The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 apply across the United Kingdom, and since 30 October 2025 they no longer require display labels on new products, but the permanent label is still required and GOV.UK says second-hand supply of furniture still needs it.

Why the regulations matter when reusing furniture

Reuse comes ahead of disposal in the waste hierarchy, but furniture that goes to a second owner through a business is still within the 1988 Regulations. GOV.UK says these Regulations set flammability requirements for domestic upholstered furniture supplied anywhere in the United Kingdom and were made under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The guidance is written for businesses, so it is the reference for shops, dealers and clearance firms that resell items.

What counts as furniture

Regulation 3 defines furniture as furniture of any description ordinarily intended for private use in a dwelling. It includes beds and divans with their bases and headboards, sofa-beds, cushions, mattresses and pillows, and excludes items such as bedding and floor coverings. A dwelling includes a caravan but not boats or other vessels or motor vehicles.

The second-hand rule

Regulation 14 applies to furniture that has previously been supplied to a person who acquired it other than for a business of dealing in furniture, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. Such furniture must satisfy regulations 5, 6 and 8(1) and (2). Regulation 5 requires upholstery to pass the cigarette test, with exceptions including mattresses, bed-bases, pillows and cushions. Regulation 6 requires filling material to pass the relevant ignitability test. Regulation 8 requires visible and invisible parts of covers to pass match tests.

GOV.UK says second-hand supply of furniture still requires a permanent label and that suppliers of second-hand furniture should familiarise themselves with regulation 14 as amended.

The permanent label

Regulation 11 requires furniture to bear the permanent labelling specified in Schedule 7. GOV.UK describes it as a durable label attached to furniture that carries the relevant compliance information. The Government’s 2025 changes did not alter these obligations.

What changed on 30 October 2025

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 came into force on 30 October 2025, following a deferral of six months after they were laid. GOV.UK says they removed the requirement for manufacturers to attach a display label, often called a swing label, to new products, extended the time for enforcement authorities to start proceedings for offences under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 from six to twelve months, and removed certain baby and young children’s products from scope.

The products removed include small children’s mattresses, play pens, children’s car seats, play mats, changing mats, prams and pushchairs, cots and cribs, cot bumpers, baby rockers and bouncers, baby nests, highchairs and lowchairs, booster seats and baby walkers. Those products must instead meet general product safety law: the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 in Great Britain and EU Regulation 2023/988 in Northern Ireland.

Why baby products left the scheme

GOV.UK says the amendments followed a public consultation held between August and October 2023 and were announced in January 2025. The stated reason for removing baby and young children’s products is to reduce exposure to chemical flame retardants at a significant stage of development, where the fire risk is lower than the chemical exposure risk because such products are less exposed to accidental ignition by cigarettes or similar sources. Upholstered baby accessories that are not items of furniture also remain out of scope.

The guidance says one way to demonstrate compliance with general product safety law is to follow agreed standards, and it mentions BS EN 1021 Parts 1 and 2, BS 7177, BS EN 16890, EN 597 Parts 1 and 2 and BS EN 71 Part 2, as appropriate.

Old stock and labels

Because there was no transition period, GOV.UK says businesses can keep selling products that carry compliance labels, including display labels or 1988 Regulations labels on products now out of scope, indefinitely, as long as the labelling accurately represents compliance.

FAQs

Do the 2025 changes remove the permanent label?

No. GOV.UK says the changes do not affect obligations relating to the permanent label under regulation 11 and Schedule 7.

Can shops keep selling stock with display labels?

GOV.UK says businesses can continue selling products carrying display labels, or 1988 labels on products now out of scope, as long as the labelling accurately represents compliance.

Are cots and prams still covered by the fire regulations?

No. They were removed from scope from 30 October 2025 and must meet general product safety law instead.

Do the rules apply in Northern Ireland?

GOV.UK describes the Furniture and Furnishings Regulations as applying across the United Kingdom, while general product safety follows EU rules in Northern Ireland for the products taken out of scope.

Bottom line

Before furniture is resold or donated through a business, the fire safety label deserves a check, because the 1988 Regulations still expect a permanent label on second-hand upholstered items across the UK. The display label went in October 2025, and several baby and children’s products left the scheme. This is general information, not legal advice; Trading Standards can advise on a particular item or stock.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 21 September 2026:

• Office for Product Safety and Standards via GOV.UK, “Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025: UK”
• legislation.gov.uk, “The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 14: Second-hand furniture”
• legislation.gov.uk, “The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 11: Permanent labels”
• legislation.gov.uk, “The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 5: Upholstery”
• legislation.gov.uk, “The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 6: Filling material”
• legislation.gov.uk, “The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 8: Permanent covers”

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