The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been required to mandate a Federal furniture flammability standard by adopting the Californian standard – Technical Bulletin 117-2013.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) has been pushing for the adoption of this revised flammability standard for over five years. The adoption covers both performance standards and test methods for residential furniture.
TB 117-2013 covers upholstered furniture. It uses a small-scale mock-up test to evaluate components, including cover materials. The test is based on ASTM E1353, which is based on UFAC (a voluntary standard adopted by the industry forty years ago). It is designed to address fires caused by a smoldering ignition source.
The CPSC began evaluating the feasibility, benefits and costs of adopting TB 117-2013 as far back as 2016. In September 2016, it announced it would look at alternatives but since then no alternative approaches have been proposed.
When the US Congress passed an Omnibus Spending bill, signed by the US President on December 28, 2020, it contained, among other things, the following bill:
“TITLE XXI, COVID–19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act”
This Act requires the US CPSC to adopt TB 117-2013 as the mandatory national furniture flammability standard. The act also mandates a labeling requirement for each item of upholstered furniture. A permanent label located on the product shall bear the statement “Complies with the U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability”. This declaration shall be considered a certification that the product complies with the standard.
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For further information contact:
Sanjeev Gandhi
SGS Consumer and Retail
Deputy Vice President
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