The furniture fire safety regulations in the UK are still the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended in 2025. For an importer of sofas and corner sofas that means three things: every filling, cover and composite must pass the tests set out in the schedules, each piece needs a permanent label, and the duty to test sits with you as the first supplier in the UK.
This guide is written by ellda mobilya, a furniture manufacturer in Kayseri, Türkiye, producing sofa sets, corner sofas, bed base sets and mattresses since 2010. It is for UK retailers and importers who buy upholstered seating abroad. It explains what the rules ask of each component, what changed in 2025, what the 2026 consultation proposes and what to agree with a factory before you order.
Who the Regulations make responsible
The Regulations apply to upholstered furniture intended for private use in a dwelling, new or second-hand. Trading Standards guidance lists settees, sofa beds, chairs, futons, ottomans, cushions, headboards, divans, bed bases and mattresses among the items covered (Business Companion, last reviewed October 2025).
The duty to test and label rests with the first supplier in the UK, which is either the UK manufacturer or the importer. If you buy sofas from a Turkish factory and bring them in under your own name, you are that first supplier. A retailer that buys from a UK importer must still make sure the labels are present and the products are safe, but the testing duty sits with the importer.
What each component has to pass
The Regulations test the materials and the way they are combined, not the finished sofa as a whole. For a typical sofa set or corner sofa the components line up like this:
| Component | Test in the Regulations | What to ask the factory |
|---|---|---|
| Foam filling (seat, back, arms) | Schedule 1, ignitability tests for polyurethane foam | Which foam is used, and whether test evidence exists for it |
| Other fillings (fibre, feather, wadding) | Schedule 2 | Which fillings are used in each cushion |
| Upholstery composite (cover over filling) | Schedule 4, cigarette test | How the cover and filling are combined |
| Cover fabric | Schedule 5, match test | The exact fabric and colour, because results are fabric-specific |
| Interliner, if used under a cover that fails the match test | Schedule 3 | Whether an interliner is needed for your chosen fabric |
Two consequences follow for sourcing. First, a test result is tied to a specific fabric and filling, so changing the fabric on a model you already sell is a new compliance question, not a colour swap. Second, the guidance says the frequency of testing is set by your own risk assessment, and certificates should come from an accredited laboratory and be traceable to the materials used.
The permanent label
Every piece of upholstered seating needs a permanent label that is durable and securely attached to an external surface. Each piece in a suite needs its own label, and loose or stretch covers need one too. Mattresses, divans and bed bases are the exception: they are covered separately by BS 7177 and do not carry the permanent label described in the Regulations.
Business Companion describes two formats, a full label and a short label. Both carry the "CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE" caution, the name and postcode of the first UK supplier, a batch or identification number and whether an interliner is used. The full label also gives the date of manufacture or import and describes the filling and cover.
Because the label names the first UK supplier, it has to be agreed before production. Send the factory your company name, postcode and batch numbering so the label can be sewn in during upholstery rather than added after delivery.
What changed on 30 October 2025
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/531) came into force on 30 October 2025. They made three changes that matter to importers:
- The display label is gone. New furniture no longer needs the swing tag shown at the point of sale. The permanent label is still required.
- Some baby and children's products are out of scope. Items such as baby rockers, highchairs and small children's mattresses were removed. Adult sofas and beds are unaffected.
- More time to prosecute. The time limit for bringing proceedings rose from 6 to 12 months.
The guidance from the Office for Product Safety and Standards is published on gov.uk.
The 2026 consultation: what may change next
The government consulted on a new approach from 31 March to 23 June 2026 (gov.uk consultation). The main proposal is to move to a smoulder-test-based regime and end the mandatory open-flame tests, with more flexibility in how manufacturers show compliance.
As of 25 October 2026 we found no published government response and no implementation date. Until new regulations are made and in force, the 1988 Regulations as amended in 2025 apply. If you are planning a range for 2027, keep your test evidence current under the present rules and watch for the response; a change of regime would affect which tests your evidence has to cover.
Last verified: 25 October 2026.
Checklist before you order upholstered seating for the UK
- State "for UK domestic retail" in the enquiry, on every model
- Fix the cover fabric and colour per model before you ask about compliance
- Ask which foams and fillings each model uses, piece by piece
- Ask what test evidence can be supplied for that model and fabric combination, and from which laboratory
- Agree whether an interliner is needed for the fabric you chose
- Send your company name, postcode and batch numbering for the permanent label
- Decide who keeps the test reports and batch records, and for how long you will keep them
- Plan your own spot checks as part of your risk assessment
How ellda handles UK sofa orders
We make every sofa set and corner sofa in our 10,500 m² factory in Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone. Each piece goes through framing, upholstery and sewing, and a quality check of dimensions, stitching, surfaces and mechanisms before export packing; the steps are on our production page. Fabric and colour are agreed per order, which is exactly the level at which UK fire testing works.
We do not assume a model is UK-compliant by default. Tell us the UK market, the fabric and the label details in your enquiry, and we confirm in the quote what test evidence we can provide for that order. Price, minimum quantities and lead time are also stated in the quote. Our team works in English, and UK buyers can visit the factory by appointment.
For the customs side of a UK shipment, read our guide on HS codes for furniture. For divans and bed bases, which follow BS 7177 instead of the permanent label rules, read divan bed wholesale for the UK.
Next step
Choose models from our sofa sets and corner sofas, fix the fabrics, and send the list with the checklist above through our export page.