Guidelines
CKCA Certification Testing Program
The following guidelines outline how manufacturers may have their kitchen cabinet and vanity products tested against the  CKCA Construction and Material Testing Standard for Kitchen Cabinets and Vanities, 2009. Testing may be conducted to demonstrate conformance and/or to achieve certification through the approval of the Technical Committee of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association.
Certification Program Office
The Certification Program is administered at the CKCA head office located at the following address. Please contact the head office for more information and to apply for registration into the Certification Program.
All applicable forms must be completed, faxed and mailed to the following:
CKCA Certification Testing Program
Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association
Suite #1016 - 130 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5G4
Tel: 613-567-9171, Fax: 613-567-4664
Web: www.ckca.ca
How it works
The CKCA Certification Testing Program is based on the CKCA Construction and Material Standards for Kitchen Cabinet and Vanities, 2009. This standard was developed by a technical committee that was composed of various stakeholders within the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Industry including manufacturers, suppliers, housing authorities, environmental agencies, consultants and other industry expertise. All manufacturers that are interested in testing their products must submit test samples to an independent testing body as designated by the CKCA. The criteria for submission and conditioning of samples are indicated in this guideline. Once the samples have been tested against the CKCA Standard, the independent testing body will submit the results to the CKCA Certification Program Office along with a recommendation on whether the test samples conform to the all the requirements of the standard. The CKCA will award certification based on the resulting report and recommendations. Annual Re-certification is required to maintain certification status.
Basic Requirements
The CKCA certification testing program is only available to active manufacturer members of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association. Learn more about how to become a CKCA member here.
Costs
Total costs for initial testing and certification is $ 1,950* for each product line that a manufacturers wishes to have tested. This does not include applicable taxes. Full payment is to be collected prior to initiating of testing.
Item |
Cost |
Full Battery of Tests and Verification |
$ 1,750* |
Administration Fee |
$ 200* |
Annual Re-Certification Fee |
$ 100 |
Other Items |
|
Additional Testing – Each set of 2 Cabinet doors |
$ 200 |
Appeals |
$ 100 |
Additional Re-Testing Due to Failure |
$ TBD |
Additional Re-Testing or Deficiencies Administration Fee |
$ 50 |
All shipping costs to the testing agencies will be the responsibility of the manufacturer. Supporting Documentation must be submitted for each product line that member manufacturers wish to have tested. Additional supporting documentation shall be re-submitted annually to verify that product(s) certified through the CKCA Certification Program are consistently being manufactured to the requirements of the CKCA standard. Cost of re-testing will be determined by the CKCA in collaboration with the applicable testing agency. Total cost for re-testing will be dependent on the type and amount of re-testing required.
*Special Pricing Offer
Test Samples and Supporting Documentation
All test samples submitted must be accompanied by supporting documentation indicating actual date of manufacture and design specifications. It is the responsibility of the submitting manufacturer to ensure that test samples are properly conditioned for a minimum of 3 weeks at the test and ambient conditions as required by the CKCA Construction and Material Testing Standard. Test samples should be representative of the manufacturer’s product line being tested. The lab will condition samples for at minimum 72 hours.
The following test samples must be provided to complete the full battery of tests.
1 unit - 36" Lower kitchen cabinet unit with 2 drawers and 2 doors
1 unit - 36" Lower vanity unit with at least 1 drawer and 1 door
1 unit - 36" X 30” Upper kitchen cabinet and 2 doors
Additional Testing
2 doors - Cabinet doors of each finish system a manufacturers wish to test
Supporting Documentation
In addition to evidence of the date stamp of manufacture, additional supporting documentation indicating design specifications (e.g. sizes, style, colour) must be provided which must include the following:
Additional information may be requested if the accompanying documentation is deemed to be insufficient. It is highly recommended that to maintain consistency of documentation as well as to track, monitor and ensure conformance of products, a quality management system be implemented into the company’s manufacturing process (i.e. ISO 9000, WOODMARK)
Records of Cross Section and Finish
Upon completion of testing, small sections shall be taken from the test samples that will be stored on record for the duration of the active certification of the product being tested. Physical cross sections shall be cut out of the test cabinet and finished door samples. These will be stored at the testing agency.
