Thread and seams
Flame-resistant thread keeps seams from melting open and exposing skin. Labels and interfacing use FR-compatible materials, because NFPA 2112 tests components as well as the shell fabric.
Workwear · Los Angeles factory
Custom FR Clothing for Your Crew
FR clothing is workwear made from flame-resistant fabric that resists ignition and stops burning once the heat source is removed, so it does not keep feeding a burn the way ordinary cotton or melting synthetics can. Custom Uniform Factory cuts and sews custom FR work clothing in its Los Angeles factory from imported certified fabric, for programs built around NFPA 2112 (flash fire) and NFPA 70E (arc flash), using flame-resistant thread and trims, from about 50 pieces per style. Compliance depends on the certified fabric and on garment certification and testing, which we confirm for each style before you order.
- Minimum order
- About 50 pieces per style
- Production
- Cut & sewn in Los Angeles, imported fabric
- Garments
- Work shirts, pants, coveralls, jackets; custom styles on request
- Design standards
- NFPA 2112 / NFPA 70E programs; certification confirmed per style
Fire Resistant Wear by style
16 styles in 4 families · each made to order in your fabric, color and branding from 50 pieces.
Flame-resistant work shirts
A button-front FR work shirt is the everyday layer for flash fire and arc flash programs. We build it entirely from FR or arc-rated components, including thread, trims and reflective tape, and confirm the fabric's test data before we quote.
FR work pants and jeans
FR pants complete the outfit so no untreated fabric sits exposed below the waist. We make uniform-style pants and five-pocket denim cuts in FR fabric, with FR thread and trims throughout.
Flame-resistant coveralls for flash fire
Oil and gas, refining and welding crews often choose an FR coverall for full-body coverage in one garment. We use FR zippers and thread, and can add hi-vis reflective tape that is itself rated for FR use.
FR jackets and outer layers
Any jacket, rainwear or vest worn over arc-rated clothing must itself be arc-rated, or it can ignite and defeat the layer underneath. We make FR bomber, soft shell and hi-vis outer layers to the rating your program specifies.
Customize your FR shirts
Pick the style, fabric and colors, add your logo and names, then attach the design to your quote. We cut and sew it in Los Angeles from 50 pieces per style.
What does flame resistant clothing do?
Flame resistant clothing resists ignition, stops burning once the heat source is removed, does not melt onto skin and insulates the wearer for a few seconds. Ordinary work clothes can make a burn worse: untreated cotton can keep burning, and polyester or nylon can melt and stick to skin.
Resist ignition
when exposed to a flame or heat source.Self-extinguish
once the source is removed, limiting the burn to the area directly exposed.Not melt or drip
onto the skin.Insulate
the wearer for a short time from the heat of a flash fire or arc.
Flame resistant work clothing does not make a worker fireproof. It reduces burn injury in the seconds of a flash fire or arc flash, which is often the difference between a survivable burn and a fatal one.
Which standard applies: NFPA 2112 or NFPA 70E?
FR workwear follows NFPA 2112 when the hazard is flash fire and NFPA 70E when the hazard is arc flash, both standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Flash fire is ignited gas, vapor or dust in oil and gas, refining and chemical plants; arc flash is the explosive energy of an electrical fault.
| Flash fire | Arc flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Main US standard | NFPA 2112 (garment performance and certification) | NFPA 70E (electrical safety in the workplace) |
| What the garment needs | Third-party certification to NFPA 2112 | An arc rating (ATPV or EBT) in cal/cm² at or above the hazard |
| Typical industries | Oil and gas, refining, petrochemical | Electrical contracting, utilities, facility maintenance |
| Related OSHA rule | 29 CFR 1910.132 hazard assessment and PPE selection | 29 CFR 1910.269 and 1910.335 |
OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and PPE means personal protective equipment. Many fabrics are both certified to NFPA 2112 and arc-rated, so one garment can serve both hazards when the documentation supports it.
Flash fire protection under NFPA 2112
NFPA 2112 sets minimum performance and certification requirements for flame-resistant garments worn where flash fire is a risk; the 2023 edition is current at the time of writing. Fabrics must pass flame, heat and manikin tests, and every finished garment must be third-party certified and labeled.
