Sofas, armchairs and upholstered furniture

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — REACH
• National fire regulations for upholstered furniture
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 — EUDR for wooden frames

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and online sellers outside the Union placing upholstered furniture on the EU market. Fire performance rules for upholstery are national rather than harmonised, and they differ enough that a single specification rarely serves the whole Union.

Thresholds and exemptions

None under GPSR. Wooden frames bring the deforestation obligations with their own operator thresholds.

What must appear on the label

Manufacturer and responsible person details with an EU address, model and batch identification, filling and covering material information, assembly instructions, and where a fire treatment is applied, the standard met and its durability.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces enforce the responsible person, and flat-pack sofas shipped direct to consumers have been recalled for structural failures and for flammable fillings.

Documentation you must hold

Technical documentation, risk analysis covering stability, structural strength, flammability and chemical emissions, test reports, REACH evidence for flame retardants and foam additives, and the EUDR due diligence statement for wooden components.

Standards and testing

EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 for ignitability by cigarette and match flame, EN 12520 and EN 16139 for strength and durability, and formaldehyde and volatile organic compound emission testing for foams and boards.

Language requirements

Assembly, care and safety information in the language of each member state of sale.

When it applies

Before the product is made available.

How long records are kept

Ten years.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal and Safety Gate alerts, with national fire authorities acting independently where upholstery fails the local ignition test.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, national fire safety bodies, and EUDR competent authorities for wooden frames.

Where the boundary lies

Fire performance requirements are national: the United Kingdom and Ireland historically apply the strictest schedules and several member states are tightening. A sofa lawful in one market can be prohibited in another with identical construction.

Questions we are asked

Is there an EU fire standard for sofas?

No harmonised standard exists. EN 1021 provides the test methods, but which level applies is set nationally.

Do wooden frames trigger EUDR?

Wooden furniture is in Annex I, so the due diligence statement with geolocation applies to the frame timber.