[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR1632.3]

[Page 716-717]
 
                     TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
 
             CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
 
PART 1632--STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF MATTRESSES AND MATTRESS 
PADS (FF 4	72, AMENDED)--Table of Contents
 
                         Subpart A--The Standard
 
Sec.  1632.3  General requirements.

    (a) Summary of test method. The method measures the ignition 
resistance of a mattress or mattress pad by exposing the surface to 
lighted cigarettes in a draft-protected environment. The surfaces to be 
tested include smooth, tape edge, and quilted or tufted locations, if 
they exist on the mattress or mattress pad surface. A two-sheet test is 
also conducted on similar surface locations. In the latter test, the 
burning cigarettes are placed between the sheets.
    (b) Test criterion. When testing the mattress or mattress pad 
surface in accordance with the testing procedure set forth in Sec.  
1632.4 Mattress test procedure, individual cigarette test locations pass 
the test if the char length is not more than 2 inches (5.1 cm) in any 
direction from the nearest point of the cigarette. In the interest of 
safety, the test operator should discontinue the test and record a 
failure before reaching the 2 inch char length if an obvious ignition 
has occurred.
    (c) Pre-market testing. Each manufacturer required to perform 
prototype testing by the standard shall perform the testing required by 
the standard with acceptable results before selling in commerce or 
introducing in commerce any mattress or mattress pad which is subject to 
the standard.
    (d) Specimen selection and qualification. (1) Each manufacturer 
required to perform prototype testing by the standard shall construct or 
select enough units of each proposed mattress prototype or proposed 
mattress pad prototype to provide six surfaces for testing. A minimum of 
three mattresses or mattress pads are required if both sides can be 
tested; six mattresses or mattress pads are required if only one side 
can be tested. Test each of the six surfaces according to Sec.  
1632.4(d). If all the cigarette test locations on all six mattress 
surfaces yield passing results using the criterion specified in Sec.  
1632.3(b), accept the mattress prototype. If all six surfaces of a 
mattress pad yield passing results using the criterion in Sec.  
1632.3(b), and all other applicable requirements prescribed by Sec.  
1632.5 are met, accept the mattress pad prototype. If one or more of the 
cigarette test locations on any of the six surfaces fail to meet the 
test criterion of Sec.  1632.3(b), reject the mattress prototype or the 
mattress pad prototype.
    (2) Prototype qualification testing may be repeated after action has 
been taken to improve the resistance of the mattress prototype or the 
mattress pad prototype to cigarette ignition by changes in design, 
construction methods, materials selection, or other means. When 
prototype qualification is repeated after rejection of a prototype, such 
qualification testing shall be conducted in the same manner as original 
qualification testing.
    (3) Each mattress prototype and each mattress pad prototype must be 
accepted in prototype qualification before any mattress or mattress pad 
manufactured in accordance with such mattress prototype or mattress pad 
prototype is sold in commerce or introduced in commerce. Any 
manufacturer required to perform testing by the standard may rely on 
prototype tests performed before the effective date of this amended 
standard, provided that such tests were conducted in accordance with all 
requirements of Sec. Sec.  1632.1(i), 1632.3(d), and 1632.4, and yield 
passing results when the test criterion of Sec.  1632.3(b) is applied. 
If the

[[Page 717]]

ticking classification test at Sec.  1632.6 is to be used when relying 
on prototype tests performed before the effective date of the standard, 
the ticking currently used on that mattress prototype must be classified 
before substitution of ticking using Sec.  1632.6.
    (4) Rejected prototype mattresses or prototype mattress pads shall 
not be retested, offered for sale, sold, or promoted for use as a 
mattress (as defined in Sec.  1632.1(a)) or for use as a mattress pad 
(as defined in Sec.  1632.1(b)) except after reworking to improve the 
resistance to ignition by cigarettes, and subsequent retesting and 
acceptance of the mattress prototype (as defined in Sec.  1632.1(j)) or 
the mattress pad prototype (as defined in Sec.  1632.1(k)).