Furniture carries its own product rules on top of the factory duties. The most important is the fire-safety regime for upholstered furniture and mattresses, which sets ignition-resistance standards and labelling you must meet before you place a product on the market. Anything outside that regime must still meet general product safety. The fire-safety regime is enforced by Trading Standards, and general product safety by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Trading Standards.
A. Meet the furniture fire-safety regulations
If you make upholstered domestic furniture, mattresses, bed bases, scatter cushions, pillows or loose covers, you must meet the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The Regulations set ignition-resistance standards for filling materials and cover fabrics, require furniture to pass cigarette and match ignition tests, and require both a permanent label and, at the point of sale, a display label. This is a Great Britain regime enforced by Trading Standards; if you supply the Northern Ireland market, check the position there separately.
B. Meet the general product safety duty
Furniture and furnishings that fall outside the fire-safety regime — for example rigid wooden, kitchen and office furniture — must still be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which set a residual duty to place only safe products on the market. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 are a Great Britain regime enforced by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Trading Standards; if you supply the Northern Ireland market, check the position there separately, as Northern Ireland follows EU product-safety rules under the Windsor Framework.
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1. Identify which of your products are within the fire-safety regime
Upholstered domestic furniture, mattresses, bed bases, cushions, pillows and loose covers are covered; work out which of your products fall within the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.
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2. Meet the ignition-resistance standards and pass the tests
Make sure filling materials and cover fabrics meet the ignition-resistance requirements and that the furniture passes the cigarette and match ignition tests.
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3. Apply the permanent and display labels
Attach the required permanent label and provide the point-of-sale display label, and keep records to show compliance.
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4. Make sure other furniture meets general product safety
For furniture outside the fire-safety regime, confirm it is safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Check the NI position separately if you supply there.
What to do next
With your safe-factory spine and the furniture product rules in place, confirm the whole picture with the furniture manufacturer compliance checklist. If you are not sure which guides apply to you, start from the router.
Official sources
Authoritative furniture fire-safety and product-safety guidance.