutouts, and anchorage
  • Medical gas and vacuum outlets and piping serving patient care (Medical Gas SystemsMedical Gas and Vacuum SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/medical-gas-systems)
  • The laboratory gas, compressed air, vacuum, purified-water, and chemical waste piping behind the service fittings and sinks, which no standard in this library currently owns and which a project with those services specifies separately; the fittings and sink outlets under this standard end at the connection those systems make to them
  • General-purpose plumbing fixtures and plumbed emergency eyewash and drench shower equipment (Plumbing FixturesPlumbing FixturesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/plumbing-fixtures); the deck hole a casework-mounted eyewash needs is coordinated under this standard
  • The receptacles, switches, and wall plates installed in the casework electrical raceways, and the ground-fault protection they carry (Wiring DevicesWiring DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/wiring-devices)
  • Stainless-steel foodservice fabrications (Foodservice EquipmentFoodservice EquipmentResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/foodservice-equipment) and laboratory refrigerators and freezers (Refrigeration EquipmentCommercial Refrigeration EquipmentResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/refrigeration-equipment)
  • Freestanding laboratory furniture, carts, and stools not fastened to the building or to a casework system
1.5 Casework locations, cabinet types, and the arrangement of each run shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework plans and elevations.
1.6 Cabinet widths, heights, and depths, the mounting type of each unit, and the number of doors, drawers, and shelves in each unit shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework schedule.
1.7 The services at each bench, sink, and fume hood, and the location of every service fitting, cup sink, and electrical raceway on the casework, shall be as indicated on the laboratory service fixture plans.
1.8 The Contractor shall coordinate this work with Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods for the dimensions, weight, and service rough-in of each hood the casework under this standard supports, and for the exhaust connection to every vented storage cabinet.
1.9 The Contractor shall coordinate this work with Gypsum Board AssembliesGypsum Board AssembliesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/gypsum-board-assemblies, Unit MasonryUnit MasonryResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/unit-masonry, and Rough CarpentryRough CarpentryResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/rough-carpentry for the in-wall blocking, backing, and anchorage the casework is fastened to.
1.10 The Contractor shall coordinate this work with Joint SealantsJoint SealantsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/joint-sealants for the sealant at work-surface-to-wall, curb, and sink joints.
1.11 The Contractor shall coordinate this work with Wiring DevicesWiring DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/wiring-devices and Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit for the devices, boxes, and feeds that serve the casework electrical raceways.
1.12 The Contractor shall coordinate this work with Resilient FlooringResilient FlooringResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/resilient-flooring and Resinous FlooringResinous FlooringResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/resinous-flooring for the floor and base condition at cabinet toe spaces and under mobile and suspended units.

2 Referenced Standards

2.1 Materials, fabrication, finishing, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
2.2 Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
2.3 Where the Contractor identifies a conflict between a referenced standard and the Contract Documents, the Contractor shall obtain the Engineer of Record's written resolution before fabrication of the affected casework begins.
Standard Title
SEFA 2 Recommended Practices for Installations
SEFA 3 Recommended Practices for Work Surfaces
SEFA 7 Recommended Practices for Fixtures
SEFA 8M Recommended Practices for Laboratory Grade Metal Casework
SEFA 8PH Recommended Practices for Laboratory Grade Phenolic Casework
SEFA 8P Recommended Practices for Laboratory Grade Polypropylene Casework
SEFA 8W Recommended Practices for Laboratory Grade Wood Casework
SEFA 8PL Recommended Practices for Laboratory Grade Plastic Laminate Casework
SEFA 10 Recommended Practices for Adaptable Casework Systems
NFPA 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code (Chapter 9, Storage Cabinets)
NFPA 45 Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals
29 CFR 1910.106 Flammable Liquids (OSHA)
UL 1275 Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets
FM 6050 Approval Standard for Storage Cabinets (Flammable and Combustible Liquids)
ANSI/BHMA A156.9 Cabinet Hardware
ASTM A1008/A1008M Steel, Sheet, Cold-Rolled, Carbon, Structural, High-Strength Low-Alloy, High-Strength Low-Alloy with Improved Formability, Solution Hardened, and Bake Hardenable
ASTM A240/A240M Chromium and Chromium-Nickel Stainless Steel Plate, Sheet, and Strip for Pressure Vessels and for General Applications
ASTM A666 Annealed or Cold-Worked Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet, Strip, Plate, and Flat Bar
NEMA LD 3 High-Pressure Decorative Laminates
ANSI/HPVA HP-1 American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood
40 CFR Part 770 Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products (TSCA Title VI)
ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 Plumbing Supply Fittings
ASSE 1001 Performance Requirements for Atmospheric Type Vacuum Breakers
NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 Drinking Water System Components (Health Effects)
NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 Drinking Water System Components (Lead Content)
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code
ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
2010 ADA Standards 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
IBC International Building Code (Chapter 11, Accessibility)
ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (Chapter 13)

3 Submittals

3.1 Action Submittals

3.1.1 The Contractor shall submit the following for the Engineer of Record's review, and shall not begin fabrication of an item until that item's submittals have been reviewed and returned:
  • Product Data: Data for each casework material, finish system, work surface material, sink, cup sink, service fitting, electrical raceway, storage cabinet, and hardware item, including the SEFA 8 recommended practice each casework line is tested to and the listing or approval of each storage cabinet.
  • Shop Drawings: Plans, elevations, and sections of each casework run and work surface, drawn to scale, showing cabinet types and dimensions, the mounting type of each unit, the work surface material, thickness, edge, curb, and field joints, every sink, cup sink, service fitting, electrical raceway, and service drop located and dimensioned to the plumbing, gas, and electrical rough-in, the blocking and backing required with its location and capacity, the knee spaces and accessible stations with their dimensions, the fume hood base cabinets with the hood each supports, and the seismic anchorage where it is required.
  • Samples: A color chip of each casework finish in each scheduled color, a 6 in. by 6 in. sample of each work surface material in each scheduled color with the specified edge, a sample of each pull, hinge, and lock, and a sample of each service fitting type in the specified finish with its SEFA 7 color-coded index.
  • Casework Performance Test Report: The SEFA 8 test report for each casework material furnished, from the test basis selected in the datasheet.
  • Work Surface Test Report: The SEFA 3 chemical resistance and physical test report for each work surface material furnished, from the test basis selected in the datasheet.
  • Chemical Compatibility Statement: The casework and work surface manufacturers' written confirmation that the materials proposed resist each reagent, solvent, and cleaning agent on the chemical use schedule at the locations where it is used, identifying any that they do not.
  • Hardware and Fitting Schedule: A schedule of hinges, slides, pulls, locks, and service fittings keyed to the cabinet types on the shop drawings, giving the ANSI/BHMA A156.9 grade, the slide extension and load rating, the keying, and the SEFA 7 service identification of each fitting.
  • Seismic Anchorage Details: Where seismic anchorage is required, the anchorage details and supporting calculations, prepared by a licensed engineer where the adopted code requires it.
Action Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Product data for casework, finishes, work surfaces, sinks, fittings, raceways, storage cabinets, and hardware
☑ Dimensioned shop drawings of each casework run keyed to the service rough-in
☑ Finish, work surface, hardware, and service fitting samples
☑ SEFA 8 casework performance test report
☑ SEFA 3 work surface test report
☑ Chemical compatibility statement against the chemical use schedule
☑ Hardware and service fitting schedule
☐ Seismic anchorage details and calculations
3.1.2 The casework shop drawings shall be reviewed against the plumbing, gas, and electrical rough-in drawings before they are submitted, and each service drop shall carry the same identification on the casework shop drawings and on the rough-in drawings.
3.1.3 The Contractor shall not pour a slab, close a wall, or set a service drop that serves the casework until the shop drawings locating that drop have been reviewed and returned.
NOTE A laboratory bench is the one piece of casework whose rough-in comes up through the floor and out of the wall at dimensions the cabinet fixes, so a drop that misses the cabinet opening by two inches is concrete to cut or a wall to open. The shop drawings are reviewed with the rough-in drawings as one set for that reason. (3.1.4)

3.2 Closeout Submittals

3.2.1 The Contractor shall submit the following at Substantial Completion:
  • Care and Maintenance Instructions: Written cleaning and care guidance specific to each casework finish, work surface material, sink material, and service fitting finish installed, naming the cleaning agents each tolerates and those it does not.
  • Hardware Adjustment and Parts Data: Adjustment procedures for hinges, slides, levelers, and service fitting valves, and the replacement-parts identification for every hardware item and fitting.
  • Record Shop Drawings: The reviewed shop drawings marked to show the casework, work surfaces, and service fittings as installed.
  • Warranty Documentation: The executed product and installation warranties required by this standard.
  • Keying Record: The key schedule and bitting record for every lock furnished, and the keys delivered to the Owner.
  • Storage Cabinet Documentation: The listing or approval certificate and the manufacturer's use instructions for each flammable liquid and corrosive storage cabinet.
  • Spare Parts Receipt: A signed receipt from the Owner for the spare parts and touch-up materials delivered.
Closeout Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Material-specific care and maintenance instructions
☑ Hardware and fitting adjustment procedures and replacement-parts data
☑ Record shop drawings
☑ Executed product and installation warranties
☐ Key schedule and bitting record
☑ Storage cabinet listing certificates and use instructions
☐ Spare parts and touch-up material receipt
NOTE An epoxy resin top, a phenolic top, and a stainless top each tolerate a different set of cleaning and decontamination agents, and the disinfectant a laboratory wipes down with every day dulls one of them in a year. The care instructions are the only place that difference reaches the people doing the wiping. (3.2.2)

4 Quality Assurance

4.1 Casework Manufacturer Qualifications

4.1.1 The casework manufacturer shall be a firm regularly engaged in fabricating laboratory casework of the material specified, and shall submit a list of at least three completed laboratory projects of comparable scope in that material.
4.1.3 Service fittings within the project shall be of one manufacturer for each service.
NOTE A laboratory bench is an assembly of a cabinet, a top, a sink, and a dozen fittings from as many as four makers, and the single responsible source is what makes the top fit the cabinet, the sink fit the top, and the fitting holes fit the fittings. One fitting line per service keeps the handles, index buttons, and repair parts the same across the building. (4.1.3.1)

