Federal law requires carpets to comply with flammability standards and other requirements, including those of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).
Manufacturers and importers of carpets intended for general purpose must certify in a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) that the carpet complies with the applicable standard after the carpet has been tested or reasonable testing procedures to ensure compliance with the standard or is properly labeled in accordance with the standard.
What is Carpet?
1.A rug is a finished fabric or similar product intended to be used as a floor covering that measures more than 6 feet long and exceeds 24 feet in area2. This definition also includes those intended to be installed with dimensions greater than 6 feet long and an area of more than 24 square feet"Carpet tiles"。This definition excludes resilient floor coverings such as linoleum and vinyl tiles.
2.A rug is the same as the definition above, but its dimensions are no more than 6 feet long and 24 square feet in size.
What is the purpose of setting carpet standards?
These standards reduce the risk of death, personal injury, and property damage caused by carpet ignition. These standards provide a test to determine the surface flammability of carpet when exposed to small ignition sources.
Applicable standard: 16 CFR 1630 Standard for the Surface Flammability of Carpets and Rugs
16 CFR 1631 Standard for the Surface Flammability of Small Carpets and Rugs.
16 CFR Part 1630 & 1631 Standard Description:
16 cfr part 1630 standard for the surface flammability of carpets and rugs
16 CFR Part 1630 Test Standard for Surface Burning Properties of Carpets and Travel Blankets.
16 cfr part 1631 standard for the surface flammability of small carpets and rugs
16 CFR Part 1631 Standard for Testing Surface Burning Properties of Small Carpets and Travel Blankets.
16 Scope of application of CFR Part 1630 & 1631:
16 CFR Part 1630 is suitable for use in homes, offices or hotels, which are not adhered by mechanical methods (such as nails, etc.), and have a one-way size greater than 183 m, surface area greater than 223 of the carpet.
16 CFR Part 1631 is suitable for use in homes, offices or hotels, which are not adhered by mechanical methods (such as nails, etc.), and the unidirectional size is not more than 183 m, with a surface area of no more than 223 of the carpet.
How do you test for surface flammability?
This test consists of exposing eight 9" x 9" treated samples to timed burning pills in a specific testing chamber.
16 CFR 16304(a) and 16314(a) specifies the apparatus and experimental materials required for testing.
Test Method: Each sample is placed on the floor of the testing chamber**, face up. Place the flat frame on the sample and place one metropine timed burning pill on a flat surface in the middle of the 8-inch flat frame hole. Touch the top of the pill with a burning match, lighter, or other combustion source to cause it to burn. Allow the inspection to continue until: all flames and burns have disappeared, or the flames or burns have burned to within 1 inch of a flat frame.
The lit standard combustible material (tablet) is placed in the geometric center of the sample, and the test ends when the following occurs.
1) Flame or smoldering (luminous phenomenon) on the sample or.
2) Flame burning or smoldering spread to within the perimeter of the test frame 254cm(1.0 in.).
Testing requirements. 1) The length of the scorch mark of the sample does not reach the circumference of the test frameWithin 54 cm (i.e., measured from the center point as the starting point, the longest side of the burn area should not exceed 3 inches.)), the specimen meets the test requirements.
Acceptance Criteria At least 7 of the 8 replica samples of a given carpet or mat must meet the criteria for testing a single sample to be considered compliant.
What are the requirements for the logo?
Yes. If the carpet or mat is flame-retardant, or made of flame-retardant fibers, it must be identified with the letter "T". If marketed, the letter "T" should be clearly and conspicuously visible on the logo and/or on the invoice or other paper related to carpets and mats.
Rugs and mats that do not meet the standard acceptance criteria must be permanently marked with the following statement: flammable (does not meet U.S. Department of Commerce FF 2-70) and should not be used near fire. （flammable (fails u.s. department of commerce standard ff 2-70): should not be used near sources of ignition.）
What are the requirements for issuing a guarantee to a retailer or distributor?
Reasonable and representative testing must be carried out before a warranty can be issued to a retailer or distributor. Each product line style of carpet or mat (identical in all respects, including dye grade, dye and dyeing method) must be tested at least once at the beginning of production, at the time of importation or receipt of the first 25,000 yards, and for every 50,000 yards received thereafter.
In accordance with 16 CFR 163031(g) or 16 CFR 163131 (g) provides that if a security is issued, the issuer of the security must keep specific records in order to support the security.
What are the additional requirements of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 for carpets and upholstery?
Under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, rugs and mats designed and intended for use by children 12 years of age or younger ("Children's Rugs and Mats") are subject to additional regulations, including surface coating requirements, lead and phthalate content limits, testing and certification, and tracking labeling requirements. These requirements are discussed below:
Surface Coating Restrictions: Paints used on children's carpets and mats must not contain more than 90 ppm (0.).009%）。
Lead Content Limits: The total lead content of any accessible parts of children's rugs and mats shall not exceed 100 ppm (0.).01%）。
Testing & Certification: ** and a General Certificate of Compliance is required for carpets and mats used by children over 12 years of age. The General Certificate of Conformity is based on the testing of each product or a reasonable test item certifies that the product complies with all applicable legal provisions, regulations, rules, prohibitions or standards under the laws administered by the Commission. As a rule, rugs and mats must bear the permanent identification of the General Certificate of Compliance.
Like all products designed for children 12 years of age or younger and to whom they are primarily used, rugs and mats must be tested by a CPSC-accredited third-party laboratory to ensure that the product meets applicable children's product safety specifications. On the basis of this test, the domestic manufacturer (or importer) of carpets and mats must issue a children's product certificate stating that the product meets all these requirements.
Tracking tags: Children's rugs and mats must have a tracking tag or other conspicuous permanent marking. To the extent practicable, the tracking label should be a permanent and conspicuous mark on the product and outer packaging and must contain some basic information, including the product**, date of manufacture, and lot information, such as lot number or serial number.