NSAI revokes five fire safety standards for furniture and bedding

The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has revoked five Irish standards governing the fire performance of upholstery, curtain material, mattresses and furniture components, replacing each with a new 2026 declaration. The decision was taken with the consent of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on 24 September 2026 and published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 78 of 29 September 2026 under the heading Irish Standard Specification.

NSAI acted under section 16 of the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act, 1996 (No. 28 of 1996), the provision that empowers the authority to revoke Irish standards it has declared. The five instruments span more than four decades of rule-making, from I.S. 254:1983 on flame resistance requirements for upholstery to I.S. 419:2011 on fire safety requirements for components of furniture. Each revocation is paired with a replacement declaration dated 2026, so the technical requirements continue in updated form rather than lapsing.

The five standards revoked

• I.S. 254:1983, flame resistance requirements for upholstery, together with the Standard Specification (Flame Resistance Requirements for Upholstery) Declaration, 1983.
• I.S. 259:1984, flame resistance requirements for curtain material, with the Standard Specification (Flame Resistance Requirements for Curtain Material) Declaration, 1984.
• I.S. 418:1988, ignitability requirements of mattresses tested with secondary ignition sources simulating unknown bedcovers, with the corresponding 1988 declaration.
• I.S. 418:1988/A1:1994, Amendment No. 1:1994 to that mattress specification, with its 1994 amending declaration.
• I.S. 419:2011, fire safety requirements for components of furniture, with the Standard Specification (Fire Safety Requirements for Components of Furniture) Declaration 2022.

What replaces them

Each revoked instrument is replaced by a revoking declaration dated 2026:

• Standard Specification (Flame resistance requirements for upholstery) Declaration 2026.
• Standard Specification (Flame resistance requirements for curtain material) Declaration 2026.
• Standard Specification (Ignitability requirements of mattresses tested with secondary ignition sources simulating unknown bedcovers) Declaration 2026.
• Standard Specification (Ignitability requirements of mattresses tested with secondary ignition sources simulating unknown behaviours (Amendment No. 1:1994)) Declaration 2026.
• Standard Specification (Fire safety requirements for components of furniture) Declaration 2026.

Where the standards can be obtained

Copies of Irish Standards may be purchased from the National Standards Authority of Ireland, 1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, D09 A0E4, by telephone on (01) 857 6730/31, or through the websites www.standards.ie and www.nsai.ie.

The change matters to anyone manufacturing, importing or retailing upholstered furniture, curtains, mattresses and furniture components for the Irish market. The 1983, 1984, 1988, 1994 and 2011 texts no longer stand as the operative declarations, and the current references are the 2026 declarations issued by NSAI with ministerial consent.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, No. 78, 29 September 2026, section I (official reference: I.S. 254:1983; I.S. 259:1984; I.S. 418:1988; I.S. 418:1988/A1:1994; I.S. 419:2011).