ISO 10303-236:2006

Overview

ISO 10303-236:2006 - part of the ISO 10303 (STEP) family - is the application protocol for furniture catalog and interior design. It specifies how to use ISO 10303 integrated resources to represent and exchange product data for furniture catalogs and interior layouts. The standard covers catalog data, product shape representation, parameterized catalog entries and furniture interior design, and is delivered together with reusable application modules (parts 436, 1351, 1352, 1353, 1354 and 1355).

Key Topics

• Product data representation: Defines how furniture items and catalog entries should be represented using STEP integrated resources to ensure consistent semantic meaning.
• Product shape representation: Guidance for exchanging geometric and shape information for furniture components and assemblies.
• Parameterized catalog data: Support for configurable and parametric products-catalog items that vary by dimensions, materials or options.
• Interior design representation: Models for placing furniture within interior spaces and exchanging layout information.
• Application modules: Reusable data models that can be combined to cover different business scenarios, improving interoperability and reducing remodelling effort.
• Interoperability and reuse: Emphasis on using common STEP resources and modules to enable reliable data exchange across CAD, PIM/PLM and catalog systems.

Applications

ISO 10303-236 is practical for any workflow that requires standardized exchange of furniture and interior design data:

• Exporting/importing furniture catalog data between manufacturers, retailers and e‑commerce platforms.
• Sharing parametric product libraries for configurable furniture (e.g., variable dimensions, finishes).
• Integrating CAD models and geometry into interior design and space planning tools.
• Enabling PLM/PIM systems to synchronize product metadata and catalog information.
• Supporting system integrators and developers building STEP-compliant exchange solutions for the furniture and interiors industry.

Who should use it

• Furniture manufacturers and catalog publishers
• CAD/CAM and interior design software vendors
• Systems integrators and PLM/PIM specialists
• Retailers and configuration solution providers looking for robust product data exchange and interoperability

Related Standards

• ISO 10303 (STEP) series - the umbrella standard for product data representation and exchange.
• Application modules referenced in this publication: ISO 10303-436, -1351, -1352, -1353, -1354, -1355 (reusable building blocks for product information models).

ISO 10303-236:2006 helps organizations achieve consistent, interoperable exchange of furniture catalog and interior design data-streamlining configuration, manufacturing, and digital commerce workflows.