Severe Use Certification

The Severe Use Specifications were originally developed in 1993 by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HUD had concerns about the cabinetry installed in residential kitchens that would probably see more than the typical abuse such as high turn over apartment buildings. They wanted the cabinets installed in such places to need little repair between occupants. HUD decided to drop the Severe Use Specifications but by that time KCMA had a viable severe use certification program. KCMA approached HUD requesting ownership of the specifications. HUD agreed provided they become the KCMA Severe Use Specification.

The KCMA Severe Use Specifications have undergone five revisions since KCMA took ownership. The latest version is the recently released 2024 Standard. Previous versions of the standard detailed requirements for the raw materials and construction methods for severe use cabinets. This version is now a performance standard that contains test methods designed to simulate the abuse severe use cabinets typically encounter.