A Preventable Risk Hiding in Plain Sight
Every year, fire and rescue services across England respond to thousands of fires in commercial buildings. In many of those incidents, soft furnishings play a critical role in how quickly flames spread. Curtains, in particular, represent one of the highest-risk elements inside any room. They hang vertically, they cover large surface areas, and untreated fabrics can become fully engulfed in under sixty seconds.
Despite this, fire retardant curtains remain one of the most frequently overlooked items in commercial building specifications. Architects and interior designers invest meticulous attention in flooring, wall finishes, and lighting. Yet curtains are often added late in a project, sourced from retail suppliers without fire certification, or specified with only the face fabric checked while the lining goes uncertified. The result is a compliance gap that sits quietly in the building until an inspector, an insurer, or worse, an actual fire exposes it.
The regulatory framework is clear. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires every Responsible Person in a non-domestic premises to assess and manage fire risks across the entire building, soft furnishings included. The applicable standard for curtain fabrics, BS 5867 Part 2, has been in place since 2008. The penalties for non-compliance range from enforcement notices to criminal prosecution.
This article examines why the compliance gap persists, what the standard actually requires, how to tell the difference between adequate and inadequate specification, and what procurement route delivers both safety and design quality. It also addresses one of the most persistent sources of confusion in the industry: the difference between fire retardant curtains and fire curtains, two products that share terminology but serve entirely separate purposes.
The Terminology Problem: Fire Retardant Curtains Are Not Fire Curtains
One of the biggest sources of specification error in the contract interiors industry is the conflation of fire retardant curtains with fire curtains. The names sound interchangeable. They are not. Understanding the distinction is not a technicality. It is a safety-critical difference that affects building design, compliance documentation, and budget allocation.
What Fire Retardant Curtains Do
Fire retardant curtains are soft furnishing window treatments made from fabrics that resist catching fire. When exposed to a flame source, the fabric either will not ignite or will self-extinguish rapidly once the source is removed. Their function is passive: they hang at windows or room dividers and protect by virtue of the material they are made from. They are tested and certified under BS 5867 Part 2, the British Standard governing the flammability of curtain and drapery fabrics. They look and feel like normal curtains. Their fire resistance is a property of the fabric, invisible to the eye.
What Fire Curtains Do
Fire curtains are something fundamentally different. They are active fire protection systems, engineered to compartmentalise buildings during a fire. A typical fire curtain consists of a woven glass fibre or specialist composite barrier housed inside a concealed steel headbox above an opening. When triggered by a fire alarm or smoke detection system, the curtain deploys automatically, usually by gravity failsafe, to create a physical barrier that prevents fire and smoke from passing from one zone to another.
Fire curtains are tested under entirely different standards: BS 8524 (the UK standard for active fire curtain barrier assemblies) and EN 1634-1 (the European fire resistance test for doors, shutters, and openable windows). They carry integrity ratings measured in minutes, such as E60 (60 minutes of integrity) or EI60 (60 minutes of integrity plus insulation). They are typically installed by specialist fire protection contractors and can cost thousands of pounds per opening.
Both products are vital components of a building’s fire strategy. But specifying one when the other is required can have serious consequences: failed fire risk assessments, abortive costs, project delays, and compromised occupant safety. This guide deals exclusively with fire retardant curtains for windows and interior spaces.
Why the Compliance Gap Persists
If the law is clear and the standard is well-established, why do so many UK commercial buildings still have non-compliant curtains? The answer lies in a combination of procurement habits, supply chain assumptions, and a lack of visibility at the point of specification.
Curtains Are Specified Late
In most commercial fit-out projects, curtains are among the last items to be specified and procured. The structural elements, finishes, and fixed furniture take priority. By the time someone turns their attention to window treatments, budgets may be tight, timelines may be compressed, and the temptation to grab something off the shelf is high. The problem is that off-the-shelf retail curtains almost never carry BS 5867 certification.
