radiant heat energy required to sustain flame propagation in the flooring system once it has been ignited.

Handily, household carpets in the UK are graded according to their durability: Light domestic – suitable for bedrooms. Medium domestic – suitable for dining rooms. General domestic – suitable for living rooms. Heavy domestic – suitable for stairs and hallways.

Fire Ratings The ASTM system classifies a carpet as Class 1 or Class 2, while the EN system is more stringent and detailed. With the EN system, letters A through F indicate how combustible the material is, with A being non-combustible to F being easily flammable.

The word comes from Old French carpite 'heavy decorated cloth, carpet', from Medieval Latin or Old Italian carpita 'thick woolen cloth', which may derive from Latin carpere 'to card, pluck'. The meaning of the term carpet shifted in the 15th century to refer to floor coverings.