Furniture labels can identify your brand, provide care instructions and carry required safety information. The right combination depends on the product: a plain wooden table and an upholstered sofa do not have the same fire-labelling requirements.
Important update: the requirement for the old fire-safety display label was removed on 30 October 2025. Permanent-label obligations remain for products covered by the rules. Our guide separates these requirements from optional branding and retail swing tags.
Start with the current safety specification for your furniture, then plan the label artwork, material and attachment. A printed or woven label does not, by itself, establish that the product complies.
Four types of furniture label to plan
| Label type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Permanent fire-safety label | Required information for furniture and covers within the applicable rules. |
| Retail swing ticket | Removable product, price or sales information agreed with your retailer. |
| Brand label | Your logo, maker's name or contact details. |
| Care label | Product-specific cleaning, maintenance and handling instructions. |
This is a planning overview, not an exhaustive list of legal information. Other safety, traceability or product-specific duties may apply.
Fire-safety labels: check the product first
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, address domestic upholstered furniture supplied in the UK. Their scope includes many upholstered seats, sofas, cushions and covers. Requirements and exceptions depend on the article; they are not a general instruction to put the same label on every kind of furniture.
Mattresses and bed-bases have different labelling arrangements. Certain baby and children's products were also removed from scope in 2025, but remain subject to general product-safety duties. Check the official guidance and legislation for the actual item and market you supply. Contract furniture or other specialist uses can need a different assessment.
What changed for display labels in October 2025?
The 2025 amendment removed the requirement for the fire-safety display label, sometimes called a swing label. It did not remove the applicable permanent-label obligations. Accurately labelled stock can still carry an existing display label; a retailer may also want a separate sales ticket.
See the Office for Product Safety and Standards guidance on the 2025 changes. Do not use older match-safe display-label examples as a current ordering checklist.
What belongs on a permanent fire label?
Schedule 7 provides full and shorter permanent-label formats, with variations for particular articles. These are prescribed information routes, rather than a choice to invent a general safety message.
The full format includes the caution “CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE”, first-supplier details, identification and date information, filling and covering descriptions, and interliner information, subject to the specified exceptions. The shorter format has its own information requirements and supporting-information obligations.
The schedule also addresses legibility, contrasting backgrounds, durable wording, minimum 10-point lettering and secure attachment. For furniture other than covers, it specifies an external surface; collections require labelling on each individual piece. Confirm the applicable format and finished artwork with the person responsible for your product's compliance before production.
A label must be backed by the right records
A label should reflect the actual materials and product specification. Keep relevant test evidence, supplier information and batch records connected to the finished items. Changing a filling, cover or construction can affect that evidence; check before reusing artwork across a range.
The Trading Standards-backed Business Companion guide to new upholstered furniture explains testing, records and labelling. Ask your testing specialist or Trading Standards about the assessment your product needs.
What if a fire label is missing?
Keep required permanent labels attached. For business supply of covered second-hand furniture, the permanent-label requirement remains. If a label is missing, contact the original manufacturer or obtain appropriate advice before offering the item for sale. Buying a generic replacement does not establish its history or compliance.
Donation organisations also have acceptance policies. For example, the British Heart Foundation requires firmly attached fire labels on relevant upholstered donations. Check the organisation's current criteria. A missing label is a reason to investigate the particular item, rather than assume every furniture product must automatically be sent to landfill.
Swing tickets for furniture retailers
A retail swing ticket can carry the product name, model, dimensions, finish, price information or a barcode required by the retailer. Agree the content and attachment before printing; retailer preferences differ.
Choose a position where shoppers can read the ticket comfortably without moving a heavy item. Check that the cord or fastener will not mark the finish or interfere with normal use. Reinforcement around the attachment hole may be useful, depending on the card and handling.
A sales ticket has a different role from a required permanent safety label. Our swing-ticket guide explains the options. Contact GB Labels with your artwork, quantity, preferred card and attachment requirements.
Brand labels and maker's marks
A brand label helps an owner identify the maker when they want to recommend your work, order another item or ask for support. Include a clear logo or name and, where useful, a website or product reference.
For upholstered products, custom woven labels can provide woven branding. Decide the finished visible size, fold and stitching position alongside the furniture design. Our label fold guide explains common constructions.
Check a sample against the actual upholstery or surface. The label should be readable, comfortable where it could touch a person, and attached in a way suited to the product. Position branding so it does not obscure required information.
Care and maintenance labels
Give customers instructions that match the finished furniture: cleaning removable covers, caring for leather, maintaining a timber finish or handling a particular mechanism. Confirm the advice with the material supplier and your product specialist rather than copying generic garment instructions.
Make clear whether a cover can be removed and what cleaning method is suitable. Avoid recommending treatments that could damage the finish or affect a safety-related treatment. Written care information can also be supplied in the product documentation.
Printed satin labels are one option for detailed text. Agree material, text size, durability and attachment for the intended use. A care-and-safety layout needs enough space for all applicable information; do not shrink or omit required content to fit a smaller label.
A furniture-label ordering checklist
- Identify the product type, intended use and markets where it will be supplied.
- Confirm the applicable safety and labelling requirements with an appropriate specialist.
- Approve wording against the actual product, test evidence and traceability records.
- Separate permanent information from removable retail information.
- Agree visible dimensions, fold, material, text size and attachment position.
- Check a physical sample and the completed item before ordering the full quantity.
Compare finishes with our label sample packs, then send us the confirmed artwork and specification. GB Labels can help with label choices and production details; the responsible furniture business must establish the correct compliance information.
Common furniture-labelling questions
Does a leather sofa need a fire label?
A leather cover does not automatically exempt an upholstered sofa. Check its construction and the applicable rules, including the permanent-labelling requirements.
Does every wooden table need an upholstery fire label?
A plain, unupholstered table does not become covered by upholstery fire-labelling rules simply because it is furniture. Other product-safety and information duties still need consideration.
Can one label cover branding, care and safety information?
Information may share a layout where the applicable requirements allow it. Keep required wording, legibility, traceability and attachment intact, and obtain approval of the combined design before ordering.
Official references and further reading
Fire-safety rules: OPSS guidance on the 2025 amendment and Schedule 7 permanent-labelling requirements.
Donation policy: British Heart Foundation fire-safety label acceptance guidance.
Business supply: Business Companion guidance on new upholstered furniture, including business hire and furnished accommodation. Check the requirements for your own supply arrangement.
Guidance reviewed: 5 November 2026.
Thanks for reading!
Pete
