Uncompromising Flammability Regulations for the U.S. Apparel Market
When you are giving your consumers the guarantee that your textile products are as safe and resistant to flammability as possible, there can be no room for error.
This is particularly true in the United States, where stringent regulations against the sale and distribution of highly flammable fabrics began developing with the establishment of The Flammable Fabrics Act of 1953. This act was developed as a response to multiple cases of serious injuries and deaths resulting from burns connected to garments made from high-pile rayon. In 1972, enforcement of this act was given to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
In this article, we’ll review key flammability regulations in the US - including which fabrics are exempt - to help you ensure your products comply.
Classifying Flammability in Fabrics
In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), a simple “Class 1 to 3” flammability grade is given to all textile fabrics:
Class 1 (Normal Flammability): A (5 inch specimen) burn time of 3.5 seconds or more for plain surface fabrics and 7 seconds or more for raised surface fabrics.
Class 2 (Intermediate Flammability): A burn time of 4 to 7 seconds. This classification only applies to raised surface fabrics.
Class 3 (Rapid Flammability): A burn time of less than 3.5 seconds for plain surface fabrics and less than 4 seconds for raised surface fabrics.
Neither plain nor raised surface fabrics with a Class 3 rating can be sold in the U.S.
U.S. Flammability Standards for General Wearing Apparel
The 16 CFR 1610 Standard covers flammability for clothing textiles. The 6 inch fabric specimen is held to a ⅝ inch flame at a 45 degree angle for one second and timed until the flame has proceeded up the fabric a distance of 127 mm (5 inches). This procedure is performed twice--before and after washing and dry cleaning--and the lowest of the two times is used for classification.
Once the product has been found to be Class 1 and acceptable for the U.S. market, the manufacturing or importing company must certify the product in a written statement known as a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC), which includes specific details about the product, the applicable testing requirements and results, contact information of the individual maintaining test records, and information about any third-party textile testing service that was used. For more information concerning GCC requirements, click here.
What Fabrics Are Exempt from Flammability Testing?
Fabrics that have low ignition potential, such as many synthetic fibers, are often exempt from testing. According to the CPSC, these fabrics “consistently pass as Class 1 textiles and are exempt from the reasonable and representative testing requirements for firms issuing a flammability guarantee on these fabrics.”
A fabric’s “level” of flammability can be influenced by its substance, as well as its weight and weave. Fabrics that are exempt from flammability testing include: Plain surface fabrics, regardless of fiber content, weighing 2.6 ounces per square yard or more; and fabrics, both plain and raised, consisting of fibers made entirely from one or a combination of the following fibers:
Acrylic
Modacrylic
Nylon
Olefin
Polyester
Wool
This is in contrast to fabrics that must be tested, like untreated natural fibers like cotton and linen, due to their high ignition potential.
Children’s Sleepwear Standards
The 16 CFR 1615 & 1616 Standard, which regulates the flammability of children’s sleepwear, is stricter than the general clothing textiles burn test. Here, the end of 3 ½ by 10 inch specimens (multiple samples representing different aspects of the design) is held to a 1 ½ inch flame for 3 seconds and the resulting “char length” is measured. Testing must be done on each sample, once as produced (or after a single laundering) and once again after 50 launderings. No five samples can average more than a 7 inch char length.
There is an exemption to this test for sizes 0-9 months, provided that the sleepwear passes certain tight fitting measurements laid out in the CFR Standard.
Avoid Violations by Ensuring Supply Chain Compliance
For a company that wants to avoid violation fines, maintain brand integrity and ensure the safety of its consumers, it is imperative to make sure that the fabrics and garments delivered by their supplier factories consistently comply with all market regulations. But what is the best way of going about it?
If you are buying finished products from suppliers, make sure they can guarantee compliance with all flammability standards, as well as back up their claims with frequent and properly maintained testing records.
And if you have contracted a factory to produce your textile products, the most failsafe way to maintain complete control over your line is through the assistance of a dedicated testing service which can ensure your products comply with the standards of your destination market.
Contact us today to find out how QIMA can help.
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