Most drapery items that are going to be installed in a public arena are subject to certain restrictions regarding their flammability. It is advised that the exact flame retardancy standard is verified before specifying drapery.

The way in which a fabric stifles or profligates flame is considered it’s flame retardancy quality. Not having a source of ignition is one of the best safety elements.

The Flame retardancy requirements differ depending on the intended usage, with prop items for example coming under a different category than drapery.

British Standard B.S. 5867 part 2 is a set of standards that are commonly specified for curtains/drapery. We cannot duplicate these standards on these pages due to copyright reasons. However, we urge all interested parties to obtain a copy from BSI and absorb.

The majority of the fabric we use is treated and certificated, however, we will also undertake to flame proof certain less standard items that might not fit through the roller process employed by the fabric finishers.

Many new stage fabrics are inherently flame retardant (IFR) due to the nature of the yarn from which they are manufactured.

Common Terminology

Fire Proof
Most textiles and certainly most curtain textiles are NOT “Fire Proof”. Almost every fabric will burn when sufficiently warmed or flame is applied, whether treated or not.

Burns
Many textiles are made from yarns that render any after treatment ineffective. This is also true of some specific back coating treatments. Occasionally a treatment will render some flame retardancy benefit but of insufficient quality to achieve a B.S.

Class 1, Class 0
Often architects will specify these standards. I have yet to discover what they mean with regard to drapery. If anyone knows, I would be delighted to discover the relevant paragraphs.

Naturally F.R.
Some fabrics do offer a natural flame retardancy, typically those with Keratin i.e. wool & silk. It is advised that these still be treated to ensure compliance with B.S. specification.

NDFR
Non Durably Flame Retardant. A treatment applied to fabrics after construction that is water based, often offering exceedingly good flammability performance. Any NDFR fabric needs to be kept dry and free from dust and if wetted should be retreated.

DFR
Durably Flame Retardant. A back coating treatment applied to fabrics after construction offering good flammability performance. There are very few DFR fabrics used today for stage drapery.

IFR
Inherently Flame Retardant. An increasingly common quality with many new fabrics being woven from yarn chemically produced to inhibit flame. Trevira CS is one of many polyesters. Be aware that Trevira is not flame retardant. Also some Wholesalers proffer “Trevira” as a cloth type which can be misleading.