Flame retardant curtain fabric standards for hotel and commercial projects

It depends on the building type, the location of the curtain and the approved fire safety design. In practice, international hotel operators usually require certified flame-retardant curtains, upholstery and rugs under their brand standards, even where local rules do not name that item.

Design teams should therefore treat fire performance as a technical requirement set at specification stage, not an add-on at purchasing. Switching to an FR fabric after sample approval often changes colour, texture and lead time.

• Public areas, lobbies, function rooms and escape routes: requirements are usually stricter.
• Guestrooms: depend on brand standards and the fire safety design.
• Private apartments and villas: curtains inside units usually carry few specific requirements, but shared lobbies and corridors still follow the fire safety design; the owner or consultant may specify more.

In Vietnam, QCVN 06:2022/BXD, the National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety for Buildings, together with its Amendment 1:2023, is the core fire safety regulation. It includes requirements for finishing materials in certain areas such as escape routes, and classifies materials by fire hazard properties including combustibility, ignitability, flame spread and smoke production.

The requirement for each location depends on building use, height, area and design. This page does not quote clauses or material classes; the project team should confirm requirements with the fire consultant during fire safety design approval and final fire acceptance.

1. The fire consultant defines requirements per area.
2. The designer writes them into the specification and BOQ.
3. The supplier provides test certificates for the exact material code.
4. The PM files the certificates for acceptance.

Similar national frameworks exist across Southeast Asia, so the same process applies on regional and overseas projects with the destination country's regulation substituted.

Hotel brands typically specify UK, US or European standards. Each uses its own test method, so a pass under one is not automatically equivalent to another.

Related terms such as IFR, back-coating and fibre content are defined in the curtain and fabric terminology glossary.

Inherently flame retardant (IFR) fabric has fire resistance built into the fibre, so washing does not remove it; FR-treated fabric is soaked or coated after weaving, and its performance can drop with washing.

In tropical, humid markets across Southeast Asia including Vietnam, hotel curtains are laundered regularly to manage dust and mould, which is why many operators prefer IFR fabrics for drapes and sheers.

Upholstery is tested as a composite with its filling, because burning behaviour depends on the fabric and foam together. For contract areas, brands working to UK standards usually require BS 5852 Crib 5; brands working to US standards typically reference CAL TB 117-2013 (a smoulder test) plus their own brand requirements.

• The certificate should state the tested composite: fabric code, foam type and any FR interliner.
• Natural-fibre fabrics can often pass when an FR interliner is added between fabric and foam.
• Abrasion resistance and fire performance are separate requirements; check both, see choosing interior fabric by Martindale rating.

Yes, especially in corridors, lobbies and escape routes. Wallcoverings are commonly certified to EN 13501-1 or ASTM E84 (Class A); rugs and carpets to the EN 13501-1 flooring classes or US floor tests such as ASTM E648.

Fabric-backed commercial vinyl and hotel Axminster carpets usually come with certificates, but natural-fibre wallcoverings and custom hand-made rugs need closer checking. Requirements for contract rugs are covered in specifying rugs for hotels and commercial projects.

A certificate is only valid for the right material, the right standard and the right conditions of use. Use this checklist before adding a certificate to a submittal.

• The fabric code on the certificate matches the specification; if it covers a range, confirm which colourways are included.
• Standard name and edition, test method and pass or fail result.
• An accredited laboratory, for example to ISO/IEC 17025.
• Test date and validity period required by the brand.
• Test conditions: before or after washing, with or without lining, which foam was used.
• For FR-treated fabric: a treatment certificate for the delivered lot.

Write the fire requirement into the BOQ description so quotations reflect its cost; see BOQ lines for curtains and wallcoverings.

The fire consultant sets requirements under the regulation; the hotel operator adds brand standards; the designer writes both into the specification; the supplier proves compliance with certificates. The PM collects the documents for acceptance.

The project team should ask the supplier for a test report for each material code and state the fire requirement at the first discussion about materials, including when working through SEAMATER. The final decision on fire rating remains with the fire consultant and the owner.