4.2 Casework Performance Test Basis

SEFA 8 Casework Test Basisradio
○ Test report from an independent testing laboratory
○ Test report from the manufacturer's own laboratory
4.2.3 The test report shall cover the casework line and construction proposed, and a report on a different cabinet construction or finish system from the same manufacturer shall not be accepted for it.
NOTE The SEFA 8 practices test a representative cabinet for structural load, racking, door and drawer cycling, shelf deflection, and finish resistance to a schedule of reagents. An independent laboratory's report is a verification the Owner can rely on without testing the product; a manufacturer's own report is a representation the Owner would have to test to disprove, and it is what a smaller fabricator can offer. The independent report costs the manufacturer the test and is carried in the casework price. (4.2.3.1)

4.3 Work Surface Test Basis

4.3.1 Work surfaces of each material shall have been tested to SEFA 3, and the test report shall come from the basis indicated in the datasheet.
SEFA 3 Work Surface Test Basisradio
○ Test report from an independent testing laboratory
○ Test report from the manufacturer's own laboratory
NOTE SEFA 3 exposes a work surface sample to a schedule of reagents for a timed period and rates the change to the surface, and it tests the surface for load, impact, and heat. The report tells the engineer what the material resists in a laboratory test; the chemical compatibility statement under Submittals tells the engineer what it resists against this project's reagents. (4.3.1.1)

4.4 Installer Qualifications

4.4.1 The casework installer shall be trained or authorized by the casework manufacturer for the casework system furnished, and shall have installed laboratory casework on at least three completed projects.
4.4.2 Where an adaptable casework system is furnished, the installer shall be authorized by the system manufacturer for that system.

4.5 Mockup

4.5.1 Whether a casework mockup is required shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Casework Mockup Requiredradio
○ Required
○ Not required
4.5.2 Where a mockup is required, it shall be a full-size base cabinet with at least one door and one drawer, a section of work surface with the specified edge, curb, and one field joint, one sink or cup sink, one of each service fitting type, and the specified hardware, built with the specified materials and finishes.
4.5.3 The Contractor shall obtain the Engineer of Record's written acceptance of a required mockup before fabricating the corresponding work.
4.5.4 An accepted mockup shall establish the standard of quality for the corresponding work and may remain in the finished work if it is undamaged and in a location shown to receive that work.

5 Chemical Exposure and Building Readiness

5.1 Chemical Use Schedule

5.1.1 The reagents, solvents, and cleaning and decontamination agents to which the casework and work surfaces at each location will be exposed shall be as indicated on the laboratory chemical use schedule.
5.1.2 The casework and work surface manufacturers shall review the chemical use schedule and shall identify in the chemical compatibility statement every listed agent their material does not resist at the location where it is used.
5.1.3 Where the chemical compatibility statement identifies an agent the selected material does not resist, the Contractor shall report the conflict to the Engineer of Record before fabrication, and the Engineer of Record shall direct the material at that location in writing.
NOTE No laboratory material resists everything. Epoxy resin is marked by a few concentrated oxidizing acids, phenolic resin by concentrated oxidizers and some strong bases, stainless steel by chlorides and hydrochloric acid, polypropylene by oxidizing acids and by heat, and a chemical-resistant laminate by prolonged contact with almost any strong reagent. The chemical use schedule is the only way the material decision is made against what the laboratory will actually do rather than against a general reputation. (5.1.3.1)

5.2 Building Readiness Before Delivery

5.2.1 Casework shall not be delivered to the building until the building is enclosed and weather-tight, the concrete, masonry, plaster, and gypsum board finishing operations in the receiving space are complete, and the affected construction is dry.
5.2.2 Casework shall not be delivered until the service rough-in that serves it has been installed, pressure-tested where the serving trade's standard requires it, and verified against the reviewed casework shop drawings.
5.2.3 Wood and plastic-laminate casework shall be held in the conditioned receiving space, with its packaging opened to allow air circulation, until its moisture content has equalized with the space, and shall not be installed before that condition is reached.
5.2.4 Wood and plastic-laminate casework shall be stored and installed only while interior temperature and relative humidity are being held within the range the casework manufacturer publishes for its product.
NOTE Steel, stainless, phenolic, and polypropylene casework do not change dimension with humidity; wood and composite-core laminate casework do, and a wood laboratory cabinet set before the building's service condition is established opens its joints and binds its doors once that condition arrives. The rough-in requirement is different: a bench set over an unverified drop is a bench that comes back out. (5.2.4.1)

6 Casework Material

6.1 Casework Material Selection

6.1.1 The casework material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Casework Materialselect
Painted steel
Stainless steel
Phenolic resin
Polypropylene
Wood
Plastic laminate on composite core
6.1.2 Casework of the selected material shall comply with the SEFA 8 recommended practice for that material and with the material article of this standard that applies to it.
6.1.3 Where the casework schedule indicates a different material for a room or run, that material shall apply there, and the casework of each material shall comply with its own article.
NOTE Painted steel is the general-purpose laboratory cabinet: rigid, non-absorbent, resistant to most reagents through its powder coat, repairable by touch-up, and the lowest cost of the tested materials in most markets; a chipped finish exposes steel that rusts in a wet laboratory, and the coating is what resists the chemistry, not the metal. Stainless steel resists corrosion through the metal itself, tolerates wash-down and autoclave-adjacent heat, and is selected for pharmaceutical, cleanroom, and animal facilities where cleanability and the absence of a coating govern, at the highest cost. Phenolic resin is a solid, non-porous, inert cabinet with no coating to chip and no core to swell, which suits wet and corrosive laboratories and wash-down rooms; it is heavier than steel, its edges are machined rather than formed, and its cost sits between steel and stainless. Polypropylene is the material for hydrofluoric acid, strong acids, and trace-metal work where no metal is permitted; it is soft, scratches, tolerates little heat, and is selected for the rooms that need it rather than for a whole building. Wood, in solid hardwood and veneer with a chemical-resistant catalyzed finish, is the traditional teaching laboratory cabinet, warm in appearance and repairable, and its finish rather than the wood is what resists reagents; it swells where it is kept wet. Plastic laminate on a moisture-resistant core is the lowest-cost tested cabinet and suits dry and light-duty laboratories, with the least resistance to standing liquid at its edges. (6.1.3.1)

6.2 Painted Steel Casework

6.2.1 Painted steel casework shall be fabricated of cold-rolled steel sheet conforming to ASTM A1008/A1008M, in thicknesses not lighter than those of the construction the SEFA 8M test report covers.
6.2.2 Cabinet bodies shall be welded assemblies with doors and drawer fronts of double-wall construction, and exposed welds shall be ground smooth before finishing.
6.2.3 Steel surfaces shall be cleaned, phosphatized, and finished with a chemical-resistant powder coating applied to interior and exterior surfaces alike and cured to the coating manufacturer's schedule.
6.2.4 The powder coating shall have passed the SEFA 8M finish tests for chemical spot resistance, hardness, adhesion, and impact.
6.2.5 The minimum dry film thickness of the powder coating on exposed surfaces shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Steel Casework Powder Coating Dry Film Thicknessrange
Not less than
mil
1.55
6.2.6 Where the datasheet leaves the dry film thickness blank, the manufacturer's standard thickness for the tested finish system shall apply and shall be reported in the product data.
6.2.7 The casework color shall be as indicated on the finish schedule.
NOTE A laboratory powder coat is tested as a system, and a thicker film buys more impact and edge resistance up to the point where it chips in sheets rather than wears; the manufacturers' tested films cluster between about 2 and 3 mil. The range admits a thinner film where a manufacturer's tested system is thinner and a heavier film where the Owner wants it, and it is the SEFA 8M finish test, not the thickness, that proves the coating resists the chemistry. (6.2.7.1)

6.3 Stainless Steel Casework

6.3.1 Stainless steel casework shall be fabricated of austenitic stainless steel sheet conforming to ASTM A240/A240M or ASTM A666, of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Stainless Steel Casework Typeradio
● Type 304
○ Type 316
6.3.2 Exposed stainless surfaces shall have a No. 4 directional satin finish, with the grain running in one direction on each face, unless a different finish is indicated on the finish schedule.
6.3.3 Welds in stainless steel casework shall be made with filler of matching composition, and exposed welds shall be ground and polished to match the adjacent finish so that no weld discoloration or crevice remains.
6.3.4 Stainless steel casework shall be passivated after fabrication and shall arrive free of embedded iron.
NOTE Type 304 serves most laboratory conditions and is what stainless casework is made of unless the chemistry says otherwise; Type 316 adds molybdenum, which resists the pitting that chlorides, hydrochloric acid, and some disinfectants cause in Type 304, at a cost premium that is justified where those agents are on the chemical use schedule. Embedded iron from carbon-steel tooling rusts on the surface and reads as a defect in the stainless; passivation removes it. (6.3.4.1)

6.4 Phenolic Resin Casework

6.4.1 Phenolic resin casework shall be fabricated of solid phenolic composite panels, homogeneous through their thickness and resistant to the SEFA 8PH reagent schedule on faces and edges alike.
6.4.2 Panel edges shall be machined smooth and sealed only where the panel manufacturer requires it, and shall not be edgebanded.
6.4.3 The phenolic panel core color shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Phenolic Panel Core Colorradio
● Black core
○ Color-matched core
6.4.4 Phenolic casework shall be assembled with mechanical fasteners rated by the manufacturer for solid phenolic, and the SEFA 8PH test report shall cover the joinery used.
NOTE A solid phenolic panel is a stack of resin-saturated kraft paper pressed into a dense slab with a decorative face, and the core is naturally black, so a machined edge reads as a black line against a colored face. A color-matched core carries the face color through the slab, which hides the edge and costs more. The material does not take an edgeband and does not need one, which is what makes it the choice where water sits on cabinet edges. (6.4.4.1)

6.5 Polypropylene Casework

6.5.1 Polypropylene casework shall be fabricated of homogeneous polypropylene sheet, welded or mechanically joined as the SEFA 8P test report covers, with no metal exposed to the interior or exterior of the cabinet where the chemical use schedule excludes metal.
6.5.2 Hardware exposed on polypropylene casework at locations where metal is excluded shall be of polypropylene or another non-metallic material the manufacturer rates for the service.
6.5.3 Polypropylene casework shall not be installed within the clearance the casework manufacturer publishes from heat-producing equipment, hot plates, or autoclaves.
6.5.4 The polypropylene casework color shall be as indicated on the finish schedule.
NOTE Polypropylene softens at a temperature a hot plate or an autoclave reaches, and it is selected for its chemistry, not its heat tolerance. Trace-metal and semiconductor laboratories exclude metal from the cabinet because a steel hinge or a brass fitting is a contamination source in that work, which is why the hardware requirement follows the chemical use schedule rather than applying to every polypropylene cabinet. (6.5.4.1)

6.6 Wood Casework

6.6.1 Wood casework shall be fabricated of solid hardwood and hardwood veneer plywood conforming to ANSI/HPVA HP-1, of the species indicated in the datasheet, and shall comply with SEFA 8W.
Wood Casework Exposed Speciesselect
Red oak
White oak
Hard maple
Birch
Cherry
Black walnut
Ash
Per drawings — the finish schedule (deferred by default)
6.6.2 Wood casework shall be finished on all surfaces, inside and out, with a chemical-resistant catalyzed finish system that has passed the SEFA 8W finish tests, applied in the shop.
6.6.3 Every composite-wood component of wood and plastic-laminate casework shall comply with 40 CFR Part 770 and shall be labeled or certified accordingly.
6.6.4 The stain color shall be as indicated on the finish schedule and shall be sampled and accepted on the actual species before production finishing begins.
NOTE A wood laboratory cabinet resists reagents through its finish, and the SEFA 8W finish test is what separates a laboratory finish from the lacquers architectural casework carries. Red oak is the species most wood laboratory casework is made of because its open grain hides wear and its cost is the lowest of the hardwoods used; maple and birch give a lighter, tighter-grained face; the others are selected for appearance at a higher material cost. (6.6.4.1)

6.7 Plastic Laminate Casework

6.7.1 Plastic laminate casework shall be fabricated of high-pressure decorative laminate conforming to NEMA LD 3, in a chemical-resistant grade, bonded to a moisture-resistant composite core, and shall comply with SEFA 8PL.
6.7.2 Every edge of a composite panel exposed to view or to wetting shall be banded so that no core is left open, and the edges of cabinets at sinks shall be sealed so that water reaching the edge does not reach the core.
6.7.3 The laminate color and pattern shall be as indicated on the finish schedule.
NOTE A chemical-resistant laminate carries a face formulated to resist the SEFA reagent schedule better than a general-purpose laminate does, bonded to a core that swells if water reaches it. The product is bought for its cost and its dry-laboratory service, and the edge treatment at the sink is what decides whether it survives a wet one. (6.7.3.1)

7 Casework System and Mounting

7.1 Casework System Type

7.1.1 The casework system type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Casework System Typeradio
● Fixed casework
○ Adaptable casework system
7.1.2 The mounting type of each unit, whether floor-mounted, suspended, mobile, or hung on an adaptable frame, shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework schedule.
NOTE Fixed casework is set in place, leveled, and fastened to the floor and wall, and it is what most laboratories are built with because it is the lowest cost and the most rigid. An adaptable system carries the cabinets on table frames or a service spine so that cabinets can be relocated or removed and benches re-arranged without a contractor, at a higher first cost; it is selected where the laboratory program expects to change, and its cost is recovered only if the change actually happens. (7.1.2.1)

7.2 Adaptable Casework Systems

7.2.1 Requirements in this article apply where an adaptable casework system is selected in the datasheet.
7.2.2 An adaptable casework system shall comply with SEFA 10 and shall consist of a structural frame or service spine, the work surfaces it carries, and cabinets that hang from, roll under, or sit on the frame without fastening to the building other than at the frame.
7.2.3 Frames and service spines shall be anchored to the structure as the casework manufacturer's engineering and the seismic anchorage requirements of this standard require, and shall carry the work surface, the hung cabinets, and the service fittings without the cabinets contributing to the frame's stability.
7.2.4 Cabinets in an adaptable system shall be removable and relocatable by the Owner's staff with the manufacturer's tools, and the manufacturer shall publish the procedure in the care and maintenance instructions.
7.2.5 Service fittings and electrical raceways in an adaptable system shall be mounted on the service spine or the frame, and service connections to the fittings shall be made with the flexible connections the serving trades' standards permit so that a bench can be re-arranged without re-piping the spine.
NOTE SEFA 10 separates the parts of a laboratory bench that carry services and loads from the parts that store things, so that the storage can move. The spine or frame stays put and is anchored; the cabinets are furniture that hangs from it. The flexible connections are what make the promise real: a hard-piped fitting on a movable table is a table that does not move. (7.2.5.1)

7.3 Suspended and Mobile Cabinets

7.3.1 The support method for cabinets suspended above the floor shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Suspended Cabinet Support Methodradio
○ Hung from the table apron rail
○ Hung from a steel leg frame
○ Hung from a cantilevered C-frame at the wall
7.3.2 A suspended cabinet and its support shall carry the cabinet's rated contents at the SEFA 8 load for its material without deflecting the work surface above it or racking the cabinet.
7.3.3 Mobile cabinets shall roll on casters rated by the manufacturer for the loaded weight of the cabinet, with at least two casters locking, and shall be of a height that clears the underside of the work surface or apron they roll under.
7.3.4 A mobile cabinet shall have a means of restraining it against the bench or frame when parked where the seismic anchorage requirements of this standard apply to it.
NOTE Hanging cabinets from the table apron keeps the floor clear beneath a continuous bench and costs the least, and it loads the apron and the table legs; a steel leg frame carries the cabinets and the top on its own structure and is what an adaptable system uses; a cantilevered C-frame at the wall carries the bench with no legs at all and leaves the floor open for cleaning and for mobile units, at the highest cost and the greatest demand on the wall anchorage. A suspended cabinet puts its contents on the frame rather than on the floor, which is why the load path has to be stated. (7.3.4.1)

7.4 Cabinet Dimensions and Arrangement

7.4.1 Base cabinet depths, wall cabinet depths, and the work surface heights at sitting-height, standing-height, and accessible stations shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework plans and elevations.
7.4.2 Cabinets shall be fabricated in the manufacturer's standard modular widths unless a non-modular width is dimensioned on the casework schedule, and fillers shall close the difference between the modular run and the room.
7.4.3 Knee spaces shall be finished on all exposed surfaces with the casework material and finish, and shall carry an apron or a modesty panel where the casework schedule indicates one.
7.4.4 Tall cabinets and wardrobe cabinets shall be anchored to the wall at the top whether or not seismic anchorage is otherwise required.
7.4.5 Cabinet backs shall be closed with the casework material unless the casework schedule indicates an open-back unit at a service chase.
NOTE Laboratory casework is built on a module, generally in widths from 12 in. to 48 in., and a run that is not a multiple of that module is closed with a filler rather than a custom cabinet. A tall cabinet is top-heavy when its upper shelves are loaded, and anchoring it at the top is a stability requirement that stands apart from the seismic one. (7.4.5.1)

7.5 Base and Leveling

7.5.1 Floor-mounted cabinets shall stand on adjustable levelers or a leveling base providing not less than 1 in. of adjustment, concealed behind an enclosed toe space.
7.5.2 The toe space shall be enclosed on all exposed sides with the casework material and finish, or with a removable kick plate where the casework manufacturer's system provides one, and shall be sealed to the floor where the floor finish at casework selected under Installation requires it.
7.5.3 Levelers shall bear on the structural floor through a base that spreads the load, and shall not bear on a resilient or resinous floor finish in a way that indents it.

8 Cabinet Hardware and Components

8.1 Door and Drawer-Front Interface Style

8.1.1 The door and drawer-front interface style shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Door and Drawer-Front Interface Styleradio
● Flush overlay
○ Reveal overlay
○ Flush inset
8.1.2 Reveals between doors, drawer fronts, and the case shall be held uniform within the tolerance the casework manufacturer publishes for the selected style.
NOTE Flush overlay covers the case front almost completely and leaves a narrow uniform reveal between fronts, and it is what formed-steel and phenolic casework produce without further work. Reveal overlay leaves a wider intentional reveal that shows the case edge as a line, which some designs want and which gives a dirt-catching ledge. Flush inset sets the fronts within the opening flush with the case face, which is the traditional wood laboratory casework appearance, costs the most fitting labor, and shows every deviation in the opening as a variable reveal. (8.1.2.1)

8.2 Hinges

8.2.1 The hinge type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Hinge Typeselect
Institutional five-knuckle hinge
Concealed cup hinge
Continuous piano hinge
Pivot hinge
8.2.2 Hinges shall conform to ANSI/BHMA A156.9 Grade 1, shall be of stainless steel or of steel with a chrome or epoxy finish resistant to the SEFA 8 reagent schedule, and shall be furnished in the number the manufacturer publishes for the door size and weight.
8.2.3 Doors shall open to not less than 165 degrees unless the hinge type selected does not permit it or the casework schedule indicates a stop.
8.2.4 Doors on polypropylene casework at locations where the chemical use schedule excludes metal shall hang on non-metallic hinges.
NOTE The institutional five-knuckle hinge mounts on the face of the door and case, opens to 270 degrees so the door lies against the adjacent cabinet, survives being used as a handhold, and is what most laboratory steel casework hangs on because it is the hinge the SEFA 8M cycle tests were run with. A concealed cup hinge shows nothing with the door closed, adjusts in three directions, and is what phenolic and laminate casework are machined for; it carries less load and takes less abuse. A continuous hinge carries a tall or heavy door along its full height, and a pivot hinge serves a flush inset door where no hinge is to show at the edge. (8.2.4.1)