Retail Supply Chains Do Not Serve Commercial Needs
High street retailers and general home furnishing websites sell curtains designed for domestic use. Domestic curtains in the UK have no legal requirement to be fire retardant. When a facilities manager or property developer sources curtains from these channels for a commercial building, the products will not come with fire test certificates and will not meet the flammability requirements of BS 5867. Even products labelled “flame resistant” or “fire safe” in retail listings may not have been independently tested to the British Standard.
The Lining Gets Forgotten
Even when a specifier correctly sources a BS 5867 certified face fabric, the lining is frequently overlooked. Under the standard, the complete curtain assembly must be compliant. That means both the face fabric and the lining (and any interlining) must carry independent certification. A Type C face fabric paired with an uncertified lining produces a curtain that fails compliance entirely. This is one of the most common and costly specification errors in the UK contract curtain market.
Documentation Is Not Requested or Stored
Compliance requires proof. Fire test certificates must be available for inspection by fire officers, building control, insurers, and (in care settings) the CQC. Yet many businesses install what they believe to be compliant curtains without ever requesting certificates from the supplier, or they receive certificates and file them in a way that makes retrieval difficult when an inspector arrives.
The Fire Retardant / Fire Curtain Confusion
As discussed above, the similarity in terminology leads to genuine confusion. A building manager told they need “fire curtains” may research the wrong product entirely, either over-specifying expensive active fire curtain systems where only compliant window treatments are needed, or (more dangerously) assuming standard curtains are adequate because the term “fire curtain” sounds like something else entirely.
The Legal Framework: What UK Law Actually Requires
Fire safety in non-domestic premises across England and Wales is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This legislation replaced earlier piecemeal fire certification regimes with a single, comprehensive framework. It applies to virtually every workplace, commercial building, and shared area of multi-occupied residential buildings.
Under the Order, the Responsible Person (the building owner, employer, landlord, or whoever has control of the premises) must carry out a fire risk assessment that identifies and manages all sources of fire risk. The Government’s fire safety guidance makes explicit reference to soft furnishings, including curtains and blinds, as items that must be addressed in the assessment. Sector-specific guidance from the former DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) for residential care, hotels, offices, and education premises all reference BS 5867 Part 2 as the applicable standard for curtain fabrics.
The Consequences of Getting It Wrong
Non-compliance is not a minor administrative issue. The consequences are substantial and far-reaching.
- Criminal prosecution. The Fire Safety Order carries the power of criminal sanctions. Individuals found responsible for fire safety failures can face unlimited fines and up to two years’ imprisonment.
- Enforcement and prohibition notices. Local fire and rescue services can issue notices requiring immediate remedial action or, in serious cases, prohibiting the use of premises until compliance is achieved.
- Insurance exposure. If non-compliant soft furnishings contribute to fire spread, insurers may reduce or refuse claims. Many commercial policies explicitly condition cover on fire safety compliance.
- CQC action. For care homes and healthcare providers, the Care Quality Commission inspects against Regulation 15 (Premises and Equipment). Failed inspections can result in warning notices, conditions on registration, or closure.
- Civil liability. If occupants are harmed in a fire and non-compliant curtains are identified as a contributing factor, the Responsible Person may face civil claims for damages in addition to criminal sanctions.
- Reputational harm. For hospitality and care businesses, a fire incident linked to compliance failures generates media coverage, erodes trust, and can cause lasting commercial damage.
The cost of compliance is measured in pounds per window. The cost of non-compliance is measured in enforcement action, insurance disputes, and, in the worst cases, lives.
BS 5867 Part 2 Decoded: What the Standard Demands
BS 5867 Part 2 is the British Standard that defines flammability performance requirements for fabrics used as curtains, drapes, and window blinds in non-domestic environments. Published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and last revised in 2008, it establishes three tiered classifications. Each tier applies progressively more rigorous testing to ensure fire retardant performance holds up under real-world conditions, including repeated industrial laundering.
