Upholstered furniture flammability

The article discusses issues related to the flammability of upholstered furniture. It presents the development so far of flammability control and the research done in the world. The article briefly describes different flammability test methods and various fabric treatments. In view of the domestic industry's increasing needs and requirements for high quality fabrics meeting European and world standards, and our country's commitment to promote export industries, the Final Wood Products Chair of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb has conducted research in the field of upholstered furniture's flame resistance. Tests were performed on a type of bed/mattress produced by a domestic manufacturer, and they followed the ISO 8191 standard. During the exposure of the fabric to a source of flame (a live, smouldering cigarette), the cloth got carbonized while the upper filling layer melted and became partly carbonized. Not even 60 minutes after the cigarette had burnt out was there any progressive smouldering of the fabric or any burning in flames. The type of cigarettes used can be considered appropriate for the flammability tests on upholstered furniture following the ISO 8191-1 method (a live cigarette).