8.3 Drawer Slides

8.3.1 The drawer slide type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Drawer Slide Typeselect
Side-mount ball-bearing
Side-mount epoxy-coated roller
Concealed undermount
Integral formed-steel suspension
8.3.2 The drawer slide extension shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Drawer Slide Extensionradio
● Full extension
○ Three-quarter extension
○ Over-travel extension
8.3.3 The load rating of drawer slides shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Drawer Slide Load Ratingrange
Not less than
lb
75100150200
8.3.4 Where the datasheet leaves the load rating blank, slides shall be rated by the manufacturer for the drawer size and the SEFA 8 drawer load test for the casework material, and the rating shall be reported in the hardware schedule.
8.3.5 Drawers shall have a positive stop that prevents the drawer from being pulled out of the cabinet in normal use, and a means of removing the drawer for cleaning.
8.3.6 Drawer slides and their fasteners shall resist the SEFA 8 reagent schedule or shall be protected by the drawer body so that a spill inside the drawer does not reach them.
NOTE A ball-bearing side-mount slide carries the heaviest load and runs smoothly at full extension, and it is what a drawer of glassware or a file of records runs on; an epoxy-coated roller slide is the lowest cost, runs at three-quarter extension, and resists reagents through its coating; an undermount slide is concealed and is what phenolic and laminate casework use for a clean drawer side; an integral formed-steel suspension is part of the steel cabinet body and is the construction some steel casework lines are tested with. Full extension brings the back of the drawer to the case front so nothing is lost behind; three-quarter extension leaves it inside; over-travel brings the drawer past the front so a drawer under a work surface overhang can be fully reached. (8.3.6.1)

8.4 Pulls

8.4.1 The pull type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Pull Typeselect
Wire pull
Bar pull
Flush recessed pull
Integral formed pull
Edge pull
Per drawings — the finish schedule (deferred by default)
8.4.2 The pull material and finish shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Pull Material and Finishselect
Satin stainless steel
Polished chrome plated
Epoxy powder coated to match the casework
Black polymer
8.4.3 Pulls on the doors and drawers of an accessible station, and on any other casework the adopted accessibility code requires to be operable, shall be operable with one hand without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist in accordance with ICC A117.1 Section 309.
NOTE A wire or bar pull is gripped with an open hand, satisfies the accessible-operation requirement, and is what laboratory casework is usually fitted with; a flush recessed pull and an integral formed pull keep the front flush where a projecting pull would catch a lab coat or a cart, and are gripped with the fingertips; an edge pull runs along the top of a drawer front for the same reason. Satin stainless is the pull finish that resists reagents without a coating and matches the fittings, which is why it is what most laboratories specify; chrome is brighter and pits in chloride service; an epoxy-coated pull disappears into the casework color and chips as the casework does; a polymer pull serves where metal is excluded. (8.4.3.1)

8.5 Locks

8.5.1 The cabinets and drawers that receive locks shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework schedule.
8.5.2 The lock type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Cabinet Lock Typeselect
Disc tumbler cam lock
Pin tumbler cam lock
Removable-core cam lock
Gang lock for a drawer stack
Electronic keypad lock
8.5.3 The lock keying shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Lock Keyingradio
○ Keyed alike within each room
○ Keyed alike throughout the project
○ Keyed different with a master key
○ Keyed different without a master key
8.5.4 Two keys shall be furnished for each lock and two master keys for each master-keyed group, and the keying shall be recorded in the key schedule delivered at closeout.
NOTE A disc tumbler cam lock is the least expensive and secures a supply cabinet against casual opening; a pin tumbler lock resists picking and is selected where controlled substances or expensive reagents warrant it; a removable-core lock lets the Owner rekey a laboratory when its occupants change, which they do; a gang lock secures a whole drawer stack with one turn; an electronic lock removes the key at the cost of a battery to change and a code to manage. Keying alike within a room gives one key per laboratory and no security between drawers; a master key gives the department one key over cabinets that are otherwise keyed apart. (8.5.4.1)

8.6 Glazed Doors

8.6.1 The glazing material for glazed cabinet doors shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Glazed Door Glazing Materialradio
○ Tempered safety glass
○ Laminated safety glass
○ Acrylic sheet
○ Polycarbonate sheet
8.6.2 Glazing shall be set in a frame or channel of the casework material and shall be removable for replacement without disassembling the door.
8.6.3 The glazing thickness shall be not less than the casework manufacturer publishes for the door size, and not less than 1/4 in. for glass.
NOTE Tempered glass breaks into small pieces and costs the least of the safety glazings; laminated glass holds its pieces on the interlayer when it is broken, which keeps shards out of a cabinet of glassware and off the bench below; acrylic is lighter and scratches; polycarbonate resists impact better than any of them and yellows under ultraviolet light. The glazed wall cabinet over a wet bench is where the choice between tempered and laminated is felt. (8.6.3.1)

8.7 Shelves and Interiors

8.7.1 Adjustable shelves shall be of the casework material, adjustable on increments of not more than 1 in. on shelf supports that engage the shelf so that it cannot tip or slide off, and shall meet the SEFA 8 shelf deflection limit for the casework material under the SEFA 8 test load.
8.7.2 Shelves in wall cabinets over a work surface shall be removable without tools.
8.7.3 Drawer bodies shall be of the casework material or of a material the SEFA 8 test report covers, with a bottom captured on all four sides and a front edge that allows the drawer to be gripped from the inside for removal.
8.7.4 Cabinet interiors shall be finished with the same finish system as the exterior and shall resist the same reagent schedule.
NOTE The inside of a laboratory cabinet sees more chemistry than the outside: it is where the bottles sit and where they leak. A finish tested only on the exterior leaves the interior to rust or swell from the first spill, which is why the interior carries the same tested finish. (8.7.4.1)

9 Work Surfaces

9.1 Work Surface Material

9.1.1 The work surface material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Work Surface Materialselect
Epoxy resin
Phenolic resin
Chemical-resistant high-pressure laminate
Stainless steel
Polypropylene
Soapstone
Fired ceramic
Solid surface
9.1.2 Where the casework schedule indicates a different work surface material for a room or run, that material shall apply there.
9.1.3 Solid surface work surfaces shall be fabricated and installed under Solid Surface CountertopsSolid Surface and Quartz CountertopsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/solid-surface-countertops and coordinated with the casework under this standard for support, cutouts, and anchorage.
9.1.4 Work surfaces of every other listed material shall be fabricated and installed under this standard and shall have passed the SEFA 3 tests from the basis selected under Quality Assurance.
9.1.5 The work surface color shall be as indicated on the finish schedule.
NOTE Epoxy resin is a monolithic cast slab, cured through its thickness, non-porous, resistant to nearly every laboratory reagent, tolerant of heat, and repairable by sanding and refinishing; it is heavy, is made in a limited color range dominated by black, and is the top most wet chemistry laboratories are built with. Phenolic resin is a dense pressed laminate that resists most reagents, is lighter than epoxy, takes a wider color range, and is attacked by concentrated oxidizers and some strong bases over time; it is the top most often chosen against epoxy where its chemistry suits. A chemical-resistant laminate on a moisture-resistant core is the lowest cost, resists spills that are wiped up, and fails at its edges and seams in wet service, which suits a dry or teaching laboratory. Stainless steel resists heat and wash-down, is the top of pharmaceutical, animal, and food laboratories, and pits in chloride and hydrochloric service unless Type 316 is used. Polypropylene is the top for hydrofluoric acid and trace-metal work, soft, scratch-prone, and intolerant of heat. Soapstone is the traditional laboratory top, dense and heat-tolerant, resistant to acids and bases, and marked by oils; it is heavy and is sold by fewer fabricators. Fired ceramic is the hardest and most heat-resistant of the tops, impervious and easily cleaned, and it chips at an edge under impact and is set in modular pieces rather than long slabs. Solid surface is non-porous and seamable and resists only mild chemistry, which is why it is the top of a clinical or support space rather than a wet bench. (9.1.5.1)

9.2 Work Surface Thickness

9.2.1 The nominal thickness of epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polypropylene, soapstone, and chemical-resistant laminate work surfaces shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Resin, Laminate, and Stone Work Surface Thicknessrange
in.
0.7511.251.5
9.2.2 A work surface shall span its cabinets and knee spaces without deflecting more than the SEFA 3 limit under the SEFA 3 load, and the manufacturer shall furnish intermediate supports where the span and thickness selected require them.
NOTE A 1 in. epoxy or phenolic top is the laboratory standard and spans a standard knee space without support; 3/4 in. is the thinnest phenolic and laminate tops are made and spans less; 1-1/4 in. and 1-1/2 in. are selected for a heavier appearance, a longer unsupported span, or a balance room where mass damps vibration. Thickness is a product dimension with a clear norm, which is why it carries a default while the cabinet dimensions, which are the project's, do not. (9.2.2.1)

9.3 Stainless Steel Work Surfaces

9.3.1 Stainless steel work surfaces shall be fabricated of austenitic stainless steel sheet conforming to ASTM A240/A240M or ASTM A666, of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Stainless Steel Work Surface Typeradio
● Type 304
○ Type 316
9.3.2 The stainless steel sheet gauge shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Stainless Steel Work Surface Gaugeselect
14 gauge
16 gauge
18 gauge
9.3.3 Stainless steel work surfaces shall be formed over a moisture-resistant core or a welded steel frame, with a sound-deadening material applied to the underside, and shall have all exposed edges turned down and hemmed with no raw edge exposed.
9.3.4 Field and shop joints in stainless steel work surfaces shall be welded, ground, and polished to match the adjacent No. 4 finish, and shall not be mechanically joined or sealed in lieu of welding unless the Contract Documents indicate otherwise.
NOTE Type 304 serves most stainless tops; Type 316 resists the chloride pitting that bleach, saline, and hydrochloric acid cause. A 16 gauge sheet over a core is the standard top; 14 gauge resists denting under heavy apparatus and is selected for autoclave and animal facility benches; 18 gauge is the lightest sheet a laboratory top is made of and shows oil-canning over a wide span. A welded and polished joint is the only joint that is as cleanable as the top itself, which is why a sealed lap joint is an exception the documents have to make. (9.3.4.1)

