Flammability Testing Services
Ensure your materials meet industry regulations with Element’s expert flammability testing services. From textiles to transportation, our global labs provide end-to-end testing, helping you achieve compliance, reduce risk, and accelerate time to market. With comprehensive capabilities and hands-on technical guidance, we streamline the process so you can focus on innovation.
Why Element are global leaders in Flammability Testing?
Flammability testing is a critical part of ensuring safe and trustworthy consumer products. Industry applications for flammability test methods include textiles and consumer goods, aerospace and transportation, bedding, and furniture materials. Consumer products must satisfy safety requirements and regulations before being brought to market, including the rate of burning, heat and smoke release criteria.
Here at Element, our experts are dedicated to providing you with thorough and accurate flammability test programs that limit risks for your business and customers. We conduct flammability testing to evaluate materials during research and development stages or to meet industry, commercial, or regulatory standards. As a recognized leader in materials testing, Element has laboratories throughout the United States and Europe ready to assist with your toughest testing challenges. We provide complete testing solutions - no need to coordinate between multiple labs or manage different testing timelines.
Key tests we provide include:
- Vertical and horizontal flammability testing (Vertical flammability tests measure burn time, extent of burning, and flaming drips after flame removal. Horizontal tests assess whether burning continues and calculate the burn rate.)
- Flammability testing for mattresses and furniture
- Oxygen index testing
- Flammability testing of plastics
- Textile flammability
Services
Fire Testing of Building Materials
Element offers accredited fire testing for building materials, helping manufacturers meet global safety standards, reduce risk, and gain market approval through expert-led testing and certification.
Furniture Flammability Testing
Element provides accredited furniture flammability testing to confirm compliance with major fire safety standards, helping manufacturers meet regulatory requirements and deliver safe, market-ready products.
Textile Flammability Testing
Element's textile flammability testing helps ensure compliance with safety standards and flammability requirements to manufacture safer products and reduce risks of burn injuries. Learn more.
Flammability Testing of Plastics
Element provides accurate flammability testing for plastics to national and international standards including UL 94. Assess your fire risk and compliance to support safe material selection.
Oxygen Index Testing
Element's ASTM D2863-17a oxygen index testing measures the minimum oxygen concentration required for combustion in materials. Get precise, industry-compliant testing for polymers, cables, fabrics, and more.
Automotive Fire Testing
Accredited fire testing for automotive materials to verify flammability, burn resistance, and smoke behavior, ensuring compliance with ECE R118, FMVSS 302, ISO 3795, and OEM-specific safety standards.
Your Challenges, Our Solutions
Complex regulatory landscape
Risk management concerns
Market launch delays
Standards we test to and Materials we test
Clothing, furniture and bedding materials
- 16 CFR Part 1610; 16 CFR Part 1615; 16 CFR Part 1616; 16 CFR Part 1632; 16 CFR Part 1633
- ASTM D635; ASTM D1230; ASTM D6413
- CA TB 117; CA TB 121; CA TB 129; CA TB 133
- BFD IX-11 Open-flame mattress
- BS 5852; BS 6807; BS 7176; BS 7177
- BS EN 597; BS EN 1021
- BS EN ISO 9773
- CAN/CGSB 4.2 No. 27.5
- NAVSEA 05Z6 PD 5-04A
- SAE J369
- UL 94
Automotive
- 49 CFR Part 571.302 (DOT/FMVSS 302)
- General Motors GMW 3232
- Honda HES D6003
- ISO 3795
- Nissan NES M0094
- Toyota TSM 0500G; TSM 0504G
Textiles and consumer goods
- Clothing fabrics
- Industrial textiles
- Consumer product materials
Furniture and bedding
- Upholstered furniture components
- Mattress materials
- Bedding fabrics
Transportation materials
- Automotive interior materials
- Aerospace materials
- Vehicle components
Building materials
- Interior finish materials
- Corridor and exitway flooring
- Construction components
Why Choose Element
Recognized testing leader
Comprehensive test capabilities
Expert guidance
Industry-specific expertise
Vertical and horizontal flammability testing
Flammability test methods measure how easily materials ignite, how quickly they burn and how they react when burned. The materials are placed over a Bunsen burner either vertically or horizontally, depending on the specification. During a vertical flammability test, a material is observed for the length of time it burns after the igniting flame is removed, how much of the specimen burns and whether or not it drips flaming particles. In contrast, horizontal flammability tests observe if the material continues to burn after the test flame is removed and then calculate the rate at which the specimen burns.
Flammability of mattresses and furniture
Flammability testing of mattresses and furniture is an essential part of ensuring fire safety for consumers. These flammability tests occur in a burn room which contributes to the measurement of heat release, smoke release and opacity, combustive gas release and total mass loss. This type of flammability test ignites mattresses or furniture with a lit cigarette or a large open flame to determine how a product will react in cases of accidental and intentional fires.