Do you sell and/or manufacture clothing in the Netherlands? You must comply with fire safety standards. There are inflammability tests to determine the fire hazard category.
Fire safety standards
Clothes made fully of acrylic, modacryl, nylon, olefin, polyester, and wool meet the set requirements. You can only sell clothes made of other fabrics if they are accompanied by a test report or a certificate from the supplier. This certificate must indicate that the clothing meets the fire safety requirements.
In the Netherlands the following agreements are in place on fire safety standards:
- Nightwear (nightdresses, nightshirts, pyjamas, (bath)robes) must meet the requirements in the Fire Safety Agreement for Nightwear (Convenant brandveiligheid nachtkleding, in Dutch).
- Daywear requirements are laid down in the Enforcement Agreements regarding the fire safety of clothing (Commodities Act, in Dutch).
- Fancy dress costumes for children up to 14 years must comply with the Commodities Act Decree on toys 2011 (in Dutch).
Exceptions
No requirements apply for:
- swimwear
- leg fashion
- underwear
- baby clothes (below Dutch size 80)
Testing fire safety
To prove the fire safety of clothes, you must test it. You have to use the European testing method EN 1103 (Textiles - Fabrics for apparel - Detailed procedure to determine the burning behaviour). Fancy dress costumes for children up to 14 years old are tested with a different method: EN 71-2 (Safety of toys - Part 2: Flammability)