9.4 Edge Profile

9.4.1 The work surface edge profile shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Work Surface Edge Profileradio
○ Flat edge with eased arrises
○ Marine edge
○ Beveled edge
9.4.2 Exposed edges and corners of resin and stone work surfaces shall be eased or radiused so that no sharp arris remains, and exposed corners at knee spaces and aisle ends shall be radiused to not less than the manufacturer's standard.
9.4.3 A marine edge shall rise not less than 1/8 in. above the field of the work surface and shall be continuous along the exposed edges of the top it serves.
NOTE A flat edge is the standard laboratory top edge, easy to make continuous across field joints, and it lets a spill run off the front onto the floor or the user. A marine edge is a raised lip that holds a spill on the top until it is wiped up, which protects the cabinet faces and the person at the bench and which keeps a rolling flask on the bench; it costs more to machine, it is the edge sink tops and chemistry benches are often given, and it is a ridge under the forearms. A beveled edge softens the appearance and the arris at a cost between the two. (9.4.3.1)

9.5 Curbs and Backsplashes

9.5.1 The curb configuration at each work surface shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Work Surface Curb Configurationselect
Integral coved curb
Applied curb set on the work surface
Applied curb set behind the work surface
No curb
Per drawings — the laboratory casework plans and elevations (deferred by default)
9.5.2 The curb height shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Work Surface Curb Heightrange
in.
3468
Per drawings — the laboratory casework plans and elevations (deferred by default)
9.5.3 Curbs shall be of the work surface material, and the joint between an applied curb and the work surface shall be sealed with a chemical-resistant sealant under Joint SealantsJoint SealantsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/joint-sealants or, for epoxy resin, with the work surface manufacturer's epoxy joint adhesive.
9.5.4 End curbs shall be provided where a work surface abuts a wall at its end and shall match the back curb in height and construction.
NOTE An integral coved curb is cast or formed as one piece with the top in the materials that allow it and leaves no joint at the wall for liquid to enter; an applied curb set on the top is the usual construction for epoxy and phenolic and depends on its sealed or adhesive joint; an applied curb set behind the top on the wall lets the top be replaced without disturbing it; no curb is the condition at a peninsula or island bench with no wall, and at a bench where a reagent shelf or service ledge takes its place. A 4 in. curb is what most benches at a wall carry; the taller curbs protect a wall behind a sink or a wash-down bench. (9.5.4.1)

9.6 Reagent Shelving and Service Ledges

9.6.1 Reagent shelves and service ledges shall be of the work surface material unless the casework schedule indicates another, and their dimensions and locations shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework plans and elevations.
9.6.2 Reagent shelves shall be supported on uprights of the casework material or of stainless steel, shall carry a lip or rail along exposed edges where the casework schedule indicates one, and shall support the SEFA 3 shelf load without deflecting beyond the SEFA 3 limit.
9.6.3 Service ledges carrying fittings shall be removable, or shall carry removable access panels, so that the fitting connections beneath them can be reached without disturbing the work surface.
NOTE A reagent shelf is a second work surface above the first, and it is loaded with the heaviest bottles on the bench. The service ledge is the raised strip at the back of an island or peninsula bench that carries the fittings and the raceway over the service chase, and it is removable because every fitting on it will someday leak. (9.6.3.1)

9.7 Work Surface Joints and Sealing

9.7.1 Work surfaces shall be furnished in the longest lengths the material, the transport, and the openings allow, and every field joint shall be shown on the shop drawings.
9.7.2 Field joints in epoxy resin work surfaces shall be made with the manufacturer's epoxy joint adhesive, drawn tight, and finished flush so that the joint is cleanable and not perceptible to the touch.
9.7.3 Field joints in phenolic resin, polypropylene, soapstone, and ceramic work surfaces shall be made with the adhesive or welding the manufacturer publishes for the material, drawn tight, and sealed.
9.7.4 The joint between a work surface or curb and the wall, and the joint around every sink, cup sink, fitting, and raceway, shall be sealed under Joint SealantsJoint SealantsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/joint-sealants with a sealant the sealant manufacturer rates for the reagents on the chemical use schedule.
9.7.5 Cutouts for sinks, cup sinks, fittings, and raceways shall be made in the shop from the reviewed shop drawings wherever the dimensions are fixed, with corners radiused and cut edges finished as the material requires.
NOTE A laboratory top fails at its joints before it fails in its field, and an open joint over a cabinet is a cabinet full of whatever was spilled. An epoxy joint made with the manufacturer's adhesive is as resistant as the top; a sealant joint is only as resistant as the sealant, which is why the sealant is rated against the chemical use schedule rather than bought as a general-purpose product. (9.7.5.1)

10 Laboratory Sinks and Cup Sinks

10.1 Sink Material

10.1.1 The laboratory sink material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Sink Materialselect
Epoxy resin
Polypropylene
Stainless steel
Polyethylene
Fired ceramic
10.1.2 Sink sizes and locations shall be as indicated on the laboratory service fixture plans.
10.1.3 Sinks shall have passed the SEFA 3 chemical resistance tests for the sink material, and stainless steel sinks shall be of the type selected for stainless steel work surfaces, with coved corners and a welded and polished construction.
NOTE An epoxy resin sink is molded as one piece, resists the same chemistry as an epoxy top, and is what an epoxy or phenolic bench usually carries; a polypropylene sink resists hydrofluoric acid and strong acids and softens under heat, and is the sink of the acid laboratory; a stainless sink is the sink of the wash-down, pharmaceutical, and animal facility bench and pits in chloride service; a polyethylene sink is the lowest cost and the softest; a ceramic sink is the most heat-resistant and chips. The sink is the most chemically abused surface in the room because everything is poured into it, which is why it carries a SEFA 3 test of its own. (10.1.3.1)

10.2 Sink Mounting

10.2.1 The sink mounting method shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Sink Mountingradio
○ Undermount
○ Drop-in self-rimming
○ Integral with the work surface
10.2.2 An undermount sink shall be supported on a frame or cradle carried by the cabinet, not by the adhesive or the sealant alone, and its joint with the work surface shall be sealed with the work surface manufacturer's joint material.
10.2.3 A drop-in sink shall be set in a bed of sealant on the work surface with its rim sealed, and an integral sink shall be welded or molded to the work surface with no seam liquid can enter.
NOTE An undermount sink leaves the work surface edge exposed at the cutout and lets a spill be swept into the sink with nothing to catch it, which is the laboratory arrangement; a drop-in sink is the least cost and the easiest to replace and leaves a rim on the top that catches liquid; an integral sink is possible in stainless steel, polypropylene, and some resin tops and leaves no joint at all. (10.2.3.1)

10.3 Cup Sinks

10.3.1 Cup sinks shall be of the sink material or of the work surface material, oval or round as indicated on the shop drawings, and shall be set in the work surface, the curb, or the service ledge at the locations indicated on the laboratory service fixture plans.
10.3.2 Cup sinks in fume hoods shall be furnished with the hood under Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods unless the hood manufacturer requires them to be furnished with the hood work surface under this standard, in which case the responsibility shall be confirmed on the shop drawings of both.
10.3.3 Cup sinks shall be furnished with a strainer and a chemical-resistant tailpiece.
NOTE A cup sink is a small receptor for condenser water, aspirator discharge, and rinse water at a bench that has no sink, and it is set where a fitting discharges rather than where a sink would go. The hood cup sink is the recurring gap between the hood and the casework scopes, which is why it is assigned on both sets of shop drawings. (10.3.3.1)

10.4 Sink Outlets and Waste Connection

10.4.1 Every laboratory sink and cup sink shall be furnished with a chemical-resistant outlet, strainer, and tailpiece of polypropylene or of another material rated for the reagents on the chemical use schedule, and with an overflow where the casework schedule indicates one.
10.4.2 The outlet and tailpiece furnished under this standard shall terminate at the connection the laboratory waste piping makes to them, at the height and location the casework shop drawings and the rough-in drawings agree on.
10.4.3 Sink outlets and tailpieces at locations where the chemical use schedule excludes metal shall be non-metallic.
NOTE The trap and the waste piping beyond the tailpiece are the laboratory waste system, which no standard in this library currently covers and which a project specifies separately; this standard ends at the tailpiece so that the two scopes meet at a connection rather than overlap. (10.4.3.1)

11 Laboratory Service Fittings

11.1 Services Furnished on the Casework

11.1.1 The laboratory services for which fittings and outlets are furnished on the casework shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and the services at each bench shall be as indicated on the laboratory service fixture plans.
Laboratory Services Furnished on the Caseworkcheckbox
☐ Cold water
☐ Hot water
☐ Purified water
☐ Natural gas
☐ Compressed air
☐ Vacuum
☐ Nitrogen or other specialty gas
☐ Electrical receptacles in a casework raceway
11.1.2 Service fittings shall comply with SEFA 7 and shall be deck-mounted, ledge-mounted, or panel-mounted as the shop drawings indicate for each location.
11.1.3 Service fittings shall terminate at a threaded or compression connection beneath the work surface or behind the ledge, at which the serving trade's piping connects, and the fitting manufacturer shall publish the connection size and type for each fitting.
NOTE The services at a laboratory bench are its reason for being a laboratory bench rather than a counter, and each one is a different fitting with a different body, valve, outlet, and color. The datasheet names the services the project has so that the fittings can be scheduled; the plans say which bench gets which. (11.1.3.1)

