Fire Protection

For a safe feeling

Safe and stylish – this works on one level. To ensure that all requirements for your building and also strict fire protection guidelines can be met, we offer upholstery fabrics and furniture for the highest standards and beyond, because your safety is of great importance to us. This is where standards are set!

Definitions of flammability and the fire safety standards for building materials in Germany:

Flame retardant
building material Class B1

These are fabrics that are flammable but only start to burn later and are considered self-extinguishing. They cannot continue to burn or glow independently.

Highly flammable
building material Class B2

Flammable fabrics, which are easily flammable, but continue to burn more slowly.

Normal flammability
building material Class B3

Flammable substances are those which are exposed to the flame of a match for only 10 seconds and continue to burn or glow by themselves. Here the risk is very high.

This classification refers to building projects and building materials certified according to the DIN 4102 standard and is, therefore, not applicable to upholstered furniture. The German Institute for Standardization developed guidelines and test procedures for the German upholstery associations. There are also international standards.

In the European Union, the EU standard EN 1021 Part 1/2 applies to furniture. For this purpose, the material to be tested is subjec to a cigarette test (part 1) and a match/gas flame test (part 2). In addition, the paper cushion test according to DIN 54341 is carried out in Germany. The tests refer to the entire upholstered furniture.

Cigarette test
EN 1021 part 1

A burning cigarette is placed on the seat of the furniture. If after 60 minutes no ignition or continuous smoldering is documented, the test is passed. (Simulation of a burning cigarette on the seat surface).

Match/gas flame test
EN 1021 part 2

The seat of the furniture is exposed to a 35 mm gas flame for 15 seconds. If the resulting fire extinguishes within 2 minutes after ignition and no extensive smouldering fire has spread, the furniture passes the test. (Simulation of a burning match/lighter on the seat).

Paper cushion test
DIN 54341

A 100g paper cushion filled with special paper is placed on the seat of the furniture and ignited. The resulting flames must not exceed the backrest by more than 45 cm and must not reach the armrests. After 15 minutes at the latest, the fire itself must extinguish, so this test is also passed. (Simulation of a burning newspaper on the seat).

Other EU countries and Great Britain also have their own test procedures such as the BS 5852 Crib 5 standard, which places even higher demands on fire protection than the described EU EN 1021 1/2 standard and is also used.

Our upholstered furniture complies with EN 1021 1 and /or 2. The flat woven fabrics S42 and H01 even meet Crib 5 and other guidelines.

On request, we also fulfil the requirements of the paper cushion test DIN 54341/Building material class B1 according to DIN 4102.