Vertical flame test (ASTM D6413)
char length of 4 inches or less and afterflame of 2 seconds or less, both before and after 100 launderings.Heat transfer performance (ASTM F2700)
and heat and thermal shrinkage resistance at 500°F (260°C).Instrumented manikin test (ASTM F1930)
a full garment exposed to a 3-second flash fire must show a predicted body burn of 50% or less.Components
such as sewing thread, labels, hardware and emblems must also meet heat and flame requirements.Third-party certification
by an accredited certification organization, with ongoing testing, and a certification label in each garment.
Selection, care and maintenance are covered by a companion standard, NFPA 2113. Our NFPA 2112 guide explains the tests and labels in more detail.
Arc flash protection under NFPA 70E
NFPA 70E requires employers to assess arc flash risk and select protective clothing by one of two methods. With the incident energy analysis method, garments must have an arc rating at or above the calculated incident energy. With the PPE category method, the 2024 edition’s tables set four minimum arc ratings.
| PPE category | Minimum arc rating |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 cal/cm² |
| 2 | 8 cal/cm² |
| 3 | 25 cal/cm² |
| 4 | 40 cal/cm² |
A garment’s arc rating is its ATPV (arc thermal performance value) or, if the fabric breaks open first, its EBT (energy breakopen threshold), measured by the ASTM F1959 arc test; ASTM F1506 is the performance specification for arc-rated garment fabrics. NFPA 70E also requires outer layers worn over arc-rated clothing, such as jackets, rainwear and hi-vis vests, to be arc-rated themselves. The standard is revised every three years, so confirm the edition and tables your program follows; our NFPA 70E guide walks through categories, labels and layering.
FR clothing for linemen and electric utilities (OSHA 1910.269)
FR lineman clothing has to meet OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269, the rule for electric power generation, transmission and distribution work: no clothing that could melt or keep burning, a flame-resistant outer layer in defined situations, and arc-rated protection covering the body whenever estimated incident energy exceeds 2.0 cal/cm².
Under 29 CFR 1910.269(l)(8), the employer assesses flame and arc hazards and estimates the incident heat energy each task could expose a worker to. The outer layer must be flame resistant when a worker contacts energized parts over 600 volts, when an arc could ignite flammable material nearby, when molten metal or arcs from faulted conductors could ignite clothing, or when the estimate exceeds 2.0 cal/cm². Above that figure, arc-rated clothing at or above the estimate must cover the whole body, with limited exceptions for hands, feet, head and face.
| FR clothing for lineman crews | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Arc-rated work shirt | Arc rating at or above the task estimate; long sleeves worn down |
| Arc-rated pants or jeans | Same rating as the shirt, so the system is consistent |
| Outer layers (jackets, rainwear, hi-vis) | Arc-rated or FR themselves, never ordinary polyester |
| Base layers | Natural fiber or FR; no meltable synthetics |
| Logos and name tags | FR materials only; OSHA notes that non-FR logos can affect protection |
Lineman FR clothing therefore starts from the utility’s incident energy estimates, not from a catalog. Line crews working near traffic usually need FR high visibility clothing as well, and our electrician uniforms page covers arc-rated workwear for inside wiremen and contractors.
Which FR fabric should you choose: inherent or treated?
Choose an inherent FR fabric when you want protection built into the fiber, and a treated FR fabric when comfort and cost matter more and laundering can be controlled. Both can be certified; the trade-offs are comfort, weight, durability and cost, and the fabric documentation decides what a garment can be sold as.
- Inherently flame-resistant fabrics get their protection from the fiber itself, such as aramid and modacrylic blends. The property is part of the fiber, so it cannot wash out.
- Treated FR fabrics are usually cotton or cotton-nylon blends with a durable flame-resistant finish applied at the mill, designed to last the life of the garment when laundered correctly.
Custom Uniform Factory confirms which certified FR fabrics are available for your style, with their certifications and arc ratings, at quote stage. Never use spray-on FR treatments to “upgrade” ordinary workwear: they are not a substitute for certified FR garments.
Custom FR clothing construction
Custom FR clothing is not an ordinary uniform sewn in FR fabric. Every component, from thread and closures to labels, logos and reflective trim, has to hold up in a flash fire or arc, and the fit has to leave an insulating air layer. These four areas change most in construction.
Closures
FR zipper tapes and metal zippers sit under a fabric placket. Plastic snaps and standard zippers that could melt are left off.
Decoration
Logos use FR embroidery thread or FR emblems, kept to a modest size; standard polyester embroidery and vinyl transfers can melt and ignite. If the garment is also high-visibility, the reflective tape must be FR as well. Our embroidery and printing team confirms methods against the fabric documentation.
