Who defines British FR standards?
The BSI Group, also known as the British Standards Institution, is the national standards body of the United Kingdom. Standard bodies like the British Standards Institution set rules and guidelines for industries to operate safely.
Our inherently FR fabrics meet every fire standard worldwide; making compliance with fire standards easy no matter what country or region our fabrics are applied.
BS 5867-2 is a flammability test for fabrics for curtains and drapes. There are three performance levels to the BS5867 –‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’. Type A is the baseline FR standard to pass, whereas type C is the most demanding.
How the BS 5867-2 textiles test works
This furnishing fabric fire test itself is simple to set up. A textile test specimen is oriented vertically on a specimen holder. A small flame is then applied to the face of the textile specimen.
In the case of Type A testing, the actual ignition testing is conducted according to BS EN ISO 6941:2003, in which a ten-second flame application is used.
Type B applies to the standards for curtains, drapes, and fabrics that are used in hotels, public buildings, and offices. For type B the ease of ignition is observed, and if the flame reaches one of the edges of the specimen and if any flaming debris falls down.
Type C applies to the standards for fabrics in hospitals and other healthcare environments. For this test, the fabric samples have to be washed both before and after testing on 50 cycles of washing and/or dry cleaning. In this challenging test, the after-flame time and afterglow time have to be measured also.
The fabric samples pass these tests if:
No part of any hole nor any part of the lowest boundary of any flame shall reach the top edge or either vertical edge of the sample. If so, and if there is no separation of any flaming debris droplets, the fabric complies with the requirements of this standard.
Find further information about the technicalities of this test at Labotex, an accredited textiles laboratory under the ISO 17025 standard audited by BELAC.
FR-One's focus on consumers, partners, and our environment’s requirements has led us to re-use, recycle, re-purpose, and ultimately RE-Invent our own collections. We are delighted to announce our newest fire retardant fabrics range: RE-Invent.
FR standards and washing requirements
Type B and C tests specify that the fabric samples must be tested before and after laundering.
Type B requires 12 cycles of BS EN ISO 10528 (Standard Washing Procedure) at 75°C and then line dried.
Type C requires 50 cycles of BS EN ISO 10528 (Standard Washing Procedure) @ 75°C and then low heat and then tumble-dried.
Because our fire retardant fabrics are inherently FR, FR-One fabrics have a permanent resistance against the degradation of their FR properties during everyday laundering processes.
Read our specifications page and download the technical specs PDF here.
IFR: Inherently Flame Retardant
Inherently flame retardant fabrics are woven from fibres that are non-combustible for the entire lifecycle of the fabric, even after washing and use in high traffic spaces.
For this reason, FR-One’s inherently flame-retardant fabrics are the preferred option for contract environments because the flame resistant properties are built into their chemical structures. Our drapery and upholstery fabrics are fire retardant on a fundamental level, unlike non-FR fabrics that are then treated with FR chemicals and finishes that fade out over time.
Maximum safety and all FR standards worldwide
To simplify your specifications, we consolidated a complete database of the FR standards in force throughout the entire world. From this overview you can review fire safety standards by country and find which FR standards are relevant in your own local area.
We are delighted that Sekers Fabrics, an internationally known and trusted brand, is our exclusive brand partner in the United Kingdom.
Sekers Fabrics have a proud history of supplying exclusive high quality contract furnishing fabrics to the Hospitality, Leisure and Marine markets worldwide – for more than 80 years.
