TB 117-2013 sewn under the seat cushion

Any Minotti sofa, armchair or daybed with a padded cushion carries a sewn tag that most US buyers skip. It names TB 117-2013, the flammability standard that California wrote for upholstered furniture and that sellers across the United States follow. The tag is small, and it answers two questions you may have: does the upholstery meet the standard, and did the maker add flame retardant chemicals to reach it?

The rule behind the tag

TB 117-2013 is a California technical bulletin for upholstered furniture: sofas, armchairs, poufs, padded benches and headboards. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission also expects a certificate of conformity for furniture, backed by tests at a recognized lab. For a buyer, both rules end in the same place: a tag on the piece and papers in the file.

The tag must be no smaller than 2 by 3 inches. It has to stay on for the life of the piece, fixed so that it cannot tear away. And it carries a check box that states whether the upholstery materials contain added flame retardant chemicals.

Outdoor cushions and the tag

Outdoor seats count as upholstered furniture once they carry padding. Minotti Halley, the outdoor family Rodolfo Dordoni drew in 2017 from his indoor armchair, shows the typical build. A sandblasted metal frame takes an epoxy powder coat, then disappears under polypropylene cord that looks like woven wicker. The seat and back cushions sit inside: high resilience polyurethane foam, a water-resistant fiber wrap, and a fabric cover you can zip off and wash. The foam, the wrap and the cover together form the upholstery that the tag describes. The family runs to an armchair, a sofa, a pouf and a daybed with a back that tilts into four positions. See the Halley collection.

The check box

The line most buyers care about is the check box. It says one of two things: the upholstery materials contain added flame retardant chemicals, or they contain none. Families with small children and people who spend long afternoons on a daybed tend to ask about this first.

Ask the question before you choose a fabric. The answer can differ between fabrics and fills within one collection, so we check it for the exact configuration you want and put the answer in writing with the quote.

Minotti Sunray has the deepest cushions in the range. Rodolfo Dordoni set a thick seat cushion, closer to a mattress than a pad, on a flat teak platform with a sled base in polished Bronze metal, and closed it with a curved back wrapped in flat cord. Fabrics come from Minotti's 2020 textile collection. The upholstered Sunray Luke bench, covered in a soft woven fabric with a raised texture, counts as upholstered too, and so does each padded element you add to a Sunray layout. See the Sunray collection.

Pieces with no tag

A table has no upholstery, so the rule does not reach it. An Andrée table in glazed tile or a Pilotis cylinder in stainless steel ships without the tag. A strung chair such as Yoko Cord by Inoda+Sveje sits in between: with its seat and back left bare, the polyester cord forms the finished surface; add the optional cushions and those cushions carry the tag.

Questions to put in your request

Four questions settle the tag before you order:

• Does the fabric I picked change the answer in the check box?
• Does the tag cover the back cushions as well as the seat?
• For a strung chair, do I want the cushions at all?
• Can you send the certificate details before delivery?

Write them into the message field of the form, next to the pieces you want. We answer each one in writing, so the answers travel with your order file.

Keep the tag on

Leave the tag where the maker sewed it. It records the materials inside the cushion, which matters if you sell the piece, file an insurance claim or order a replacement cover years later. If a tag bothers you, turn the cushion so it faces the frame.

Keep the papers that come with your order as well. We send the certificate details along with the delivery documents, and you can file them with the invoice.

Care keeps the standard in place

A tag describes the cushion as it left the factory. Keep the cushion close to that state: wash covers by the care label, dry them before you zip them back on, and store cushions dry through the cold months. Halley's covers come off for washing. Sunray's thick seat cushion needs a dry shelf or a cover in winter.

Tell us which Minotti pieces you want and whether you prefer upholstery with no added flame retardants, using the form below. We reply with the fabric options, the tag details in writing and a written price for each piece.