TECHNICAL STANDARDS DOCUMENT

No. 302, Revision 0R

Flammability of Interior Materials

The text of this document is based on Federal Motor

Vehicle Safety Standard No. 302, Flammability of Interior
Materials, as published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations,
Title 49, Part 571, revised as of October 1, 2006.

Publication Date: August 22, 2007

Effective Date: August 22, 2007
Mandatory Compliance Date: February 22, 2008

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

Introduction
As defined by section 12 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, a Technical Standards Document
(TSD) is a document that reproduces an enactment of a foreign government (e.g. a Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard issued by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration). According to the Act, the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations may alter or
override some provisions contained in a TSD or specify additional requirements;
consequently, it is advisable to read a TSD in conjunction with the Act and its counterpart
Regulation. As a guide, where the corresponding Regulation contains additional
requirements, footnotes indicate the amending subsection number.
TSDs are revised from time to time in order to incorporate amendments made to the
reference document, at which time a Notice of Revision is published in the Canada Gazette,
Part I. All TSDs are assigned a revision number, with “Revision 0” designating the original
version.

Identification of Changes
In order to facilitate the incorporation of a TSD, certain non-technical changes may be made
to the foreign enactment. These may include the deletion of words, phrases, figures, or
sections that do not apply under the Act or Regulations, the conversion of imperial to metric
units, the deletion of superseded dates, and minor changes of an editorial nature. Additions
are underlined, and provisions that do not apply are stroked through. Where an entire section
has been deleted, it is replaced by: “[CONTENT DELETED]”. Changes are also made
where there is a reporting requirement or reference in the foreign enactment that does not
apply in Canada. For example, the name and address of the U.S. Department of
Transportation are replaced by those of the Department of Transport.

Effective Date and Mandatory Compliance Date

Compliance with the requirements of a TSD that is being introduced for the first time is not
mandatory until six months after publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II, of the
Regulations that incorporate the TSD. In the case of a revision, compliance becomes
mandatory six months after publication of the Notice of revision in the Canada Gazette,
Part I, as long as the requirements of the previous version continue to be met. Voluntary
compliance is permitted as of the Effective Date of the TSD.

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

Official Version of Technical Standards Documents

The PDF version is a replica of the TSD as published by the Department and is to be used for
the purposes of legal interpretation and application.

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

Table of contents
Introduction _____________________________________________________________________ i
S1. Scope _______________________________________________________________________ 1
S2. Purpose _____________________________________________________________________ 1
S3. Application __________________________________________________________________ 1
S3A. Definition __________________________________________________________________ 1
S4. Requirements ________________________________________________________________ 1
S5.1 Conditions ........................................................................................................................ 3
S5.2 Preparation of Specimens ................................................................................................ 4
S5.3 Procedure ......................................................................................................................... 4

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

S1. Scope
This Technical Standards Document (TSD) standard specifies burn resistance requirements
for materials used in the occupant compartments of motor vehicles.

S2. Purpose
The purpose of this TSD standard is to reduce the deaths and injuries to motor vehicle
occupants caused by vehicle fires, especially those originating in the interior of the vehicle
from sources such as matches or cigarettes.

S3. Application
[CONTENT DELETED] For applicability, see Schedule III and subsection 302(1) of
Schedule IV to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.

S3A. Definition
Occupant compartment air space means the space within the occupant compartment that
normally contains refreshable air. (Espace d’air de l’habitacle)

S4. Requirements
S4.1 The portions described in S4.2 of the following components of vehicle occupant
compartments shall meet the requirements of S4.3: Seat cushions, seat backs, seat belts,
headlining, convertible tops, arm rests, all trim panels including door, front, rear, and side
panels, compartment shelves, head restraints, floor coverings, sun visors, curtains, shades,
wheel-housing covers, engine compartment covers, mattress covers, and any other interior
materials, including padding and crash-deployed elements, that are designed to absorb energy
on contact by occupants in the event of a crash.

S4.1.1 [Reserved]

S4.2 Any portion of a single or composite material which is within 13 mm of the occupant
compartment air space shall meet the requirements of S4.3.

S4.2.1 Any material that does not adhere to other material(s) at every point of contact shall
meet the requirements of S4.3 when tested separately.
S4.2.2 Any material that adheres to other materials at every point of contact shall meet the
requirements of S4.3 when tested as a composite with the other material(s).

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

Material A has a non-adhering interface with material B and is tested separately. Part of
material B is within 13 mm of the occupant compartment air space, and materials B and C
adhere at every point of contact; therefore, B and C are tested as a composite. The cut is in
material C as shown, to make a specimen 13 mm thick.

