US Clothing Textile Flammability (FF 3-71) — 16 CFR Part 1610
- Citation
- 16 CFR Part 1610
- Jurisdiction
- US
- Made by
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Instrument
- Regulation
- Status
- In force
What it requires (4 obligations)
No article of wearing apparel or fabric subject to the Flammable Fabrics Act and its regulations may be marketed or handled if, when tested according to the procedures prescribed in section 4(a) of the Act, it is so highly flammable as to be dangerous when worn by individuals.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Apparel, textiles
- Markets
- US
The operative verbs are "marketed or handled", which reach further than sale — handling covers the goods moving through a chain before anyone offers them to a consumer.
Quoted from 16 CFR § 1610.32, "General requirements", eCFR snapshot 2026-08-01.
Class 1, Normal Flammability textiles are acceptable for use in clothing. A plain surface fabric is Class 1 when its burn time is 3.5 seconds or more. A raised surface fabric is Class 1 when its burn time is more than 7.0 seconds, or when it burns with a rapid surface flash of 0.0 to 7.0 seconds provided the intensity of the flame is so low as not to ignite or fuse the base fabric. Classification is on the textile in its original state and/or after refurbishing under § 1610.6(a) and (b).
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Apparel, textiles
- Markets
- US
The raised-surface limb has two independent routes to Class 1 — a long burn time, OR a rapid surface flash whose flame is too weak to ignite or fuse the base fabric. A pile fabric that flashes quickly is not thereby failing. Plain-surface and raised-surface fabrics are classified by different tests, so a burn-time figure means nothing without the surface it belongs to.
Quoted from § 1610.4(a), paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2).
Class 2, Intermediate flammability applies only to raised-fiber surface textiles. Such textiles are considered to be of intermediate flammability but MAY BE USED FOR CLOTHING. Class 2 is not applicable to plain surface textile fabrics.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Apparel, textiles
- Markets
- US
Recorded as its own obligation because it is the provision most often stated backwards. Class 2 is permitted for clothing; it is not a failure grade. A record in this register asserting that clothing textiles must not burn faster than the Class 1 limit is contradicted by this subsection in terms.
Quoted from § 1610.4(b), including (b)(1) which excludes plain surface fabrics from this class entirely.
Class 3, Rapid and Intense Burning textiles exhibit rapid and intense burning, are dangerously flammable and shall not be used for clothing. A plain surface fabric is Class 3 when the time of flame spread is less than 3.5 seconds.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Apparel, textiles
- Markets
- US
This is the only class the Standard bars from clothing. The prohibition language — "shall not be used for clothing" — appears here and nowhere else in § 1610.4. Plain-surface and raised-surface fabrics are classified by different tests, so a burn-time figure means nothing without the surface it belongs to.
Quoted from § 1610.4(c) and (c)(1).
This is a register, not advice. It records what an instrument says and when it applies. Whether it applies to a particular company, product or shipment is a question for somebody who knows that business, and the answer is frequently not what the summary above would suggest.
Report incorrect information on this page
Tell us what is wrong and we will check it against the source. Reports are private, are never published, and go to an editor rather than into a comment thread.