Flame Shield
Flame Shield™: Advanced retardant finish for enhanced fire safety
AFL Group is committed to engineering fire retardant treatments that maximize flame resistance on fabric surfaces while preserving their original aesthetics, tactile qualities, and drape characteristics.
Why compromise between safety and design when you can achieve both? Selecting the appropriate fire-retardant solution for upholstery requires a precise balance of regulatory compliance and material performance without detracting from the fabric’s integrity.
Our fire retardant applications rigorously meet all mandatory certification requirements, ensuring compliance with relevant safety standards while maintaining your design vision intact.
Australian Fire Standards for upholstery and wall applications
Chemical Bath /Heat Set
Chemical dipping, which is more often used for fabrics.
As the technique suggests, the fabric is soaked into a chemical solution which absorbs into the fibers.
After being submerged the fabric goes through a set of press roller to ensure the chemical has been fully integrated into the fibers and to remove excess chemical.
The fabric then passes through a heat set chamber to set the fire-retardant chemical. This process ensures the chemical is bonded onto the fabric fibers creating a barrier between the fiber and the flame.
Spray on/Air-Dried
Chemical is sprayed onto the textile/fabric until the fabric is completely saturated,
Thicker fabrics need a heavier coat of fire retardant and will often take double the drying time. Standard textile fabrics usually takes 8-24 hours to dry completely.
Should the fabric catch fire, the chemical applied during the fabric treatment process is activated by the heat, triggering a chemical reaction which extinguishes the flame or slows the burn.
Flame Shield™ information
Compatible Substrates
The treatment is suitable for a broad range of textile and decorative applications, including:
- Natural fibers: cotton, linen, silk, wool
- Synthetic fibers: rayon, polyester
- Back-coated fabrics and specialty finishes
- Window treatments, wallpapers, and decorative design elements
All treated substrates can be processed to meet mandatory flammability standards.
Regulated Environments
Flame Shield™ is specified for use in public and commercial settings where compliance with fire safety regulations is mandatory, including:
- Health and aged care facilities
- Educational institutions and libraries
- Theatres, cinemas, and convention venues
- Hotels, motels, and hospitality environments
- Office and corporate spaces
- Transportation hubs and public transit facilities
- Retail and exhibition spaces
Application & Durability
- Applied via HEAT SET method, ensuring molecular binding to fabric fibers.
- Wash durability: up to five cycles in accordance with AS2001.5.4 procedure 7A (Building Code of Australia).
- For Air-Dried applications, re-treatment is recommended after cleaning to maintain compliance.
Care Guidelines
- Always reference manufacturer fabric care labels.
- Spot cleaning: test diluted solution on inconspicuous area prior to use.
- Upholstery: avoid wetting internal filling.
- Professional cleaning is strongly recommended to preserve treatment integrity.
Certification & Compliance All Flame Shield™-treated fabrics are issued with a Certificate of Treatment.
- Fully compliant with Building Code of Australia 2016 Amendment 1, Specification C1.10 clause 7.
- Independently tested to AS/NZS 1530:1993 Parts 2 & 3 by a NATA-accredited facility.
- Wallpapers and fabrics can be treated to AS/NZS 3837 and have a Group Number determined in accordance with AS 5637.1