Fire-retardant upholstery for hotels: EN 1021, Crib 5 and BS 7176

What is Crib 5, and is it a legal requirement?

Crib 5 is ignition source 5 in the British standard BS 5852: a small stack of wooden sticks lit on the test sample. It is harder to pass than the cigarette and match tests, and it defines the Medium Hazard level of BS 7176. No UK law requires it directly for non-domestic furniture.

According to FIRA's guide, non-domestic furniture is regulated indirectly. In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes the responsible person for the premises carry out a fire risk assessment, and that assessment sets the level the furniture must meet. The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 cover domestic furniture, not contract seating.

BS 7176 is the specification for non-domestic upholstered seating. It does not give a level per type of furniture but per hazard of the premises. FIRA gives these typical examples:

The risk assessment can move a product up or down from these examples, so the specifier or the responsible person for the premises should confirm the level before you order, and write it into the specification. The guide to contract furniture covers what else a specification for hotel furniture usually asks for.

What do EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 test?

They test whether a cover and filling together ignite from two small sources: a smouldering cigarette (part 1) and a flame equivalent to a match (part 2). They do not measure how a whole sofa burns in a developed fire.

The test uses a rig that copies the angle between seat and back, built with the fabric and the foam. The Belgian laboratory Centexbel summarises it like this:

• Part 1, cigarette: a lit cigarette is placed in the angle, and the assembly must not burn or smoulder over 60 minutes.
• Part 2, match: a 35 mm butane flame is applied for 15 seconds at several points, and the fabric must not still be burning two minutes after it is removed.

Because the combination is tested, the result holds for that fabric over that filling. Change the foam and the result may change. That is why a certificate for the fabric alone does not prove an upholstered piece passes. BS 7176 uses these two tests for its low level, and BS 5852 for Crib 5 and above.

What fire rules apply to upholstery in Spain?

Spain's building code, the Código Técnico de la Edificación, sets an upholstery test in one case only: fixed upholstered seats in cinemas, theatres, auditoria, assembly halls and similar venues. It sets none for the loose chairs, armchairs and sofas of a hotel or restaurant.

The rule is in the fire safety basic document (DB SI, March 2025 version), section SI 1, paragraph 4. For buildings in public assembly use, fixed upholstered seats must pass EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 (the annex cites the 2015 editions of both), and curtains must be Class 1 to EN 13773:2003.

A hotel counts as residential public use under the CTE. If it has an auditorium or assembly hall with fixed upholstered seats, that area may fall under the rule above; check with the project's architect. For everything else the CTE sets no level, so it is best set in the specification, which may come from the project brief, the interior designer, the hotel brand or the insurer. Check too whether any regional or municipal rule, or the insurance policy, asks for a specific test.

What do M1 and M2 mean on a fabric?

M1 and M2 are reaction-to-fire classes in the Spanish standard UNE 23727, which runs from M0 to M4: the lower the number, the better the material performs. They are not an upholstery test.

The standard was written for building and interior materials. In the textile trade it is used mainly for curtains and decorative fabrics, which is why many Spanish data sheets say 'M1'. But an M1 fabric does not show that a seat upholstered in it passes EN 1021: they are different tests on different things. Spain's current DB SI does not use M classes either; for curtains it asks for Class 1 to EN 13773.

Inherent or treated: can fire-retardant fabric be washed?

It depends on how the fabric gets its fire performance. Inherently fire-retardant fabric is woven from fibres or yarns that already resist ignition; treated fabric has a finish added afterwards, such as a back-coating. A finish can be weakened by washing or dry cleaning.

The standards allow for this. FIRA notes that when a cover or fire barrier has been treated, it must go through a 30-minute water soak before testing, as set out in EN 1021-1, EN 1021-2 and BS 5852. An inherently fire-retardant fabric with no added treatment does not need the soak.

BS 7176 sets no requirements for covers sold as washable or dry-cleanable, but it warns that treatments may deteriorate and recommends testing after a number of cleaning cycles. In a hotel, where covers are cleaned often, ask whether the fabric is inherent or treated, how many wash cycles came before the test, and which cleaning method keeps the result valid.

What certificate should you ask your supplier for?

A laboratory test report for the combination your piece will actually use, not a sales data sheet. Check these points:

1. Standard and edition: for example EN 1021-1:2015 and EN 1021-2:2015, or BS 7176 with its hazard level.
2. What was tested: the exact fabric reference and the type and density of the filling. FIRA notes that many fabric suppliers test over a reference foam; if your piece uses a different one, the result may not carry over.
3. Each combination separately: if seat, back and arms use different fillings, that is three combinations, and each needs its own test.
4. If the fabric is treated: that it was tested after the water soak and, if the cover will be washed, after wash cycles.
5. Laboratory and date. For BS 7176, FIRA points out that a first test does not guarantee ongoing compliance, so testing has to be repeated regularly.

In a custom furniture order, the fabric and filling are fixed on the technical drawing you approve before production, which is the moment to ask for the report on that combination: which standard the fabric passed (EN 1021-1 and -2, or BS 7176 with Crib 5), over which filling it was tested and which laboratory issued it. Fabrics and finishes can be compared at the Madrid showroom.