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.
SGS
Furniture Services
SGS helps you deliver well-designed,
functional, durable and safe products to your customers. We have the furniture
industry, regulatory and technical expertise to check your products’ compliance
against relevant standards and/or your own specifications. Learn more about
SGS’s Furniture Services.
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For further information contact:
Sanjeev
Gandhi
SGS Consumer and Retail
Deputy Vice President
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines
LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
About SGS
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network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.