TB 117-2013, from smolder test to sewn tag

If you turn over a cushion on almost any upholstered chair sold in the United States, you find a small label with the words TB 117-2013. It applies to outdoor pieces too. RODA, the Italian company behind RODA outdoor furniture and RODA garden furniture, sells soft pieces that fall under it, so buyers in the US ask us about that label often.

A smolder test, not a flame test

TB 117-2013 is a California flammability standard for upholstered furniture. It tests how the cover fabric and the filling underneath react to a smoldering source, the kind of fire a dropped cigarette starts. The standard began in California, and furniture makers across the country now label to it.

The standard covers anything with padding: sofas, armchairs, poufs, upholstered headboards. For a terrace that means sofa cushions, padded chairs and frameless pieces such as beanbags.

What the sewn tag states

The minimum label size is 2 by 3 inches, and it must stay attached for the life of the piece. It names the standard and states whether flame retardant chemicals went into the filling. That last line matters to many buyers, and the label answers it with a box to check.

Some buyers also ask about Proposition 65, the California warning law. If a product holds a listed chemical above a safe level, such as some flame retardants, it needs a warning at the point of sale. Ask for both answers together.

Soft pieces from RODA

RODA Double by Rodolfo Dordoni is a dining armchair dressed in fabric, plus six poufs. Under the armchair cover sits a powder coated stainless steel frame, elastic straps and open cell foam wrapped in a 3D polyester net. The poufs have a nylon base, an open cell core and a soft multi-layer cushion on top. Each of those is upholstery in the eyes of the standard.

RODA Onda by Gordon Guillaumier has no frame at all. Each seat is a water-repellent polyester bag filled with polystyrene beads and synthetic fiber, heat-sealed so rain can't reach the filling, with an outer cover in a RODA fabric. The lounge chair, the chaise longue and the pouf all count as upholstered pieces.

Outdoor foam and the label

Outdoor cushions differ from indoor ones in one way that matters here. RODA uses open cell foam and hydro-draining padding so water runs through and the seat dries. The label covers the fire test of that padding and its cover. Drainage, fade and mildew are separate questions, with their own answers.

Covers, fabrics and the label

The Double armchair cover comes off. You can send it to the cleaner, or order a new one in another color a few years on. RODA offers it in twenty fabrics from its own range, from Allegro to Spiga, and works with Missoni on outdoor textiles as well. Onda takes a cover in one of RODA's outdoor fabrics too, over a Batyline underside that resists tearing on rough paving.

A new cover changes the fabric on the outside of the test. Ask about it at the time you order the spare, and keep the original label with the piece. On a hotel or restaurant terrace, your insurer or the fire marshal may ask to see it.

Three things to ask the factory

Ask for the label text of the exact piece and cover fabric you choose. If a spare cover comes later in a different fabric, ask whether the label still applies. Keep the label on; removing it makes a later sale or a warranty claim harder.

Enter the upholstered pieces you are pricing in the form below. Each one comes back with a written price and its labeling details, confirmed with the factory.