U.S.: Final Rule for 16 CFR 1610- Flammability of Clothing Textiles published by the CPSC

Vol. 1383 | 06 Nov 2023

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published in the Federal Register the final rule (FR) 16 CFR 1610, revising the Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles on October 25, 2023. The final rule adopts the amendments proposed in the NPR (published September 14, 2022,) with only minor modifications.

The final rule takes into consideration testing equipment, standard procedures, and ways to update those provisions to reduce testing burdens, provides clarity and reflects current industry practices.

Revisions are outlined below:

Burn code classification

The following measures have been taken to streamline the burn codes list for raised surface fabrics and to make it easier to follow:

• Added clarification that SFBB poi and SFBB poi* are not considered a base burn for determining Class 2 and 3 fabrics.
• Revised the order of the burn codes used for identifying more flammable and dangerous fabrics at the top of the list.
• Removed actual burn time in seconds, without accompanying burn stated in current standard.

Stop thread specifications

• Revised the Tex sizes of the stop thread from “Tex size of 35 to 45 Tex’’ to ‘‘a Tex size of 40 ±5”.

Refurbishing

• Dry cleaning: Included hydrocarbon solvents as an alternative to Perchloroethylene.
• Laundering: replaced the existing reference to AATCC TM 124-2006 with a reference to AATCC LP1-2021, Table I (1) Normal (IV) Hot.
• Drying: replaced the existing reference to AATCC TM 124-2006 with a reference to AATCC LP1-2021, Table VI (Aiii) Permanent Press.

The final rule will become effective on 22 April 2024.

The final rule can be found on the following link: 16 CFR 1610-Final Rule published by the CPSC

For questions, please contact our technical experts Vienna Chow (vienna.chow@intertek.com) or Harini Ramaswamy (harini.ramaswamy@intertek.com).

 

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