In public places, as well as at home, it is important to ensure maximum safety in the living spaces and to prevent any fire risks. How? By choosing furnishings and upholstery made from non-combustible or fireproof fabrics.
The fabrics can be defined as fireproof if they provide high resistance to fire or if they have characteristics that reduce or delay combustion (in the latter case they are also called fire retardant). There are fully fireproof fabrics, which do not burn when directly exposed to flames, and partially fireproof fabrics, which only catch fire when the temperature exceeds very high thresholds, thus preventing and slowing down the spread of fire. According to their specific characteristics they can then be divided into:
- fabrics that are inherently flameproof, i.e. naturally fire resistant due to their composition and chemical structure (real leather, wool)
- Flammable fabrics subjected to fireproofing processes, i.e. with the addition of specific substances (e.g. ammonium sulphate or sodium borate) which shield the fabric from the flames or delay their combustion. In this case, fabrics may lose their flame retardant properties after a certain period of time.