Standards for commercial upholstery
Upholstery Journal | June 2008
by Elizabeth P. Easter, Ph.D.
Labeling rules and regulations that apply to consumer textiles may or may not apply to commercial upholstery. The Textile Fiber Identification Act and the Wool Products Labeling Act, which regulate the labeling of consumer textiles, do not cover upholstery that is attached to a piece of furniture. However, if fabric samples or swatches are used to promote the sale of textile products, the samples or swatches must be labeled with all the required information. (Specific requirements can be obtained from www.ftc.gov). Two organizations that offer performance standards and guides for testing household or consumer upholstery fabrics are the Association of Standards and Testing Materials (ASTM) and the Upholstery Furniture Action Council (UFAC).
Performance guidelines for upholstery fabric intended for commercial applications were established by the Association for Contract Textiles (ACT), a nonprofit trade organization made up primarily of the companies that supply fabric to the contract market. ACT developed voluntary performance guidelines to make fabric specifications easier. As indicated by five symbols, the guidelines give architects, designers, and end users information on the performance of flammability; wet and dry cracking; colorfastness to light; physical properties of pilling, breaking strength and seam slippage; and abrasion. The guidelines utilize the test methods established by ASTM and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) with an increase in the level of performance and/or the addition of more strenuous test criteria. The ACT symbols placed on fabrics provide assurance to specifiers that the fabrics have performed to commercial standards and pass all applicable testing.
For more information, visit www.contracttextiles.org.
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