Fire-Retardant Upholstery Fabric: Inherently FR, Treated or Back-Coated?

Fire retardant upholstery fabric gets its performance in one of three ways: the fibre is inherently flame retardant, the woven fabric is treated in a chemical bath, or a flame-retardant coating is applied to the reverse. All three can pass UK contract tests; the right choice depends on the fibre, the cleaning regime and the hazard category.

Upholstery is where design intent and fire safety meet most often on a hospitality project. A designer chooses a velvet, a linen or a client’s own fabric, and someone then has to make it pass the required test without spoiling its colour or handle. This guide compares the three ways fabric reaches a fire rating, explains how each behaves in testing and in cleaning, and gives a checklist for specifying covers on chairs and booth and banquette seating.

What makes a fire retardant upholstery fabric?

Either the fibre resists ignition by its own chemistry, or a flame-retardant chemical is added after the fabric is woven. The added route splits into two methods: treating the whole fabric, or coating its back.

Inherently flame-retardant fibres

Here the protection is part of the fibre. Trevira CS, a modified polyester fibre from Indorama Ventures, has a phosphorus-based component built into its molecular structure during manufacture; Gerriets, which supplies Trevira CS fabrics, states that the flame protection “can neither be washed out nor worn away” (Gerriets). Some natural fibres also resist ignition: KOTHEA notes that wool and mohair have inherent fire resistance, so no treatment is needed for them (KOTHEA).

Inherent does not mean every fabric passes every test. A wool or Trevira CS cover still has to be tested over the filling it will sit on, and at Crib 5 the composite may still need an interliner.

Treated fabrics (wet padding)

Wet padding feeds the woven fabric through a chemical bath and rollers. KOTHEA describes it as the standard method for curtains and as suited to cellulosic fibres such as cotton and linen; it can change the handle, sheers may feel slightly stiffer, and it can interact with certain dyes. The same guide warns that wet-padded treatments are water-sensitive and may need renewing after a set number of years or wash cycles, which the treatment supplier should state.

Back-coated fabrics

Back-coating applies a flame-retardant paste to the reverse of the fabric. According to KOTHEA it does not penetrate the face yarns, adds weight and a firmer feel to the back, and, when correctly applied, does not alter the appearance or handle of the face. KOTHEA describes it as the method used for upholstery, as opposed to wet padding for curtains.

How does each route perform in BS 7176 testing?

BS 7176, the standard for non-domestic seating, builds cleaning into the test. FIRA’s guide to the non-domestic sector states that covers relying on an applied treatment, including back-coatings, must undergo a 30-minute water soak before conditioning and testing, while inherently flame-retardant covers with no added treatment do not (FIRA). RISE similarly notes that, for BS EN 1021 testing, outer coverings chemically treated to reduce ignitability must be water-soaked and dried first (RISE).

Dry cleaning and laundering are a separate risk. The FIRA guide warns that flame-retardant treatments may deteriorate during dry cleaning and recommends that covers which will be cleaned in service go through cleansing cycles under BS 5651 before testing. BS 5651:1978, listed by BSI as current, sets laboratory procedures that simulate cleansing and wetting so that their effect on flammability can be measured, with reduced-action alternatives for fabrics such as wool that shrink in normal washing (BSI).

If your booth covers will be removed and laundered, say so in the brief: a treated fabric that passes after a water soak has not necessarily been tested for repeated cleaning.

How much fabric does a fire test need?

More than people expect, and it should be ordered with the production fabric so that the test and the chairs come from the same roll. RISE lists, for one complete EN 1021 test with one ignition source, two pieces of cover fabric (and of any interliner or wadding) at 800 x 650 mm, plus two filling pieces at 450 x 300 x 75 mm and two at 450 x 150 x 75 mm. Testing to both EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 therefore uses four cover pieces, a little over 2 m² before any allowance for pattern matching. Crib 5 testing needs further material; ask the laboratory for its specimen list.

Which route should you choose?

Start with the fabric the design needs, then choose the route that lets it pass and survive the cleaning regime.

• Busy dining room, covers wiped down daily. Check the cleaning code before choosing. KOTHEA notes that back-coated fabrics coded S should not be cleaned with water-based products, because the binder may be water-sensitive, while W or WS codes tolerate water-based spot cleaning unless the cleaner is strongly alkaline.
• Designer or natural-fibre fabric supplied by the client. Expect back-coating, plus an interliner if the venue needs Crib 5. Allow time for treatment and testing before the pre-production sample.
• Removable covers that will be laundered. Inherently flame-retardant fibres avoid the question of treatment wash-out; if a treated fabric is chosen, ask for evidence after cleansing cycles.
• Wool upholstery. Wool’s natural resistance helps, but the composite still has to be tested over the chosen foam.

Faux leathers and velvets raise their own wear and cleaning questions, which we compare in our guide to faux leather, fabric and velvet upholstery.

What should you ask your fabric supplier?

1. Which route gives the fabric its rating: inherent, treated or back-coated? Who applied any treatment?
2. Which standard and ignition source does the certificate cover, and over what filling and interliner?
3. Was the cover water-soaked before testing?
4. Which laboratory issued the report, is it accredited for the test, and does the fabric reference match your order?
5. What is the cleaning code, and what cleaning will invalidate the treatment?

A fabric certificate over one foam is not evidence for your chair over another; see our comparison of Crib 5 and Source 0 and 1 tests for how composites are assessed. Seating such as our fluted wall banquette is quoted with the cover, interliner and foam build stated.

Will new rules reduce flame-retardant chemicals?

That is the stated aim for domestic furniture. The government’s consultation on the 1988 regulations, which ran from 31 March to 23 June 2026, proposes requirements based on a smoulder test with the aim of maintaining fire safety while meaningfully reducing chemical flame retardant use. On 28 October 2026 the outcome had not been published (GOV.UK). The consultation concerns domestic upholstered furniture; contract seating is still specified to BS 7176.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Trevira CS fabrics: flame retardant, safe and durable, Gerriets Great Britain (accessed 28 October 2026)
2. How FR treatment works: a plain-English guide for interior designers, KOTHEA (accessed 28 October 2026)
3. Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the non-domestic sector: a guide to the UK regulations, FIRA International with the British Furniture Confederation (copy hosted by Skopos Fabrics) (accessed 28 October 2026)
4. EN 1021: fire testing of upholstered furniture, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden (accessed 28 October 2026)
5. BS 5651:1978 Cleansing and wetting procedures for use in the assessment of the effect of cleansing and wetting on the flammability of textile fabrics and fabric assemblies, BSI Knowledge (accessed 28 October 2026)
6. Product regulation: fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture (consultation), Office for Product Safety and Standards and Department for Business and Trade, GOV.UK (accessed 28 October 2026)