S4.3
(a) When tested in accordance with S5, material described in S4.1 and S4.2 shall not
burn, nor transmit a flame front across its surface, at a rate of more than 102 mm per
minute. The requirement concerning transmission of a flame front shall not apply to a
surface created by cutting a test specimen for purposes of testing pursuant to S5.
(b) If a material stops burning before it has burned for 60 seconds from the start of
timing, and has not burned more than 51 mm from the point where the timing was
started, it shall be considered to meet the burn-rate requirement of S4.3(a).

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

S5.1 Conditions
S5.1.1 The test is conducted in a metal cabinet for protecting the test specimens from drafts.
The interior of the cabinet is 381 mm long, 203 mm deep, and 356 mm high. It has a glass
observation window in the front, a closable opening to permit insertion of the specimen
holder, and a hole to accommodate tubing for a gas burner. For ventilation, it has a 13-mm
clearance space around the top of the cabinet, ten holes in the base of the cabinet, each hole
19 mm in diameter, and legs to elevate the bottom of the cabinet by 10 mm, all located as
shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

S5.1.2 Prior to testing, each specimen is conditioned for 24 hours at a temperature of 21ºC
and a relative humidity of 50 percent, and the test is conducted under those ambient
conditions.

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

S5.1.3 The test specimen is inserted between two matching U-shaped frames of metal stock
25 mm wide and 10 mm high. The interior dimensions of the U-shaped frames are 51 mm
wide by 330 mm long. A specimen that softens and bends at the flaming end so as to cause
erratic burning is kept horizontal by supports consisting of thin, heat-resistant wires spanning
the width of the U-shaped frame under the specimen at 25-mm intervals. A device that may
be used for supporting this type of material is an additional U-shaped frame, wider than the
U-shaped frame containing the specimen, spanned by 0.254-mm (10-mil) wires of heat-
resistant composition at 25-mm intervals, inserted over the bottom U-shaped frame.
S5.1.4 A bunsen burner with a tube of 10-mm inside diameter is used. The gas adjusting
valve is set to provide a flame, with the tube vertical, of 38 mm in height. The air inlet to the
burner is closed.
S5.1.5 The gas supplied to the burner has a flame temperature equivalent to that of natural
gas.

S5.2 Preparation of Specimens

S5.2.1 Each specimen of material to be tested shall be a rectangle 102 mm wide by 356 mm
long, wherever possible. The thickness of the specimen is that of the single or composite
material used in the vehicle, except that if the material’s thickness exceeds 13 mm, the
specimen is cut down to that thickness measured from the surface of the specimen closest to
the occupant compartment air space. Where it is not possible to obtain a flat specimen
because of surface curvature, the specimen is cut to not more than 13 mm in thickness at any
point. The maximum available length or width of a specimen is used where either dimension
is less than 356 mm or 102 mm, respectively, unless surrogate testing is required under
S4.1.1.
S5.2.2 The specimen is produced by cutting the material in the direction that provides the
most adverse test results. The specimen is oriented so that the surface closest to the occupant
compartment air space faces downward on the test frame.
S5.2.3 Material with a napped or tufted surface is placed on a flat surface and combed twice
against the nap with a comb having seven to eight smooth, rounded teeth per 25 mm.

S5.3 Procedure
(a) Mount the specimen so that both sides and one end are held by the U-shaped frame,
and one end is even with the open end of the frame. Where the maximum available
width of a specimen is not more than 51 mm, so that the sides of the specimen cannot
be held in the U-shaped frame, place the specimen in position on wire supports as
described in S5.1.3, with one end held by the closed end of the U-shaped frame.
(b) Place the mounted specimen in a horizontal position in the center of the cabinet.
(c) With the flame adjusted according to S5.1.4, position the bunsen burner and specimen
so that the center of the burner tip is 19 mm below the center of the bottom edge of
the open end of the specimen.

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Flammability of Interior Materials TSD No. 302, Revision 0R

(d) Expose the specimen to the flame for 15 seconds.

(e) Begin timing (without reference to the period of application of the burner flame)
when the flame from the burning specimen reaches a point 38 mm from the open end
of the specimen.
(f) Measure the time that it takes the flame to progress to a point 38 mm from the
clamped end of the specimen. If the flame does not reach the specified end point, time
its progress to the point where flaming stops.
(g) Calculate the burn rate from the formula:
D
B = 60 x
T
where:
B = Burn rate in millimeters per minute
D = Length the flame travels in millimeters, and
T = Time in seconds for the flame to travel D millimeters.

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