Upholstered furniture brings colour and comfort to any surroundings – it’s used as part of the design aesthetic to enhance a space and fulfill its purpose.

An important part of choosing the right fabric for upholstered furniture is to ensure that it’s safe for its intended environment. BS 5852 assesses the ignitability of upholstery fabrics – fabrics are subjected to ignition sources that might be encountered in different environments. The most frequently used ignition sources are ignition source 0 (cigarette), ignition source 1 (butane flame/simulated match) and ignition source 5 (Crib 5).

The Crib 5 standard refers to material or furniture that’s been tested to pass UK Fire Regulations. The test is designed to:

  • determine the possible risk of ignition
  • ensure that a material won’t easily catch fire
  • ultimately save lives.

Always make sure your choice of fabric meets all the safety requirements necessary for your environment. Our partners at Artifort use a wide variety of textiles, including their own fabrics and those of manufacturers such as Gabriel, Camira and Kvadrat.

To find out more just get in touch – we’re happy to help.