UK furniture labels after the 2025 changes
Since 30 October 2025, swing labels are no longer required, but permanent-label obligations remain for furniture covered by those provisions. Existing swing-labelled stock can still be sold if the claims are accurate. Check product scope before changing factory artwork. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate these checks with its staff in China.
Check which products remain in scope
The regulations continue to cover domestic upholstered furniture supplied across the UK. The amendments exclude specified baby and children's products, rather than all children's furniture. Examples include play pens, children's car seats, baby changing mats and baby nests. For baby and children's mattresses, the exclusion requires length below 170 cm and width below 75 cm; for modular mattresses, those limits apply to the largest component.
Record each model's intended use, dimensions and product category before approving a scope decision. For products removed from scope and sold in Great Britain, general product safety requirements still apply, including consideration of fire safety. Use our furniture sourcing guide for the wider materials, testing and freight brief.
Keep the permanent-label check
The amendments leave permanent-label obligations unchanged under regulation 11 and Schedule 7. That schedule covers upholstered furniture except mattresses and bed-bases, plus the specified loose and stretch covers. Its permanent label must be durable and securely attached. Do not assume every product covered by the fire-safety regulations needs the same label.
Ask your testing adviser to confirm the applicable Schedule 7 label format and any product-specific exceptions before approving artwork. Send the factory the approved wording, attachment method and a photograph showing the intended position. Check the physical production sample, not just the artwork file.
Update the factory brief for new production
The requirement to attach a display label, commonly called a swing label, has been removed. For new production, tell the factory whether you want to discontinue it. Keep the permanent-label instruction separate so that deleting swing-label artwork does not accidentally delete the attached compliance label.
Create an artwork approval record linking the model, material specification, label version and supporting reports. Check that the report covers the ordered configuration using our test-report scope guide. A label change should not become an unapproved change of foam, interliner or cover fabric.
Review existing swing-labelled stock
Existing products can continue to be sold with swing labels attached if the labelling accurately represents compliance. The guidance does not require removal simply because the swing-label requirement has ended. For products newly removed from scope, existing stock may also retain labels claiming compliance with the furniture regulations indefinitely, provided those claims are accurate.
Separate stock by model, label wording and material specification. Photograph the labels and match their claims to the supporting evidence before deciding whether to retain or replace them. Hold stock with unsupported claims for review, and give your warehouse and retailers the agreed handling instruction.
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Inspect the change before dispatch
Add label presence, wording, attachment and position to the inspection brief. Ask for photographs showing both the readable label and the furniture it belongs to. Compare the inspected goods with the approved sample and record any discrepancy before releasing the shipment.
Keep the approved artwork, scope decision, inspection photographs and report references together, following our importer compliance-file guide. Cambridge China Bridge can use its own staff in China to coordinate factory instructions and check that production follows the agreed label brief.
Frequently asked questions
Do UK sofas still need swing labels?
The swing-label requirement ended on 30 October 2025. Permanent-label obligations remain for furniture covered by those provisions.
Must I remove swing labels from existing stock?
No. Existing stock can still be sold with swing labels if their compliance claims are accurate. Check the wording against the actual product and supporting evidence.
Are all children's mattresses now excluded?
No. The exclusion requires length below 170 cm and width below 75 cm. For modular mattresses, those limits apply to the largest component.
Do mattresses need the furniture permanent label?
Mattresses and bed-bases are excluded from Schedule 7 permanent labelling. That does not mean they are excluded from every fire-safety requirement.