Customer-Facing Compliance: Disclosing Materials and Flammability Ratings
What to tell customers who ask about fire resistance and flame retardants — and what not to claim without documentation.
1. Why what you tell the customer matters as much as what you source
A shop can source compliant materials and still create liability exposure by what it tells the customer about them. Flammability and material claims made casually — "this is fire-resistant," "this meets code" — without documentation behind them are a common, avoidable exposure. This guide covers what to disclose, and how, when customers ask.
2. What customers actually ask about
| Customer question | How to answer |
|---|---|
| "Is this fabric/foam fire-resistant?" | Answer from the manufacturer's current compliance documentation for that specific product — never from general impression or how a similar-looking material performed in the past. If you don't have current documentation, say so and offer to get it before quoting a claim |
| "Does this contain flame-retardant chemicals?" | Answer from supplier documentation. Foam and fabric sourcing on this point has changed significantly industry-wide since California's TB117-2013 revision (see Flammability Standards, UU-SAF-103) — don't assume based on how things used to be done |
| "Will this meet code for my business / rental property / facility?" | This is a question for the customer's specifier, architect, fire marshal, or code official for that specific occupancy — not a yes/no the shop should answer on its own authority. Help the customer get the right documentation to bring to that conversation |
| "What's your warranty on this?" | Separate the shop's workmanship warranty from the material manufacturer's warranty explicitly — see Warranty & Claims Handling, UU-OPS-105 |
3. Documentation discipline
- Keep current compliance sheets on file for every fabric and foam product the shop regularly uses, not just the ones a customer happens to ask about.
- When a customer's job has a real compliance stake (commercial, hospitality, healthcare, rental property, childcare facility), get the compliance documentation in writing and pass a copy to the customer as part of the job file — this protects both sides if the question ever comes up again.
- Don't rely on memory of what a material "used to be" — manufacturers change formulations, and a claim that was true of a product two years ago may not be true of what's shipping today.
4. What not to say
- Avoid absolute claims ("fireproof," "guaranteed to meet any code") — no upholstery material is literally fireproof, and code requirements vary by jurisdiction and occupancy type in ways a shop can't guarantee against sight unseen.
- Avoid stating a specific standard is met ("this meets California TB117") unless the current manufacturer documentation for that specific product actually says so.
- When uncertain, say so plainly and offer to find out, rather than guessing to avoid an awkward "I don't know" in front of a customer.
Shop practice
Treat compliance claims the same way you'd treat a measurement — something you verify and document, not something you estimate from experience. It's a small habit that closes off one of the more avoidable liability exposures in the business.
Sources
General trade reference. For any job with a real compliance or liability stake, confirm current requirements with the material manufacturer, the applicable code official, and your insurer or counsel.