Why do flame retardant fabrics need to be used?
When fabrics are used in public places such as theatres, events and arenas they are required to comply with local flame retardancy standards to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance.
Failure to adhere to these regulations has been known to result in closure of venues and events. Before starting a project, it is advised that you liaise with your local Fire Authority to check which type of flame retardancy and accreditation you will require.
The safety of our customers is paramount, and we can work with you to ensure the fabrics you select are compliant with legislation.
What is it?
Flame retardant fabric has been treated to adhere to the fire safety standards set for the events and entertainment industries. To ensure the maximum safety of our worldwide customers, we carry out a variety of Flame Retardancy tests on our fabrics.
Our fabrics meet British standards and we also have a range of fabrics which meet European, French, German and American standards that would be suitable for touring shows or for permanent use in venues.
Different types of flame retardancy
The fabrics and flooring J&C Joel offer come in one of the five categories for flame retardancy.
NDFR – Non Durably Flame Retardant fabric is chemically treated with a water solution. If it becomes wet in any way it should be retreated.
DFR – Durably Flame Retardant fabric is chemically treated to withstand being cleaned a number of times
IFR – Inherently Flame Retardant fabric is woven from fibres with a high flame retardancy
FR – Flame Retardant fabric is chemically treated to an individual specification
Not FR – This fabric does have any flame retardant treatment or has not been tested
Accreditations
J&C Joel’s fabrics and flooring have one or more of the following fire certificates.
| Certification | Standard | Application |
| BS5867 BS5867 Pt2 B | British | Curtains and drapes |
| BS5852 BS5852 Pt1 | British | Upholstered composites for seating |
| BS4790 BS4790: 1987 | British | Textile floor coverings hot metal nut method |
| BS7905-1:2001 | British | Lifting equipment for performance, broadcast and similar applications |
| BS EN13501-1 | European | Construction, products and building elements |
| CFC EN ISO 9239-1 | European | Horizontal surface spread of flame on floor covering system |
| DIN EN1021 | European | Upholstered furniture |
| EN13773: 2003 | European | Vertically hung fabrics |
| EN14041 | European | CE Marking of textiles, laminate and resilient floor coverings |
| EN9239-1 | European | Horizontal surface spread of flame on floor covering systems |
| M1, M2, M4 | French | French Fire Regulations |
| B1, B2 | German | German Fire Regulations DIN 4102 |
| TL 1080-0002/8 | German | German Military Specification |
| Classe Uno | Italian | Italian Fire Regulations |
| NFPA 701 NFPA 701: (USA) | United States of America | Textiles and Films |
| IMO | International Maritime | Conforms to International Maritime Organisation regulations |
Fire Certificates
The production of an up to date fire certificate that can be directly matched to the drapes you have hanging generally satisfies fire offices and local authorities.
On each fabric page on our website there is a download option for the relevant Fire Test Certificates.
If you have purchased a fabric and require a full Fire Certificate you can contact the J&C Joel sales team to supply this.
This original articles was published in JC Joel site.
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