Fit
FR garments fit loose enough to leave an insulating air layer, never tight, and long enough that shirts stay tucked and sleeves stay down. Women’s-cut FR shirts can be developed as a separate style, so smaller crew members are not left in oversized garments.
What determines the cost of custom FR clothing?
The cost of custom FR clothing depends mainly on the certified fabric, the protection level, the garment type, the components, the quantity per style and the decoration. No prices are published here, because every order is quoted on its actual fabric, documentation, garment and quantity. The table shows the usual direction of each factor.
| Cost driver | How it moves the unit price | How to keep it in check |
|---|---|---|
| FR fabric type | Inherent FR blends usually cost more than treated cotton or cotton-nylon | Match the fabric to the hazard and the laundering setup |
| Arc rating or category | Higher arc ratings usually need heavier or layered fabric | Order the rating your risk assessment sets for daily wear |
| Garment type | Coveralls and jackets use more fabric and components than shirts | Cover the hazard with the fewest garments |
| FR components | FR thread, zippers, labels and reflective tape cost more than standard trims | Keep hardware and trim to what the job needs |
| Quantity per style | Larger runs spread setup, sampling and documentation across more pieces, so unit cost tends to fall | Standardize on fewer styles and colors |
| Decoration | FR thread, FR emblems and extra locations add cost per garment | One modest chest logo |
FR shirts and work clothing by industry
FR shirts and FR work clothing change by industry because the hazard changes: flash fire in oil, gas and welding, arc flash for electricians, and both plus high visibility for utilities. These are common starting points; the hazard assessment sets the actual rating.
- Oil and gas and refining. flash-fire shirts, pants and coveralls built to NFPA 2112. See our page on oilfield FR uniforms.
- Welding and fabrication. FR shirts, pants and coveralls with leather over the top for heavy spatter. See welding clothes.
- Electricians and electrical contractors. arc-rated shirts and pants at the rating your risk assessment sets, often PPE Category 1 or 2 for daily wear. See electrician uniforms.
- Utilities and line crews. arc-rated layers for 1910.269 programs, often with FR hi vis; see the lineman section above.
- Mixed crews. flame resistant shirts for men and women’s-cut styles in the same fabric and color, so the whole crew matches.
FR clothing wholesale and private label
FR clothing wholesale and private label programs let uniform distributors, safety suppliers and workwear brands use Custom Uniform Factory as their FR clothing manufacturer. Garments come from the Los Angeles factory as blanks or under your own label, with certification and labeling for each style confirmed before production.
Read more
Blanks are supplied through our wholesale program, and branded lines through our private label service.
How should FR garments be washed?
FR garments should be washed exactly as the care label says, without chlorine bleach or fabric softener, and kept free of oil and grease. Contamination can burn, and some laundry products can harm FR performance or coat the fabric. Retire garments that are torn, worn thin or contaminated.
Read more
Our guide on how to wash FR clothing covers home and industrial laundering in more detail.
What should an FR garment label show?
An FR garment label should show the standard the garment is certified or tested to, the arc rating for arc-rated garments, fiber content and care instructions, and the manufacturer and lot. If a garment has no label showing the certification or arc rating your program needs, do not treat it as protective clothing.
- The standard it is certified or tested to. , such as NFPA 2112 for flash fire, and, for NFPA 2112, the certification organization’s mark.
- The arc rating. in cal/cm² (ATPV or EBT) for arc-rated garments, often alongside the ASTM F1506 reference.
- Fiber content and care instructions. , including restrictions on bleach, softeners or laundering methods.
- Manufacturer and lot or style identification. so the garment can be traced.
Tip: Ask for the fabric and garment documentation before you order, not after delivery. A safety manager will want to see the arc rating, the NFPA 2112 certification and the care instructions in writing.
Ready to order
What to send us for a quote
A complete FR quote needs the hazard, the required performance, the garments, the climate and duty, any extras and your logo and label plans. Send as much of this list as you can with your first message, and we can confirm the certified fabric and documentation available for each style.
- Hazards. flash fire, arc flash or both, from your hazard or arc flash risk assessment.
- Required performance. NFPA 2112 certification, a minimum arc rating in cal/cm², or a PPE category.
- Garments and quantities. shirts, pants, coveralls, jackets, and how many per worker.
- Climate and duty. heat, outdoor work, daily wear or task-only use.
