CTB 133

Our furniture
takes the heat

Brooklyn

 In 1991, the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation issued California Technical Bulletin 133: Flammability Test Procedure for Seating Furniture for Use in Public Occupancies (CTB 133). The most rigorous upholstered furniture flammability test in the world, CTB 133 is the foundation for open-flame furniture testing requirements in most states, and is the basis for international testing standard ASTM E-1537.

The bulletin describes specific guidelines for burn testing facilities and procedures. Furniture is ignited in a specifically designed room and numerous measurements are taken. The furniture fails the test if:

  • the temperature increases more than 50°F at 4 feet off the floor or 200°F at the ceiling (10 feet).
  • smoke opacity reaches greater than 75% 4 feet off the floor
  • the carbon monoxide concentration exceeds 1000 parts per million for more than 5 minutes
  • the furniture loses more than three pounds of weight due to combustion within the first 10 minutes of the test
At Nemschoff, we were the first in our industry to build a CTB 133-compliant test facility, and every product we sell has since been tested. Not only have we made sure that each of our products can meet CTB 133, we continue to set new standards by working closely with government and independent testing agencies to further improve test methodologies.