11.2 Fitting Body Material and Finish

11.2.1 The service fitting body material and finish shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Fitting Body Material and Finishselect
Cast brass with a chemical-resistant epoxy powder coating
Cast brass, polished chrome plated
Forged brass, polished chrome plated
Stainless steel
Polypropylene
11.2.2 Fittings in contact with potable water shall comply with NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 and with ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1.
11.2.3 Fitting finishes shall have passed the SEFA 7 chemical resistance test for the finish furnished.
11.2.4 Fittings at locations where the chemical use schedule excludes metal shall have non-metallic bodies.
NOTE A cast brass body with a chemical-resistant epoxy coating is the laboratory fitting: the brass carries the pressure and the coating resists the reagents and takes the SEFA 7 service color, which is why it is what most laboratories specify. A chrome-plated brass fitting is brighter, costs less, and pits where acids and chlorides reach it, which suits a teaching laboratory and a clinical support space; a forged body is denser than a cast one at a higher cost. A stainless fitting resists everything the brass does without a coating to chip, at the highest cost, and a polypropylene fitting is the fitting of the metal-free laboratory and of purified water, with a lower pressure and temperature rating. (11.2.4.1)

11.3 Water Faucets

11.3.1 The laboratory water faucet spout type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Water Faucet Spoutradio
● Rigid gooseneck
○ Swing gooseneck
○ Low-profile rigid spout
11.3.2 The faucet handle type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Water Faucet Handleselect
Four-arm handle
Wrist blade handle
Lever handle
Foot or knee operated valve
Sensor operated
11.3.3 A faucet outlet to which a hose can be attached shall be fitted with a serrated hose-end outlet and an atmospheric vacuum breaker conforming to ASSE 1001, and the vacuum breaker shall be integral to the fitting or mounted on it at the height the vacuum breaker manufacturer requires.
11.3.4 Faucets at accessible stations shall be operable with one hand without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, with a force not exceeding 5 lbf, in accordance with ICC A117.1 Section 309.
11.3.5 Faucets serving sinks shall be mounted on the work surface, the curb, or the sink ledge as the shop drawings indicate, and faucets at a cup sink shall discharge into the cup sink.
NOTE A rigid gooseneck gives the clearance a wash bottle and a tall flask need and stays where it is pointed, which is why it is the laboratory faucet; a swing gooseneck reaches two bowls or clears the sink for a large vessel and drips wherever it was left; a low-profile spout fits under a reagent shelf or a hood sash. A four-arm handle is the traditional laboratory handle and is turned with a wet or gloved hand; a wrist blade is operated with the forearm and satisfies the accessible-operation requirement; a lever does the same with one hand; a foot or knee valve keeps contaminated hands off the fitting; a sensor-operated faucet removes the handle at the cost of a power source and a sensor that laboratory vapors and gloves confuse. The vacuum breaker is a plumbing code requirement wherever a hose can be attached, and a laboratory faucet is designed to take a hose. (11.3.5.1)

11.4 Purified Water Fittings

11.4.1 Purified water fittings shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet, with no metal in the wetted path.
Purified Water Fitting Wetted Materialradio
○ Polypropylene
○ Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
○ Type 316L stainless steel
11.4.2 Purified water fittings shall be identified as purified water with the SEFA 7 service color and index, and shall not be fitted with a hose-end vacuum breaker or an aerator unless the purified water system standard requires one.
NOTE Deionized and reverse-osmosis water strips ions from whatever it touches, so a brass fitting contaminates it and corrodes. Polypropylene is the standard purified water fitting and the lowest cost; PVDF is more rigid and resists a wider chemistry at a higher cost and is what a high-purity or pharmaceutical system specifies; electropolished Type 316L stainless is the fitting of a validated pharmaceutical water system. The fitting is bought to match the piping system's material, and the piping is outside this standard. (11.4.2.1)

11.5 Gas, Air, and Vacuum Valves

11.5.1 The valve type for natural gas, compressed air, vacuum, and specialty gas fittings shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Gas, Air, and Vacuum Valve Typeselect
Ground-key cock
Ball valve with a lever handle
Fine-control needle valve
11.5.2 The location of the valve relative to its outlet shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Laboratory Service Valve Locationselect
Deck-mounted turret with an integral valve
Remote valve in the ledge or apron with a turret outlet
Panel-mounted valve at the cabinet face
11.5.3 Gas fittings shall be rated by the manufacturer for the gas and pressure served, shall be furnished with a serrated hose-end outlet, and shall be of a design that cannot be opened by being brushed or leaned against.
11.5.4 Natural gas fittings shall have a handle that indicates whether the valve is open or closed, and shall be furnished with a stop that prevents the handle from being removed in the open position.
11.5.5 Vacuum fittings shall be furnished with a check or a serrated outlet the fitting manufacturer rates for vacuum service, and compressed air fittings shall be rated for the system pressure the serving standard states.
11.5.6 Remote and panel-mounted valves shall carry the SEFA 7 service identification at the valve and at the outlet alike.
NOTE A ground-key cock is the traditional laboratory gas valve, opened with a quarter turn and resistant to being opened by accident; a ball valve with a lever is positive and visible and is what many laboratories now specify; a needle valve meters a flow and is the valve of a gas burner that has to be adjusted. A deck-mounted turret puts the valve at the outlet and is the bench arrangement; a remote valve in the ledge or apron puts the handle where a user can reach it from the aisle, and it is what a fume hood uses so that no one reaches into the hood to close a valve; a panel-mounted valve at the cabinet face serves the same end on a bench. (11.5.6.1)

11.6 Service Identification and Color Coding

11.6.1 Every service fitting shall carry the SEFA 7 service color and the SEFA 7 service abbreviation on its index button or handle, so that the service is identifiable at the fitting without reference to the drawings.
11.6.2 Index buttons shall be of a material that resists the SEFA 7 reagent schedule, shall be permanently legible, and shall be replaceable.
11.6.3 Specialty gas fittings shall carry the gas name on the index and shall be identified in the fitting schedule by the gas served, and a fitting for a gas SEFA 7 does not assign a color shall carry the color the Owner's laboratory safety authority assigns and the fitting schedule records.
NOTE The color and abbreviation on a laboratory fitting are what stop a user from connecting a burner to the vacuum or a hose to the gas, and SEFA 7 assigns them so that every laboratory in the country uses the same ones. A fitting bought without its index is a fitting that will be labeled with tape. (11.6.3.1)

11.7 Electrical Service Raceways

11.7.1 The electrical raceway furnished on the casework shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Casework Electrical Racewayradio
○ Factory-wired steel raceway on the ledge or apron
○ Service pedestal with receptacles
○ Field-wired boxes furnished by the electrical trade in casework knockouts
11.7.2 A factory-wired raceway or pedestal shall be listed as an assembly under NFPA 70, shall be of the casework material or of steel finished to match the casework, and shall be furnished with the device openings, covers, and the junction box or whip at which the electrical trade connects.
11.7.3 The receptacles installed in the casework raceway or pedestal, including their ground-fault protection, shall comply with Wiring DevicesWiring DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/wiring-devices, and the feed to the raceway shall comply with Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit.
11.7.4 Raceway locations, device counts, and circuiting shall be as indicated on the laboratory service fixture plans.
NOTE A factory-wired raceway arrives with its devices in place and connects at one point, which is the least field labor and the most coordination; a service pedestal stands on the work surface or ledge and brings power to the middle of an island; field-wired boxes in casework knockouts put the wiring in the electrical trade's hands and the holes in the casework manufacturer's, and they are the arrangement when the electrical design is not settled when the casework is ordered. Receptacles within reach of a laboratory sink carry ground-fault protection under the electrical code, and the device standard rather than this one decides where that protection lives. (11.7.4.1)

12 Chemical Storage Cabinets

12.1 Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets

12.1.1 Flammable liquid storage cabinets shall be furnished at the locations indicated on the laboratory casework plans and elevations, and their listing or construction basis shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinet Listing Basisselect
Listed to UL 1275
FM Approved to FM 6050
Constructed to NFPA 30 Chapter 9 and 29 CFR 1910.106 without a listing
12.1.2 Each flammable liquid storage cabinet shall comply with the construction, capacity, and labeling provisions of NFPA 30 Chapter 9 and 29 CFR 1910.106, shall have a capacity not exceeding 60 gal, and shall be conspicuously lettered "FLAMMABLE" and "KEEP FIRE AWAY".
12.1.3 Flammable liquid storage cabinets shall be of double-wall steel construction with a liquid-tight sill of not less than 2 in., a three-point latch, and a raised bottom, as NFPA 30 Chapter 9 requires, or of another construction the listing covers.
12.1.4 The door closing arrangement of flammable liquid storage cabinets shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Flammable Storage Cabinet Door Closingradio
○ Self-closing and self-latching
○ Manual-closing with a latch
Derived — the storage cabinet door provisions of NFPA 30 Chapter 9 and of the fire code adopted in the project jurisdiction (by default)
12.1.5 Whether flammable liquid storage cabinets are vented shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Flammable Storage Cabinet Ventingradio
○ Not vented, with the vent openings sealed by the manufacturer's bungs
○ Vented to the laboratory exhaust system
12.1.6 Where a flammable storage cabinet is vented, the vent connection and ductwork shall be of a material and arrangement the cabinet manufacturer and the listing permit, and the exhaust connection shall be made under Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods.
12.1.7 A standard casework cabinet shall not be used for flammable liquid storage in a quantity NFPA 45 or the adopted fire code requires to be in a storage cabinet.
NOTE A UL 1275 listing and an FM 6050 approval each test the cabinet in a fire and verify its construction, and either is accepted by most authorities; a cabinet built to the NFPA 30 construction provisions without a listing is lawful under NFPA 30 and OSHA and is accepted where the authority having jurisdiction accepts the manufacturer's statement of compliance, at a lower cost. NFPA 30 does not require a flammable cabinet to be vented, and an unvented cabinet with its bungs in place is the manufacturers' recommendation, because an improperly vented cabinet loses the fire protection its construction provides; a cabinet is vented where the Owner's laboratory safety authority requires it for vapor control, and then it is vented to the exhaust system through the connection the listing permits. Whether the doors must be self-closing depends on the edition of NFPA 30 and the fire code the jurisdiction has adopted, which is why the field reads it off those documents rather than asking. (12.1.7.1)

