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AHH Bean Bag Chairs
Meets TB117 Standard

Ahh...that bean bag is safe!

Per California TB117-2013, our products manufactured after December 31, 2014 have law labels that read:

“The upholstery materials in this product:

__X_contain added flame retardant chemicals

____contain NO added flame retardant chemicals

The State of California has updated the flammability standard and determined that the fire safety requirements for this product can be met without adding flame retardant chemicals. The state has identified many flame retardant chemicals as being known to, or strongly suspected of, adversely impacting human health or development.”

*TB117-2013 requires that: "Manufacturers must mark an “X” next to the applicable statement. For the purposes of the disclosure, a product contains added flame retardant chemicals if the chemical is present in amounts above 1,000 parts per million."

Although some filling we get from our suppliers has a flame retardant amount LESS THAN 1,000 parts per million, we feel it's totally misleading to check the box that says "contain NO added flame retardant chemicals".  Because it does have a flame retardant!  That word "added" is confusing to the average consumer.

To be more clear, as with all bean bag companies, to comply with CA TB117-2013, products manufactured after 12/31/14 must be labeled a certain way.  This makes them compliant.  It is not required that they are flame retardant free.  To our knowledge, all bean bags (not just ours) that are filled with polystyrene (styrofoam) will have flame retardants to some degree.  CA TB117-2013 specifies parameters on how to label your bean bag, not that it doesn't have any FRs.  Ahh! Products errs on the side of caution and labels products produced in 2015 and later to disclose that we DO have flame retardants, even if we could potentially select the TB 117-2013 option that we do NOT have "added" flame retardants because the flame retardant amount on some of our filling is below a certain threshold. 

CA TB117-2013 can be misleading and some companies are taking advantage of the confusing wording.  Please contact us directly for more information - we are happy to answer with complete honesty!  If someone tells you their polystyrene does not have ANY flame retardants, you should question them thoroughly.

*Unfilled bean bags (cover and liner only), separate covers, and separate liners do not have this tag because it does not apply (except our fire retardant covers). Since we are not supplying your filling in these cases, the labeling does not apply.

California Technical Bulletin 117 is a mandatory standard for all residential, upholstered furniture for sale in California.  This standard was created in October 1975, and is updated regularly.  TB117 includes open flame tests and smoldering cigarette tests for the materials which make up a piece of furniture.  Bean bag chairs must meet TB117 because they are considered upholstered furniture and they include filling that is not readily visible.  Enforced by the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, this standard applies to all bean bag chairs, regardless of where it was manufactured (in the U.S. or foreign).  Bean bag chairs are required to carry a law label referencing California TB117 in many U.S. states.

TB117 has become a benchmark flammability standard for all residential upholstered furniture, like bean bag chairs, sold in the U.S.

The CA TB117 test method requires that the bean bag chair filler pass both open-flame testing and a cigarette smoldering test.  Bean bag cover and liner fabrics must pass an open-flame test.  Testing is not required on bean bag components like zippers, tags, and thread. 

Ahh bean bag chairs, covers, liners, and filling, are CA TB117 compliant.

For more information about the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, visit http://www.bhfti.ca.gov/.

Jade is the founder and CEO of Ahh! Products. Find her on

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