Shipping Instructions
Shipping and proper packaging of the test samples will be the responsibility of the manufacturer as per the requirements of the CKCA Construction and Material Testing Standard which states that all test samples shall be wrapped sufficiently to minimize transport damage and to maintain structural and finish integrity.
Send in a completed CKCA Certification Testing Program Registration Form along with the required payment (see chart above) to the CKCA office. An acknowledgement will be sent that the application and payment have been received. At that time, sample cabinets and doors may be shipped to:
Exova
2395 Speakman Drive
Mississauga, Ontario, L5K 1B3
Tel.: 905-822-4111, Fax: 905-823-1446
Please ensure that all packages are tagged Attention: Daniel Chira.
Test Failure and Appeal
In the event that a submitted set of test samples fail any of the test requirements of the CKCA Construction and Material Testing Standard, the manufacturer will still be responsible for testing costs and a report will be issued to the manufacturer indicating the reasons for failure. The manufacturer will be given the opportunity to work with the testing agencies identify and review the failures, but if the failures cannot be adequately resolved to the satisfaction of the Technical Committee of the CKCA certification program, then the test samples will be deemed non-compliant for certification. The Technical Committee shall make all final decisions with regards to approval or disproval of products for certification.
Appeal Process
If a manufacturer’s test sample should fail any of the requirements of the CKCA standards, which cannot be resolved by the manufacturers with the testing agency and the CKCA Head Office, a formal appeal can be made to the CKCA Technical Committee of the CKCA Certification Program. Appeal documentation shall be completed by the manufacturer and submitted for review and final decision by the CKCA Technical Committee. The cost for each appeal is $100. If additional re-testing is required, it will be the responsibility of the manufacturer to cover the costs of the test and shipping which will be determined by the testing agency. There will be a small admin fee charged for the re-test and evaluation of additional documentation.
Deficiencies
Should there be any deficiencies in the test samples submitted or accompanying documentation, at the discretion of the CKCA Technical Committee, the manufacturer shall be notified and asked to re-send the necessary samples or any necessary additional documentation. This may be subject to an additional $50 administration fee per instance.
Scope of Certification
The scope of certification offered by the CKCA only encompasses the single product line being tested and the accompanying finished doors for attachment. Once the single product line has been tested and certification is granted, that product line will maintain certification status as long as supporting documentation is submitted annually that provides evidence that the same design and specification of cabinets is being manufactured consistently. Additional product lines and finish systems may be tested and certified at the manufacturer’s discretion. There is no limit to the number of product lines or finish systems a manufacturer wishes to have tested. Once certified, the material or construction of the product(s) that have been tested for certification may not be changed. Any change in construction or material used may require re-testing or re-submission of supporting documents as required by the CKCA Technical Committee. Certification is valid for one calendar year.
Granting of Certification and Application of Certification Mark
Granting of Certification will be approved by the CKCA technical Committee upon completion and passing of all requirements for materials and performance tests in the CKCA Construction and Material Testing Standard for Kitchen Cabinets and Vanities, 2009. Once approval is granted, the manufacturer of the certified product will be allowed to display the CKCA “Quality Assured” symbol on products that are certified only and other eligible company media (e.g. brochures, website, and cabinets). The CKCA symbol may only be used by authorized members of the CKCA who have completed the material and testing requirements of the CKCA Construction and Material Standard and who have also adhered to the Certification guidelines of the CKCA Certification Program. Those unauthorized manufacturers that use the CKCA symbol to falsely represent their product or organization as CKCA certified will be subject to legal action. Rules for application of symbol will apply for authorized and appropriate use by certified manufacturers.
Annual Re-certification
Manufacturers seeking re-certification of their products shall submit appropriate documentation annually to the Technical Committee of the CKCA certification program. This documentation shall be reviewed and verified that the products to be re-certified are being manufactured consistently and being offered for sale. Refer to “Test Samples and Supporting Documentation”. The cost for the re-certification review is $100. (Forms for Re-certification to be developed)
Testing Agencies
Exova
2395 Speakman Drive
Mississauga, Ontario, L5K 1B3
Tel.: 905-822-4111, Fax: 905-823-1446,
www.bodycotetesting.com
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