CAL TB 117 Fire Test on Filling Materials Used in Upholstered Furniture

Technical Bulletin TK117 published by the State of California, USA, was updated in 2013. This technical bulletin, first published in 1975, is a procedure for the flammability of upholstered furniture in California.

The revised new standard entered into force as of January 1, 2014. New methods for the fire resistance of cover fabrics, barrier materials, flexible filling materials and flooring materials used in upholstered furniture have been added to the open flame test process, which has been applied and required by the manufacturers until this date, and the changes in the flammability test are outlined. Updates change testing requirements, but do not clearly require the elimination of flame retardant chemical compounds.

Furniture retailers still have to check to make sure the products are properly labeled by the manufacturer. Sanctions procedures still apply.

This standard provides test methods for flexible filling materials used in upholstered furniture. The full name of the standard is as follows: CAL TB 117 Requirements, test procedure and apparatus for testing the flame retardancy of flexible filling materials used in upholstered furniture.

Two test methods are described in this standard:

• Non-resistance for flexible filling materials.
• Burning screening test for flexible cellular materials.
  • The test is successful if all test samples contain more than 80 percent unburned residue.
  • If there are two or more test samples containing less than 80 percent unburned residue, the test will fail.
  • If there is a test sample containing less than 80 percent unburned residue, three additional tests must be performed.
  • In the latter case, the test will fail if there is a test sample containing less than 80 percent unburned residue.
  • The test is successful if all test samples contain more than 80 percent unburned residue.

Materials covered by the CAL TB 117 standard are:

• Flexible cellular materials
• Fragmented flexible cellular materials
• Expanded polystyrene beads
• Non-man-made filling materials
• Shredded and loose fill materials, feathers and down
• Artificial fiber filling materials

The 117 revision of the CAL TB 2013 standard includes flammability tests for fabric, padding, floor covering and barriers, if used. The test methods presented here are similar to the NFPA 260 standard, which is an optional industry standard.

In the standard "NFPA 260 Standard test methods and classification system for cigarette ignition resistance of upholstered furniture components" developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a method for accurately measuring how resistant upholstered furniture components is to cigarette ignition is presented. . This standard helps component selection and composite design that will achieve a high level of resistance and protect life and property.

According to the CAL TB 117 standard, furniture components are tested together with standard fabric and foam. Approximately 85 percent of the furniture available on the market already complies with this standard. For fabrics that do not pass the fire test, a compatible barrier can be used between fabric and foam. For example, polyester fillers are generally used for this purpose.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informs consumers and retailers of concerns about flame retardant chemical compounds. In this respect, the demand from consumers for products that do not contain flame retardants is increasing. TB 117 standard allows production with components that do not contain flame retardant chemicals, but does not prohibit the use of flame retardants. On the other hand, manufacturing companies create a safer and healthier workplace by reducing the contact of employees in the work environment with harmful flame retardant chemicals.

The CAL TB 117 standard also refers to the ASTM E1353 standard developed by the American Association for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The full name of this standard is as follows: ASTM E1353-08a Standard test methods for non-ignition resistance of upholstered furniture components. The test methods in this standard, which is a fire test standard, are intended to evaluate the fire resistance of upholstered furniture component materials after exposure to smoldering cigarettes under certain conditions. These tests apply to upholstered furniture components and include covering fabrics, interior fabrics, welding cords, flooring materials, barrier materials and various padding materials.

Our organization provides fire test services for the filling materials used in CAL TB 117 upholstered furniture to the demanding enterprises within the framework of national and international standards, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among countless tests, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies.