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Understanding Flame Retardant Standard European EN 13773

Flame Retardant Standard EN 13773 - European Flame Retardant Standard

Standards Across Europe

EN 13773 = Class 1,2 or 3 European Standard Textile burning behaviour for curtains and drapes.

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What is EN 13773 - 1,2,3 Flame Retardant Standards – European FR Standards for Curtains

EN13773  is the European flame retardant standard for contract drapery. This is the latest flame retardant standard for drapery and links in with old tests such as BS5867, M1 B1 and other drapery flame retardant tests. It has been introduce

By using the EN 13773, this interlinks and unifies the results across Europe for testing purposes for 1 market.

Composition of Fabrics – Flame Retardant Standards Europe

Understanding which fabrics pass which tests is important as you can have inherently flame retardant fabrics such as Trevira which are polyester fabrics with the flame retardant yarn so they do not need to be treated. This means they can be washed and they will keep their flame retardancy. Some fabrics that are treated will need to be retreated if they are not inherently flame retardant. Therefore a user needs to be mindful that after dry cleaning they may no longer be flame retardant.

Areas Used

The European flame retardant standards will be required in any commercial environment, a hotel will require EN13773,  M1 B1 standards in Europe and BS5867 in the UK. They are all similar tests but it is required for insurance requirements to ensure that they are certified to avoid any legal risks.

Understanding Different Fabric Flame Retardancy

Durably Flame Retardant

Again these fabric have been chemically treated and will be suitable for washing.

Inherently flame retardant

An inherently flame retardant fabric is made from a yarn that has the flame retardancy already within the yarn like a Trevira. This means it can be washed multiple times and not loose its flame retardancy.

Recording Studio Curtains Acoustic Drapes

Introduction to the Client

From the company website BIG JAM STUDIOS

Big Jam is a Music, Video, Photography, rehearsal and recording studio founded by producer Kevin Thorpe in 2012. We are the only studio in Kent to be visited by ITV’s X Factor in 2016, and we’re regularly producing potential hits.

Big Jam Studios is fast becoming hailed as the most comfortable yet professional recording studio to get big results on your music no matter what genre you perform. Our music rehearsal and recording studio boasts some of the best facilities in the area."

Work Requested

To supply black wool serge surround  acoustic drapes for the studio with a low cost tracking that could be self mounted around bends.

By applying drapes around the recording and performance studio you get a much better dampening and deadening of sound within a space and this leads to a better recording space. You will stop reverberation and echo within a space and create clear sounds for the people within the space.

Using black wool serge it is a very plain fabric aesthetically which means it just borders very well the studio space and also it is a very sound absorptive fabric that will help take away the overwhelming volume in a small studio

If you are completing a project with acoustics it is worth reading the following Understanding Acoustics Article

Products Required

Acoustic Black Wool Serge Curtains

Fineline Heavy Weight Curtain Track

The curtain track used was one for a budget to complete the space. It works incredibly well even with heavier drapes as the fixing are metal and so is the rail itself. So by installing the brackets regularly, it will hold the weight of the stage style drapes surrounding the recording space.

Photos from the Project

Testimonial

Brilliant Curtains and they look great and reduce the sound significantly passing to other spaces in the centre.

Conclusion to Project

A successful project using our black wool serge flame retardant fabric. This can be purchased as our client in a made to measure format, or by the metre see the link above.

Village Hall Bifold Door Curtains

Introduction to the Client

The client was a community village hall that had been freshly renovated with a modern finish and to complete the work they contacted Direct Fabrics looking for curtains. With all curtains being certified as flame retardant to ensure they are compliant to the regulations for a communal public space.

To cover the large folding bifold doors that are a huge expanse and keep the room modern inline with the flooring and not to obstruct the beautiful view.

Work Requested

To supply and install 2 large curtain tracks and pencil pleat curtains across the total expanse.

Products Used

The drapes were manufactured using our venus flame retardant curtains.

Supplied with Heavy Duty G5600 curtain track.

Direct Fabrics installed the large curtains on the 5600 curtain track. This track is both sylish and subtle so it disappears into the wall. The curtains glide effortlessly across it. The curtains were made to measure with the face fabric which is a grey super soft dimout fabric. Lined in a blackout lining to add additional weight. The Blackout Lining provides a fuller finish to make the curtains look perfect and makes the function space double up as presentation space even on the brightest of days.

The fitting team installed the rails and pulled and hooked the curtains beautifully and as the pleats have been set they will continue to look good for year to come.

All the products are flame retardant to BS5867

Photos from the Project

Testimonial

We couldn't be happier with the service from start to finish. The installation team were excellent and fitted the curtains beautifully. We would recommend them to anyone looking for community hall curtains.

Conclusion to Project

A pleasure to work on, the finish to the room was superb and our curtains have left the modern room feeling warm and looking beautiful.