12.2 Corrosive Storage Cabinets

12.2.1 Corrosive storage cabinets shall be furnished at the locations indicated on the laboratory casework plans and elevations, and their construction shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Corrosive Storage Cabinet Constructionselect
Molded or welded polypropylene
Steel with a polyethylene liner
Steel with a polypropylene liner
Powder-coated steel with a removable polyethylene tray
12.2.2 Corrosive storage cabinets shall have a liquid-tight bottom or tray that contains a spill of the largest container the cabinet is intended to hold, non-metallic or corrosion-protected hardware and shelf supports, and a label identifying them for corrosive storage.
12.2.3 Whether corrosive storage cabinets are vented shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Corrosive Storage Cabinet Ventingradio
○ Vented to the laboratory exhaust system
○ Not vented
12.2.4 Where a corrosive storage cabinet is vented, the vent connection and ductwork shall be of a material the cabinet manufacturer rates for the reagents stored, and the exhaust connection shall be made under Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods.
12.2.5 Acids and bases shall not be stored in the same corrosive storage cabinet unless the cabinet is partitioned into separately vented compartments the manufacturer rates for that use, and the casework schedule shall indicate where a partitioned cabinet is required.
NOTE An all-polypropylene cabinet resists every acid a laboratory stores and is the cabinet of the acid room, and it is soft and tolerates no heat; a steel cabinet with a polyethylene or polypropylene liner resists fumes through its liner and keeps a steel shell for rigidity, at a lower cost, and corrodes where the liner is breached; a powder-coated steel cabinet with a removable tray is the lowest cost and resists only what its coating resists. Acid fumes attack the cabinet from the inside, which is why corrosive cabinets are vented more often than flammable ones, and why the vent material has to match the chemistry. (12.2.5.1)

12.3 Fume Hood Base Cabinets

12.3.1 The base cabinet beneath each fume hood, and the work surface the hood sits on, shall be furnished under this standard, and the type of base cabinet at each hood shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Fume Hood Base Cabinet Typeselect
Standard base cabinet
Flammable liquid storage cabinet
Corrosive storage cabinet
Combination flammable and corrosive storage cabinet
Open knee space for an accessible hood
Open steel stand
Per drawings — the laboratory equipment schedule (deferred by default)
12.3.2 The hood base cabinet and work surface shall be dimensioned to the hood manufacturer's published base requirements for the hood furnished under Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods, including the work surface height, depth, dishing or raised edge, and the cutouts for the hood's cup sink and service fittings, as coordinated on the shop drawings of both.
12.3.3 The hood work surface shall be of the work surface material selected for the laboratory it serves unless the hood manufacturer requires another, and shall be dished or carry a raised edge where the hood manufacturer's base requirements indicate it.
12.3.4 A vented hood base cabinet shall be connected to the hood exhaust or to the laboratory exhaust system only as the hood standard and the cabinet listing permit.
NOTE The hood is a containment device and the cabinet under it is casework, and the two are bought from different makers and specified under different standards. The hood work surface is the plane the hood's airfoil and sash are set to, so its height and depth are the hood manufacturer's numbers, not the casework manufacturer's; what the casework supplier contributes is the material, the cabinet, and the fit. A flammable or corrosive cabinet under a hood is the most common place both are found, which is why the hood base is a selection on the equipment schedule rather than a fixed product. (12.3.4.1)

13 Accessible Laboratory Stations

13.1 Whether accessible work surfaces, sinks, and fume hood stations are included in the casework shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Accessible Stations Includedradio
○ Accessible stations included
○ No accessible stations in this casework
Derived — the accessibility scoping of IBC Chapter 11 under Adopted Building CodeAdopted Building CodeParameterEach project supplies its own value.adopted-building-code for the work surfaces, sinks, and fume hoods in each laboratory (by default)
13.2 The stations that are accessible shall be as indicated on the laboratory casework schedule and accessibility plans.
13.3 The configuration of the base at an accessible work surface, sink, or fume hood shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Accessible Station Base Configurationselect
Open knee space with a finished apron
Removable base cabinet over a finished floor and wall
Height-adjustable table or frame
13.4 An accessible work surface shall comply with ICC A117.1 Section 902, with its top between 28 in. and 34 in. above the finished floor and with the knee and toe clearance of Section 306 beneath it.
13.5 An accessible sink shall comply with ICC A117.1 Section 606, with its rim or the work surface at the sink no higher than 34 in. above the finished floor and with the knee and toe clearance of Section 306 beneath it, and the exposed supply and waste piping beneath it shall be insulated or otherwise configured to protect against contact.
13.6 The base and work surface at an accessible fume hood shall provide the knee and toe clearance of ICC A117.1 Section 306 and shall set the hood work surface at the height the hood manufacturer publishes for its accessible hood model, as coordinated with Laboratory Exhaust And Fume HoodsLaboratory Exhaust and Fume HoodsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/laboratory-exhaust-and-fume-hoods.
13.7 Service fittings, raceway receptacles, and cabinet pulls at an accessible station shall be within the reach ranges of ICC A117.1 Section 308 and operable in accordance with Section 309.
13.8 Where a removable base cabinet is selected, the finished floor and the finished wall shall extend under and behind the removed portion, and the cabinet shall be removable without damage to the work surface, the adjacent casework, or the services.
13.9 Where a height-adjustable table or frame is selected, it shall adjust through a range that includes 28 in. to 34 in. to the top of the work surface, shall carry the services at the station through flexible connections, and shall lock at any height in its range.
NOTE An open knee space serves the station at all times and is the configuration the accessibility standards describe; a removable cabinet gives the laboratory storage until an occupant needs the clearance and is permitted where the adopted code accepts it; a height-adjustable frame serves a seated and a standing user at one station and is the configuration a laboratory with changing occupants selects, at the highest cost and with the flexible service connections it requires. A fume hood is the one laboratory station whose accessible version is a different product rather than a lower cabinet, which is why its height is the hood manufacturer's. (13.9.1)

14 Seismic Anchorage

14.1 Whether seismic anchorage of the casework is required shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Seismic Anchorage Requiredradio
○ Required
○ Not required
Derived — Seismic Design CategorySeismic Design CategoryParameterEach project supplies its own value.seismic-design-category and the exemptions of ASCE 7 Chapter 13 for the height, weight, and support of each cabinet, frame, and work surface (by default)
14.2 Where seismic anchorage is required, floor-mounted, suspended, and tall cabinets, adaptable system frames and service spines, wall cabinets, reagent shelving, and work surfaces shall be anchored to the structure or to blocking that is anchored to the structure in accordance with the seismic provisions of Adopted Building CodeAdopted Building CodeParameterEach project supplies its own value.adopted-building-code and ASCE 7 Chapter 13.
14.3 Where seismic anchorage is required, the anchorage details and calculations shall be prepared by a licensed engineer where the adopted code requires it, and shall be submitted with the shop drawings.
14.4 Where seismic anchorage is required, reagent shelves shall carry a lip or rail along every exposed edge, and glazed and open wall cabinets shall carry a restraint that keeps their contents on the shelf.
NOTE ASCE 7 treats permanent floor-supported storage cabinets above a stated height and wall-hung cabinets as architectural components that need anchorage in the higher seismic design categories, and exempts lighter and shorter components and lower categories; a laboratory adds reagent shelving loaded with glass bottles of acid at head height, which is the component the shelf lip and the restraint address. Whether a given cabinet needs anchorage follows from the category and the cabinet, which is why the datasheet reads it off the parameter rather than asking the question again. (14.4.1)

15 Installation

15.1 Concealed Blocking and Backing

15.1.1 The trade that furnishes and installs the concealed blocking and backing the casework is fastened to shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Concealed Blocking and Backing Furnished Underradio
● The wall and ceiling framing trades
○ The Contractor performing the work of this standard
15.1.2 The casework shop drawings shall show the location, extent, and required capacity of every piece of blocking and backing the casework depends on, including the support for wall cabinets, tall cabinets, cantilevered frames, reagent shelving uprights, and knee-space aprons.
15.1.3 The Contractor shall verify before installation begins that blocking and backing have been provided at every location the reviewed shop drawings show, and shall notify the Engineer of Record of missing or mislocated blocking before proceeding.
15.1.4 Unless the Contract Documents indicate otherwise, wall cabinets, cantilevered frames, and reagent shelving uprights shall not be fastened to gypsum board alone.

15.2 Setting and Leveling

15.2.1 Casework shall be installed in accordance with SEFA 2: plumb, level, and true, with adjacent units aligned at their faces and tops, with uniform reveals, and with tight joints, within the tolerances SEFA 2 states.
15.2.2 Base cabinets shall be set level on their levelers, with a continuous run leveled to one plane so that the work surface bears on every cabinet, and the levelers shall be concealed by the toe space.
15.2.3 Cabinets shall be fastened to one another through the case sides at the front and back with the manufacturer's connecting fasteners so that the faces of a run are flush and continuous, and to the wall through the blocking the shop drawings show.
15.2.4 Fillers, scribe pieces, end panels, toe-space closures, and trim shall be provided to close the gaps between cabinets and between cabinets and adjacent construction, shall be of the casework material and finish, and shall be cut and scribed in the field.
15.2.5 Wall cabinets shall be hung from the blocking through the manufacturer's hanging rail or brackets, shall develop the weight of the cabinet and its rated contents, and shall be set at the height the casework elevations indicate.
NOTE A laboratory bench is a line of cabinets under one top, and a cabinet a quarter-inch low leaves the top bridging over it and the top joint above it open. Leveling the run as one plane before the top is set is what SEFA 2 is for. (15.2.5.1)

15.3 Floor Finish at Base Cabinets

15.3.1 The relationship between the floor finish and the base cabinets shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Floor Finish at Base Cabinetsradio
○ Casework set on the finished floor
○ Casework set before the flooring, with the flooring run to the toe space
○ Flooring run under the casework and coved up the toe space
15.3.2 Where casework is set on the finished floor, the flooring under and around the casework shall be complete, cured, and protected before the casework is set, and the toe space shall be sealed to the floor under Joint SealantsJoint SealantsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/joint-sealants where the chemical use schedule indicates wet-cleaning.
15.3.3 Where casework is set before the flooring, the flooring shall be fitted to the toe space and sealed to it, and the Contractor shall protect the casework from the flooring adhesives, grinders, and coatings.
15.3.4 Where the flooring is coved up the toe space, the toe space shall be of a construction and height the flooring manufacturer's cove detail requires, and the cove shall be shown on the shop drawings of both trades.
NOTE Casework set on the finished floor can be removed and relocated with the floor intact beneath it, which an adaptable laboratory wants and which leaves a sealed joint at the toe space for liquid to find. Setting the casework first and running the flooring to it is the most common sequence and the hardest to change later. A coved floor finish turning up the toe space makes the floor and the casework one cleanable surface, which a wash-down or vivarium laboratory requires and which commits the room to that casework. (15.3.4.1)

15.4 Work Surface Installation

15.4.1 Work surfaces shall be set level on the cabinets and supports, fully bearing, and fastened from below with fasteners or adhesive the work surface manufacturer publishes for the material, with no fastener penetrating the top surface.
15.4.2 Field joints shall be made as required under Work Surface Joints and Sealing, and a work surface shall not be installed with a joint over a knee space or within 6 in. of a sink or cup sink cutout unless the shop drawings show it.
15.4.3 Curbs, reagent shelving, and service ledges shall be set after the work surface and sealed to it as this standard requires, and the shop drawings shall show the setting sequence where it affects the joint.
15.4.4 Work surfaces shall be protected with a covering that does not trap moisture or leave residue from the time they are set until Substantial Completion.

