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Check fire safety of upholstered furniture and mattresses

Sofas, chairs and mattresses carry most of the fuel in a room fire. Many countries set flammability rules and labels for them. Learn the label in your country and check before you buy, especially second-hand.

How

  1. Check your local rules. Example (UK): the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 cover upholstered furniture, beds, mattresses, cushions and covers, with cigarette and match tests. New furniture must carry a permanent label; pre-1950 furniture and bedding such as duvets are exempt.
  2. Example (UK, second-hand): trading standards advise looking for the permanent label, usually under a seat cushion or behind a loose cover, and treating items with no label as possibly non-compliant. Mattresses should show compliance with BS 7177.
  3. Example (US): since 2021 the federal standard 16 CFR 1640 adopts California TB 117-2013 for smoulder resistance, and products made from June 2022 must carry a label saying they comply with US CPSC requirements. Mattresses are covered by separate rules.
  4. Elsewhere, ask the seller which national standard the item meets and keep the label and receipt.
  5. Keep upholstered furniture away from wood stoves, heaters and candles, and never cover a stove guard or heater with fabric.

Safety: Do not bring unlabelled upholstered furniture of unknown origin into sleeping areas.

Sources

  1. Furniture fire safety fact sheet (Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988). East Cambridgeshire District Council (UK), accessed 2026-11
  2. Second-hand upholstered furniture: fire safety. Pembrokeshire County Council Trading Standards (UK), accessed 2026-11
  3. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, SI 1988/1324. legislation.gov.uk (UK), accessed 2026-11
  4. Standard for the Flammability of Upholstered Furniture (16 CFR 1640), Direct Final Rule, Federal Register 86 FR 18426. US Consumer Product Safety Commission via GovInfo, accessed 2026-11

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