Hotel beds: fire standards, audits and mattress recycling

Fire standards for beds

• BS 7177 sets the fire tests for mattresses and bed bases in non-domestic use. At medium hazard, the level for hotels, boarding schools, halls of residence and holiday-camp chalets, beds must pass the cigarette and match tests and ignition source 5 (Crib 5).
• Some hotels and hostels are rated high hazard, where the test is ignition source 7.
• At every level, the fillings must also meet the 1988 furniture fire regulations.
• Most holiday lets are regarded as domestic use, so the domestic rules apply there.

The National Bed Federation

• Founded in 1912, the federation represents UK bed makers and their suppliers. Its members account for about three-quarters of UK bedding turnover, in an industry worth about £2.3 billion.
• Its Approved Members scheme uses independent audits by SATRA across ten areas, including flammability, the hygiene of fillings, trade descriptions, labelling and Modern Slavery Act reporting. The aim is to audit every member every two years.

Mattress recycling

• In 2023, 56% of end-of-life mattresses were sent for recycling, up from about a quarter in 2021. The share actually recycled rose to 33%, from 14% in 2020.
• The federation's goal is to divert 75% of new mattress sales from landfill by 2028, and it relaunched its Pledge for Our Planet in September 2026.

Our 2026 beds

Our 2026 bed and headboard collection, 29 designs, is made and upholstered in our Blackburn factory, in five sizes from single to grande emperor, with mattresses to match. Tell us the hazard level in your fire risk assessment when you enquire, and we will specify to suit.