15.5 Service Fitting and Rough-In Coordination

15.5.1 Service fittings, sinks, cup sinks, and raceways shall be set in the work surface, curb, or ledge at the locations the reviewed shop drawings show, and the Contractor shall verify the rough-in against those locations before the work surface is cut.
15.5.2 The connection of each fitting and sink outlet to the serving piping and wiring shall be made by the serving trade at the connection point this standard defines, and the Contractor shall furnish the serving trades the connection sizes, types, and heights before rough-in.
15.5.3 Where a rough-in does not meet the reviewed shop drawings, the Contractor shall report the discrepancy to the Engineer of Record before cutting the work surface or modifying the casework.
15.5.4 After the serving trades have connected the fittings, the Contractor shall operate every fitting and verify that each delivers its service, carries the correct identification, and does not leak at its connection to the casework.
NOTE A service fitting is set by one trade and connected by another, and the leak at the connection is found by whoever gets there first. Operating every fitting after connection, with the casework installer present, is what finds it before the Owner does. (15.5.4.1)

16 Inspection and Adjustment of Completed Casework

16.1 After installation the Contractor shall inspect the completed casework, work surfaces, sinks, fittings, and storage cabinets and shall correct or replace work that does not comply before requesting the Engineer of Record's review.
16.2 Doors and drawers shall be checked for uniform reveals, smooth operation, the full extension and load the slides are rated for, and alignment with adjacent units.
16.3 Work surfaces shall be checked for level, tight and flush field joints, sealed perimeters, curbs, and cutouts, and support at every knee space and overhang.
16.4 Sinks and cup sinks shall be checked for a sealed rim or undermount joint, a strainer and tailpiece in place, and drainage without standing water.
16.5 Storage cabinets shall be checked for their label, their door closing and latching as selected, their sill or tray in place, and their vent connection or bungs as selected.
16.6 Accessible stations shall be checked for the work surface height, the clear knee and toe space, and the fitting and pull operation on the reviewed shop drawings.
16.7 Exposed surfaces shall be checked for handling damage, chipped or scratched finish, lifted edgeband, and finish defects.
16.8 After inspection the Contractor shall adjust every hinge, slide, leveler, lock, and fitting valve so that doors hang with uniform reveals, drawers run smoothly and stop positively, locks operate with the keys delivered, and fittings operate through their full travel.
16.9 Casework, work surfaces, or fittings that fail to comply with this standard, that are out of alignment, or that are damaged shall be corrected or replaced at the Contractor's cost.
16.10 A field repair to an exposed surface shall be indistinguishable from the surrounding work at normal viewing distance, and a repair that remains visible shall be replaced rather than accepted.
16.11 Where the Contractor and the Engineer of Record disagree whether an observed condition is within the tolerance this standard or SEFA 2 allows, the Engineer of Record shall make the initial determination by measurement against the governing requirement.

17 Delivery, Storage, and Handling

17.1 Casework shall be delivered only after the building readiness conditions of this standard are satisfied, with each cabinet marked with its shop drawing position and protected on its exposed faces.
17.2 Casework and work surfaces shall be stored inside the enclosed building, off the floor, upright or flat as the manufacturer directs, and protected from moisture, direct sunlight, construction traffic, and physical damage.
17.3 Resin and stone work surfaces shall be stored flat and fully supported, shall not be stored on edge or leaning, and shall be lifted and carried on edge only with the manufacturer's handling equipment.
17.4 Storage cabinets shall be delivered with their listing label in place and their bungs installed, and shall not be used for storage of construction materials.
17.5 The Contractor shall bear the cost of storage, of protection during storage, and of replacing casework and work surfaces damaged or distorted in storage.
17.6 The Contractor shall install protective covering over completed work surfaces, casework fronts, and fittings and shall maintain it until Substantial Completion, and the covering shall not trap moisture against the casework, mark the finish, or leave adhesive residue.
NOTE An epoxy resin top is a brittle slab that breaks under its own weight when it is carried flat and unsupported, and a phenolic top stored leaning takes a set along the line it bears on; both arrive as a top that does not sit flat on the cabinets and neither is repairable. A storage cabinet used as a job box arrives at turnover with its sill dented and its label gone. (17.6.1)

18 Warranty

18.1 Product Warranty

18.1.1 The product warranty period, measured from the date of Substantial Completion, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Product Warranty Periodrange
Not less than
years
123510
18.1.2 Where the datasheet leaves the period blank, the manufacturer's published standard warranty shall apply and shall run not less than one year from Substantial Completion.
18.1.3 The manufacturer shall warrant the casework, work surfaces, sinks, service fittings, storage cabinets, and hardware against defects in material and fabrication for the specified period, including finish failure, delamination or edge lifting, warp or sag beyond the SEFA tolerance, failure of a work surface under a reagent on the chemical use schedule the compatibility statement did not except, fitting leakage or valve failure, and hardware failure under the SEFA 8 load.
18.1.4 The warranty shall exclude damage caused by a reagent, solvent, or cleaning agent not on the chemical use schedule or excepted in the chemical compatibility statement, by heat beyond the material's published limit, by abuse beyond the SEFA 8 load, by wetting of wood or laminate casework beyond the condition it was furnished for, and by modification made without the manufacturer's written approval.

18.2 Installation Warranty

18.2.1 The installation warranty period, measured from the date of Substantial Completion, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Installation Warranty Periodrange
Not less than
years
123510
18.2.2 Where the datasheet leaves the period blank, the installation warranty shall run one year from Substantial Completion.
18.2.3 The Contractor shall warrant the installation for the specified period, including blocking verification, anchorage, leveling and alignment, scribing and fitting, work surface joints and sealing, sink and fitting setting, hardware adjustment, and the dimensions of accessible stations.
18.2.4 The Contractor shall correct a deficiency attributable to installation workmanship at no cost to the Owner, including the cost of disconnecting and reconnecting services, of removing and reinstalling adjacent work required for access, and of repairing collateral damage caused by the correction.
18.2.5 Work corrected under warranty shall carry a fresh warranty of the specified period running from the date of the correction, or the unexpired remainder of the original period, whichever ends later.

19 Spare Parts and Owner Care

19.1 Spare Hardware and Materials

19.1.1 The spare hardware and materials delivered to the Owner before the work is accepted shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Spare Hardware and Materialscheckbox
☐ Spare hinges of each type
☐ Spare drawer slides of each type and length
☐ Spare pulls of each type and finish
☐ Spare shelf supports
☐ Spare lock cylinders and blank keys
☐ Spare service fitting index buttons and handles of each service
☐ Spare faucet vacuum breakers and hose-end outlets
☐ Spare sink strainers and tailpieces
☐ Touch-up finish for each casework finish and color
☐ Work surface joint adhesive or sealant of each type
☐ Spare glazing for glazed doors
19.1.2 The quantity of spare hinges, slides, pulls, shelf supports, and fitting index buttons, expressed as a percentage of the installed quantity of each, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Spare Hardware Quantityrange
Not less than
%
010
19.1.3 Spare parts shall be the same make, model, size, and finish as the installed items, delivered in their original packaging and labeled with the cabinet types or services they serve, and the Contractor shall obtain a signed receipt for them.
19.1.4 Touch-up finish material shall be delivered in the manufacturer's labeled containers with the batch identification of the finish applied to the work.
NOTE A laboratory fitting's index button is the part that is pried off, dissolved, or lost first, and a fitting without its index is a fitting with no service identification. A powder coat batch is a different color from the next, so touch-up that was not made with the work is not a match for it. (19.1.4.1)

19.2 Owner Care of Installed Casework

19.2.1 The Owner should clean each surface with the agents the delivered care instructions name for it and should keep the agents the instructions exclude off it.
19.2.2 Spills on work surfaces and in cabinets should be wiped up when they occur rather than left to stand, and standing liquid at a work surface joint, a curb, or a sink rim should be removed before it reaches the joint.
19.2.3 Hinges, slides, levelers, and fitting valves should be re-adjusted with the delivered procedures as the casework is used, and a fitting that drips or a valve that does not seat should be repaired with the spare parts delivered rather than left to run.
19.2.4 Storage cabinets should be kept within their labeled capacity, with their doors closed and latched and their bungs or vent connections as furnished.
NOTE The most common cause of in-service failure in laboratory casework is not a fabrication defect but a reagent the material was never meant to see, left standing on a joint, followed by a cleaning agent that dulls the finish a little every day. Neither is covered by the warranty, and both are prevented by the Owner's care rather than by the specification. (19.2.4.1)

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"Laboratory Casework," SynC Standards, revision 4. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source: https://synergyinconstruction.com/standards/general/laboratory-casework. Reference material only; not professional engineering advice and provided without warranty. Verify against governing codes and have a licensed professional review before use.