- Extras. hi-vis trim, reflective tape, specific pockets or closures.
- Logo files. and placement, so we can plan FR-compatible decoration.
- Label needs. our labels, or your private label for wholesale or brand programs.
Common FR clothing mistakes
The most common FR clothing mistakes are treating FR and arc-rated as the same, wearing non-FR layers, using ordinary decoration, rolling sleeves, laundering wrongly and keeping damaged garments. Each one can turn a protective garment into one that fails in the few seconds that matter.
Treating FR and arc-rated as the same
A flash-fire garment without an arc rating is not documented for arc flash protection.Non-FR layers on top or underneath
Outer layers over arc-rated clothing must be arc-rated, and meltable synthetic underlayers can melt onto skin. Natural-fiber or FR base layers are the safe choice.Ordinary decoration
Polyester thread, vinyl transfers and standard patches can ignite or melt.Rolled sleeves and open collars
Exposed skin is unprotected skin; garments must be worn as designed.Wrong laundering
Bleach, softeners and contamination can compromise protection. Follow the care label.Keeping damaged garments
Holes, tears, worn-thin areas and oil-soaked fabric reduce protection; retire them.
Ordering custom FR clothing
Ordering custom FR clothing takes four steps: share the hazard assessment, confirm fabric and documentation, approve a sample with FR-compatible decoration, then production. Documentation comes before the sample, because the certified fabric and its ratings decide every later choice of thread, closures and decoration.
- 01
Share your hazard assessment
flash fire, arc flash or both, required arc rating or PPE category, and the standards your program follows. - 02
Confirm fabric and documentation
which certified fabric, arc rating and garment certification apply to the style. - 03
Approve a sample
with FR-compatible decoration. - 04
Production
in Los Angeles from about 50 pieces per style.
Ask us for current lead times when you request a quote.
Questions about fire resistant wear
Need something not covered here? Ask our Los Angeles team and we’ll answer with options for your order.
Ask our Los Angeles teamWhat is the difference between FR and arc-rated clothing?
FR clothing resists ignition and self-extinguishes. Arc-rated clothing is FR clothing that has also been tested against an electric arc and given an arc rating in cal/cm². All arc-rated garments are flame-resistant, but not every FR garment has an arc rating, so electrical workers need the arc rating on the label.
Is your FR clothing NFPA 2112 certified?
NFPA 2112 requires garments to be certified by an independent certification organization, with ongoing testing, and labeled. Certification depends on the specific fabric, components and garment, so we confirm per style which certified fabric we use and what certification and documentation the finished garment carries before quoting it as compliant.
Can you embroider our logo on FR shirts?
Yes, with care. Standard polyester thread and vinyl heat transfers can melt and ignite, so decoration on FR garments must use flame-resistant thread or FR emblems, and on arc-rated garments must not compromise the arc rating. We keep logos modest in size and confirm the decoration method with the fabric documentation.
What arc rating do our electricians need?
That comes from your arc flash risk assessment, not from the garment supplier. Under NFPA 70E you either match the arc rating to the calculated incident energy or use the PPE category tables, where Category 1 calls for at least 4 cal/cm² and Category 2 for at least 8 cal/cm².
Do you sell FR clothing wholesale?
Yes. We produce FR garments in volume for uniform distributors, safety suppliers and workwear brands, either blank or under your own private label. Private label runs start at about 50 pieces per style, and wholesale quantities are confirmed on inquiry. Fabric choice and certification documentation are confirmed for each style at quote stage.
Related
All workwear →Oil & Gas
FR coveralls, shirts and pants for drilling, well servicing, production, pipeline and refinery crews, built to the flash fire standard you specify and branded without breaking it.
Welding
Branded welder shirts, pants, coveralls and FR uniforms for fabrication shops and pipeline welders, built around spark, spatter and flash fire hazards.
Electricians
Branded work shirts, pants and arc-rated garment options for electrical contractors, built around NFPA 70E and cut and sewn in Los Angeles from 50 pieces per style.
Embroidery & Printing
Logo embroidery, screen printing, transfers and patches across workwear, with advice on which method suits each garment, fabric and order size.
Painters Wear
Classic white painter pants with ruler pocket and hammer loop, cut and sewn in our Los Angeles factory with your logo from about 50 pieces per style.
Denim Workwear
Work jeans, carpenter pants, chore coats and denim overalls cut and sewn in Los Angeles for crews and workwear brands, from about 50 pieces per style.