Type A: Baseline
Type A represents the minimum threshold of flame resistance within the standard. Fabrics are tested without any prior washing. While Type A establishes a basic level of fire retardancy, it is generally considered insufficient for commercial environments on its own. It primarily functions as a reference tier.
Type B: The Commercial Benchmark
Type B is the classification required for the majority of commercial settings, including hotels, offices, restaurants, retail spaces, schools, cinemas, community centres, and places of worship. To achieve Type B certification, a fabric sample is subjected to 12 industrial wash cycles before being exposed to a controlled flame. The fabric must demonstrate that flame does not spread to any of its edges and that no burning debris falls from the material during the test.
Type C: The Healthcare and High-Risk Standard
Type C imposes the most demanding requirements. The fabric undergoes 50 wash cycles at 75°C prior to flame testing. In addition to the no-spread and no-debris criteria, the fabric must self-extinguish within 2.5 seconds of the flame source being removed. This near-instant extinguishing behaviour is critical in environments where occupants have limited mobility or slower evacuation times.
Type C is the recommended or required specification for NHS hospitals (per the Department of Health’s HTM 05-03 guidance), residential care homes, secure mental health facilities, prison cells, and other settings where occupant vulnerability elevates the fire risk profile.
The assembly rule: BS 5867 applies to the entire curtain, not just the face fabric. The lining, and any interlining, must independently meet the same classification. A curtain rated to Type C on its face fabric but paired with a Type B lining is classified as Type B overall. Always verify certification for every layer.[IMAGE: A diagram or infographic showing BS 5867 Type B vs Type C requirements | Alt text: BS 5867 Part 2 Type B and Type C classification comparison | Suggested source: Unsplash/Pexels: fire safety standards infographic]
The Fabric Decision: Inherently Fire Retardant vs Chemically Treated
The single most consequential specification decision beyond the BS 5867 classification level is the choice between inherently fire retardant (IFR) fabrics and chemically treated alternatives. This decision ripples through compliance management, maintenance budgets, replacement cycles, and long-term risk.
Inherently Fire Retardant (IFR) Fabrics
IFR fabrics are constructed from yarns that are flame resistant at the molecular level. The fire retardant property is woven into the chemical structure of the fibre itself. It is permanent. No amount of washing, UV exposure, or wear can remove it. An IFR curtain tested on its first day of installation and tested again ten years later will demonstrate identical fire retardant performance.
This permanence is why IFR is the default choice for any environment that subjects curtains to regular laundering. Hospitals require thermal disinfection washes at 71°C or above for infection control. Care homes launder soft furnishings frequently. Hotels cycle bedroom textiles through industrial systems on a continuous basis. In these settings, IFR is not a preference. It is a practical necessity for maintaining uninterrupted compliance.
UK contract fabric manufacturers including Edmund Bell, Prestigious Textiles, iLiv, and Abbotsford Textiles supply extensive IFR ranges certified to BS 5867 Type B and Type C. These collections encompass plains, velvets, linens, voiles, geometrics, florals, wool-look textures, and blackout constructions in hundreds of colourways.
Chemically Treated Fabrics
Treated fabrics start as standard textiles, typically cotton, polyester blends, or natural fibres, and receive a flame retardant chemical coating or dipping treatment after manufacture. The chemical layer creates a barrier that resists ignition. However, it is not permanent. Each wash, each instance of moisture exposure, and each year of environmental ageing diminishes the chemical layer. Most treated fabrics maintain certification for approximately five wash cycles before professional re-treatment is required.
The upfront cost per metre for treated fabrics is lower than IFR equivalents. But the total cost of ownership over a five to ten year installation lifecycle, once re-treatment fees, compliance tracking overhead, and potentially earlier replacement are factored in, frequently makes treated fabrics the more expensive option. Additionally, the compliance risk is higher: if a re-treatment schedule slips, the curtains become silently non-compliant with no visible indicator.
For the vast majority of commercial procurement decisions, IFR is the lower-risk, lower-hassle, and frequently lower-cost long-term choice. It eliminates ongoing compliance administration and delivers consistent protection from installation to end of life.
Beyond Compliance: Performance Features That Justify the Investment
Fire retardancy is the regulatory baseline. But modern contract curtain fabrics deliver additional performance benefits that make them a harder-working specification for commercial buildings. When procurement teams evaluate the cost of fire retardant curtains, these added benefits should factor into the value equation.
Light Management
Blackout and dimout options are available across most fire retardant fabric ranges. Blackout curtains use triple-pass coated linings to achieve 100% light exclusion, essential for hotel bedrooms, cinema rooms, and student accommodation. Dimout fabrics reduce light by 70% to 95%, suitable for conference rooms, offices, and healthcare day rooms where ambient light is desirable but glare needs control. Both can be specified with BS 5867 certified linings, ensuring the full assembly remains compliant.
Thermal Performance
Thermal curtain linings add insulation that helps retain heat in winter and reflect solar gain in summer. For large commercial buildings where heating and cooling represent significant operational costs, thermal curtains contribute to energy efficiency targets. Every thermal lining specified for a commercial setting must itself meet BS 5867, maintaining fire compliance alongside energy performance.
Acoustic Contribution
Heavier curtain fabrics, particularly velvets and interlined constructions, absorb sound and reduce reverberation. In open-plan offices, co-working environments, and multi-use spaces, curtains can double as both fire-safe window treatments and acoustic management tools. This dual function is increasingly valued in modern workplace design, where noise control directly affects productivity.
Infection Control
For healthcare and care home settings, IFR fabrics with integrated anti-microbial finishes address fire safety and infection control in a single product. These fabrics are designed for the demanding cycle of high-temperature laundering required by NHS and clinical protocols. Leading manufacturers like Edmund Bell supply ranges specifically engineered for clinical environments.
Design Versatility
The perception that fire retardant fabrics are limited to plain, institutional-looking materials is outdated. The current UK contract fabric market offers FR-certified velvets, linens, wool-look textures, sheers, geometrics, florals, checks, and stripes. All major heading styles are available: pencil pleat, pinch pleat (double and triple), eyelet, goblet, cartridge, and wave. Space Commercial Interiors offers the full range across their made-to-measure fire retardant curtain collection, sourcing from Edmund Bell, iLiv, Prestigious Textiles, and Abbotsford Textiles.
Sector Analysis: Where the Compliance Gaps Are Widest
Certain sectors are more prone to curtain compliance failures than others. Understanding where the risks concentrate helps procurement teams and fire risk assessors focus their attention.
Hospitality: Hotels, B&Bs, and Serviced Apartments
Hotels represent medium-risk environments because guests sleep in unfamiliar surroundings. BS 5867 Type B is the standard requirement. The compliance gap in hospitality typically appears in two places: independent and boutique hotels that lack dedicated fire safety expertise, and franchise operations where brand-supplied design packages may specify aesthetics without verifying local fire certification requirements. For multi-room projects, specialist contract curtain manufacturers provide consistent quality, pattern matching across hundreds of rooms, and fire test certificates issued with every order.
Care Homes and Residential Care
Care homes face the tightest regulatory scrutiny. The CQC inspects against Regulation 15, and DCLG fire risk assessment guidance for residential care explicitly references BS 5867. Type C inherently fire retardant fabrics are the recommended specification. The compliance gap in care settings often arises from curtains being replaced ad hoc (a damaged curtain replaced from a retail shop) rather than through a managed procurement process that maintains certification across the entire estate.
Holiday Lets and Short-term Rentals
The fastest-growing compliance gap may be in the holiday let sector. Any property where guests pay to stay falls under the Fire Safety Order. The London Fire Brigade is clear that this includes Airbnb listings, holiday cottages, and rooms rented on platforms like Booking.com. Many hosts furnish properties with domestic curtains that carry no fire certification. As local fire services increase inspection activity in the short-term rental sector, this gap is likely to generate a wave of enforcement notices.
Offices and Corporate Fit-outs
Office environments are generally lower risk but still require Type B compliance. The gap here tends to appear in tenant-managed spaces within multi-let buildings. A building owner may achieve compliance for common areas, but individual tenants install their own curtains or blinds without verifying certification. Under the Fire Safety Order, both the building owner and the tenant may share Responsible Person obligations.
Education
Schools, colleges, and universities require Type B for classrooms and common areas. Halls of residence where students sleep may require Type C. Budget pressures in the education sector can drive procurement toward the cheapest available option, which may not carry certification. Academy trusts and university estates teams should include curtain compliance in their standard procurement frameworks.
[IMAGE: A care home interior with warm, well-designed curtains at windows creating a homely atmosphere | Alt text: Fire retardant curtains in a care home creating a warm residential feel | Suggested source: Unsplash/Pexels: care home interior warm curtains]
Closing the Gap: A Practical Procurement Framework
Eliminating curtain compliance gaps requires a structured procurement approach that embeds fire safety into the specification process from the start, not as an afterthought. The following framework applies whether you are fitting out a single premises or managing a multi-site portfolio.
- Anchor to the fire risk assessment. Every curtain specification should start with the FRA. Identify the risk classification per room. Confirm whether Type B or Type C is required. Flag rooms where occupants sleep, have limited mobility, or where higher occupancy increases risk.
- Mandate certified supply. Establish a procurement policy that requires all curtain fabrics and linings to carry BS 5867 Part 2 certification at the appropriate Type level. Reject any supply chain that cannot provide fire test certificates.
- Default to IFR. Unless there is a specific, justified reason to use treated fabrics (for example, a one-off event installation), specify inherently fire retardant as the default. This eliminates re-treatment tracking and reduces long-term compliance risk.
- Certify the full assembly. Explicitly require fire test certificates for the face fabric AND the lining AND any interlining. Document this requirement in tender specifications and purchase orders. Make it a condition of supplier acceptance.
- Use specialist contract suppliers. Source from manufacturers and suppliers who serve the commercial curtain market, not the domestic retail market. Contract suppliers such as Space Commercial Interiors manufacture to order, supply fire test certificates as standard, and understand the regulatory landscape.
- Specify additional performance. Identify which rooms need blackout, dimout, thermal, voile, or acoustic performance. Combine these with the fire retardancy specification so a single curtain delivers multiple benefits.
- Request swatches before committing. Evaluate fabric colour, texture, and drape under the actual lighting conditions in the space. Confirm BS 5867 certification details are printed or referenced on the swatch or its documentation.
- Measure accurately or commission a site survey. Incorrect measurements cause delays, waste, and remanufacture. For complex installations (bay windows, high ceilings, curved tracks), a professional site survey is recommended.
- File certificates on delivery. Fire test certificates must arrive with the curtains. Store them centrally, linked to the specific rooms and windows they cover. Make them retrievable within minutes for inspection by fire officers, insurers, or CQC assessors.
- Include curtains in annual review. Add curtain condition and certification to the annual fire risk assessment review cycle. Inspect for damage, fading, or degradation. Replace non-compliant items promptly.
Implementation Checklist for Fire Retardant Curtain Compliance
A quick-reference summary for specifiers, facilities managers, building owners, and procurement leads.
- Fire risk assessment completed with curtain-specific risk levels per room
- BS 5867 Type (B or C) confirmed for each area
- IFR or treated fabric decision made (IFR recommended as default)
- Performance features specified per room (blackout, dimout, thermal, voile, acoustic)
- Contract supplier selected (certified, not retail)
- Fabric swatches approved in situ under actual lighting
- Fire test certificates confirmed for face fabric AND lining AND interlining
- Window measurements verified (or professional site survey completed)
- Heading style and track/pole system specified
- Professional installation arranged (recommended for 5+ windows or complex headings)
- Fire test certificates received on delivery and filed with FRA documentation
- Maintenance and cleaning schedule documented
- Annual review date set within FRA cycle
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between fire retardant curtains and fire curtains?
They are entirely separate product categories. Fire retardant curtains are soft furnishing window treatments made from fabrics that resist ignition and slow flame spread, tested under BS 5867 Part 2. Fire curtains are active fire protection systems, typically roller-deployed glass fibre barriers that physically compartmentalise buildings to stop fire and smoke spreading between zones. Fire curtains are tested under BS 8524 and EN 1634-1. The two products serve different functions, are made from different materials, and are governed by different standards.
2. Is it a legal requirement to have fire retardant curtains in commercial buildings?
In England and Wales, yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on the Responsible Person to manage fire risks in non-domestic premises, which includes ensuring soft furnishings like curtains comply with BS 5867 Part 2. This applies to offices, hotels, care homes, schools, restaurants, rental properties, and all other non-domestic buildings.
3. What is the difference between BS 5867 Type B and Type C?
Both types require that the fabric resists flame spread and does not produce burning debris. Type B tests the fabric after 12 wash cycles. Type C tests after 50 wash cycles at 75°C and adds a requirement for the fabric to self-extinguish within 2.5 seconds. Type B is sufficient for most commercial environments. Type C is required for hospitals, care homes, and other high-risk settings.
4. Can I treat existing curtains to make them fire retardant?
Professional fire retardant spraying or dipping services can treat existing fabrics to achieve BS 5867 compliance. However, this treatment is not permanent and degrades with cleaning and time. For reliable long-term compliance, purpose-made fire retardant curtains using IFR fabrics are a more practical and often more economical solution.
5. What documentation do I need to prove compliance?
Fire test certificates for both the face fabric and the lining, referencing BS 5867 Part 2 and specifying the Type classification (B or C). These should be stored with your fire risk assessment documentation and available for immediate retrieval during inspections.
6. Do fire retardant curtains look different from standard curtains?
No. Modern fire retardant fabrics are visually indistinguishable from standard furnishing textiles. They are available in the same colours, patterns, textures, and weaves. The fire safety properties are inherent to the fabric construction, not a visible surface treatment.
7. Do fire retardant curtains offer any benefits beyond fire safety?
Yes. Depending on the fabric and lining specified, fire retardant curtains can provide blackout or dimout light control, thermal insulation, acoustic absorption, and anti-microbial protection. These performance features are available alongside BS 5867 compliance, delivering multiple benefits from a single product.
8. How often should fire retardant curtains be inspected or replaced?
Include curtain condition in your annual fire risk assessment review. IFR curtains maintain their fire retardant properties indefinitely, so replacement is driven by physical wear, fading, or damage rather than a fixed schedule. Treated curtains require more frequent monitoring and may need replacement sooner if re-treatment becomes impractical.
Closing the Gap Before It Costs You
The compliance gap around fire retardant curtains in UK commercial buildings is real, persistent, and entirely preventable. The regulatory framework is clear. The standard is well-defined. The supply chain for certified fabrics is mature and accessible. What has been missing, in too many cases, is awareness, specification discipline, and a procurement process that treats curtains with the same rigour as any other fire safety element.
The path to compliance is not complicated. Know your standard (BS 5867 Type B for standard commercial, Type C for healthcare and high-risk). Understand what you are buying (fire retardant curtains for windows, not fire curtains for compartmentation). Choose the right fabric technology (inherently fire retardant for long-term installations). Certify the entire assembly (face fabric, lining, and interlining). And keep the documentation where an inspector can find it.
Working with a specialist makes every step easier. Space Commercial Interiors combines a comprehensive BS 5867 certified fabric library from the UK’s leading mills, a dedicated made-to-measure workroom in Yorkshire, fire test certificates issued with every order, and a professional installation service covering the whole of the UK. From single-site boutique projects to multi-location portfolio rollouts, they bring the manufacturing capacity, fabric range, and regulatory understanding to close the compliance gap for good.
Ready to ensure your commercial curtains are compliant? Browse the full fire retardant curtain collection at Space Commercial Interiors or call 01924 677 441 for specification advice tailored to your project.
