Meeting French flammability standards for fabrics
Compiled by Juli Case
I have a customer in France who wants to know if the fabric I use to construct my yurts meets M1 and M2. The fabric we use is certified to California State Fire Marshal Title 19, NFPA 701 and CPAI-84. Will they meet the French certification?
To the best of our knowledge, the M1 and M2 designations came from the flammability spec NF P92-503, written by Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR). While it’s possible that a fabric that meets a number of U.S. flammability standards will meet this one too, you’re probably going to need to get the fabric tested specifically to that specification. There are a couple of differences between NF P92-503 and the tests you cited; namely, that the AFNOR test uses an electric burner rather than a gas flame, and the method involves repeated exposure to the heat source. Those differences may be enough that, if your customer is located in France, the fabric may not be accepted without AFNOR certification. Check with your fabric supplier to see if they’ve had the fabric tested to NF P92-503, which they might have, even if it’s not listed on the product literature. If not, then you’ll need to have the material tested. Contact:
