Flame Retarding Fabric

A fire retardant is a substance other than water that reduces flammability of fuels or delays their combustion. This typically refers to chemical retardants but may also include substances that work by physical action, such as cooling the fuels; examples of these include fire-fighting foams and fire-retardant gels. The name fire retardant may also be applied to substances used to coat an object such as a spray retardant to prevent Christmas trees from burning.^[4] Fire retardants are commonly used in fire fighting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_retardant

All fabrics used for covers must meet the fire and furnishings regulations, the law was brought into act in 1988 after a tragic fire in Manchester, the requirement for fabric is that it will resist a burning cigarette or match when over flammable foam, so the charred fabric will act as a barrier between the fabric and the foam. There are 3 main ways that a fabric can be classed as fire retarded.

Inherent - where the fibres of the fabric and unaffected by the flame and need no extra coatings to protect the fabric. However there are a limited range of colours and textures which restrict the designs and choices.

Back-coating - this is where a fire retardant coating is applied to the backing of the fabric to give it protection, this can sometimes be used as a stiffener in the case of lamp shades, or it can be sprayed on so the fabric doesn't loose its

Dipping - Fabrics that have a high natural fibre content can be dipped in a chemical which bonds the fibre. The chemical will sometimes alter the colour of pigments and weaken the strength of the cloth.