Industry Guide to Canadian Requirements for Tents

Overview

This document provides information about safety requirements that apply under the Tents Regulations to tents that are consumer products within the meaning of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). The requirements apply to such tents that are manufactured, imported, advertised or sold in Canada.

The Tents Regulations help protect people in Canada from injuries and deaths caused by tent fires. The regulations reflect contemporary safety requirements developed by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) in their standard entitled CAN/CGSB-182.1-2020 Flammability and labelling requirements for tents (hereafter the "safety standard"), as amended from time to time.

This document is not intended to substitute for, supersede or limit the requirements under the applicable legislation. In case of any discrepancy between this summary and the legislation, the legislation will prevail. For further information, contact a Health Canada Consumer Product Safety Office using the general enquiries form or telephone at 1-866-662-0666 (toll-free within Canada and the United States).

Who this guide is for

Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers of tents
Testing laboratories
Other interested parties who are affected by the Regulations

Legislation

Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program administers and enforces the CCPSA and its regulations. The Program operates as a post-market regulatory regime, meaning that there is no pre-market review or approval of a consumer product subject to the CCPSA by Health Canada. It is the responsibility of industry to ensure that the products they supply to the Canadian market comply with the CCPSA and its regulations.

Tents manufactured, imported, advertised or sold in Canada are subject to the CCPSA and must meet the requirements set out in the Tents Regulations. For the flammability performance and fire-safety labelling requirements, the Tents Regulations reference specific sections of the safety standard. The references to the safety standard are ambulatory in nature. This means that when the safety standard is updated, the Tents Regulations will refer to the requirements from the most recently published version of the final amended safety standard.

The Tents Regulations (SOR/2024-217) came into effect on November 20, 2024. The regulations replace the former Tents Regulations (SOR/2016-185), which had not changed substantively since 1988. The transitional provision in the current Tents Regulations allows regulated parties two years to adjust and comply with the new requirements.

In addition to the requirements specified in the Tents Regulations, other requirements of the CCPSA apply. For example, it is prohibited to manufacture, import, advertise or sell a consumer product that is a "danger to human health or safety", as defined in the CCPSA (see paragraphs 7(a) and 8(a)). There are also requirements for mandatory incident reporting, preparing and maintaining documents, etc. A Quick Reference Guide for the CCPSA is available on the Government of Canada website. See the Resources section of this document for links to additional references.

Enforcement actions taken on non-compliant products depend on factors such as the degree of risk associated with a non-compliant product, the willingness of the responsible person to voluntarily comply and their compliance history. Actions taken by Health Canada on a non-compliant consumer product, such as a tent that does not comply with the Tents Regulations, may include:

commitment to product correction by industry
negotiation with industry for the voluntary removal of the product from the market
orders by Health Canada to take specified actions such as a recall
product seizure by Health Canada
prosecution

Any person that manufactures, imports, advertises or sells non-compliant products that result in property damage, injury or death may also be subject to legal liability.

Definitions in the Tents Regulations

Tent

The Tents Regulations specify that a "tent" is a structure that meets all the following conditions:

it is portable
it is intended to shelter persons from outdoor environmental elements such as precipitation, sun, wind or insects
it is made, in whole or in part, of fabric or other pliable material
it has a top
it has at least one side that constrains egress

Tents subject to the National Building Code of Canada 2020, published by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, National Research Council of Canada, are not within the scope of the Tents Regulations.

Keeping in mind the conditions within the definition of a tent, some examples of products that are generally considered tents include:

camping tents
dining shelters
gazebos
hunting blinds
ice-fishing tents
youth camping tents
play tents, in other words, children's toys that resemble a camping tent

Some examples of products that are generally not considered tents include:

awnings
canopies (with no sides present)
tarpaulins
temporary car shelters

The classification flow diagram outlined in Figure 1 may assist with the determination of whether or not a consumer product is within the scope of the Tents Regulations.

see text description below — **Figure 1. Tent classification flow diagram.**

Components and accessories

The definition for "components and accessories" captures items that are intended to be used with a tent, such as side panels, curtains, footprints, flies and gear lofts, whether they are sold with a tent or separately. A tent's components and accessories are subject to the flammability performance requirements of the Tents Regulations.

Certain items are excluded from the definition of components and accessories as they are not relevant to the flammability risk or are not practical for testing due to their size or composition. The following components and accessories are excluded from the flammability performance requirements of the Tents Regulations:

packaging such as bags for tents, poles or stakes
threads, zippers, ropes, hook and loop fasteners and webbing
labels and logos with a surface area of less than or equal to 1,000 square centimeters, calculated in a manner set out in Annex A of the safety standard
fabric and other pliable material with a surface area less than or equal to 1,000 square centimeters

Safety standard

The Tents Regulations define the CAN/CGSB-182.1-2020 Flammability and Labelling Requirements for Tents, as amended from time to time, as the "safety standard". This ambulatory incorporation by reference means the Tents Regulations will always refer to the requirements of the most recent version of the final amended safety standard. In other words, as the safety standard undergoes periodic review and update, the final amended version becomes part of the regulation without requiring a regulatory amendment.

The Tents Regulations provide a compliance period following the publication of a final amended version of the safety standard to facilitate regulated parties' efforts to adjust their design, production, inventories and testing, to meet the new requirements.

A final amended version of CAN/CGSB-182.1 was published in April 2025. Thus, as of April 2025, the Tents Regulations refer to the CAN/CGSB-182.1-2025 as the safety standard, even though the text of the Tents Regulations has not changed.

Compared to the 2020 version, the 2025 version of the safety standard incorporates only non-substantive editorial corrections, and improvements to the Figures, for clarity. Since no substantive technical changes were made, the flammability performance requirements and the fire-safety labelling requirements are practically the same across both versions. This could change if a new version of the standard is published after April 2025.

For clarity, the term "tent" in the safety standard has the same meaning as in the Tents Regulations.

Health Canada's approach to incorporating external documents into regulations is outlined in its policy on incorporation by reference. Read more about it in the Health Canada Incorporation by Reference Policy.

Flammability performance requirements

While manufacturers are advised to verify that all tent materials comply with the flammability requirements prior to assembly, finished products must meet the requirements of the Tents Regulations. The flammability requirements apply to all fabric and other pliable material of a tent, including its components and accessories. If more than one material is used, each distinct material must meet the requirements. A distinct material may be identified by features such as fabric weight, colour, or material with an applied finish. For example, the material of a flexible plastic windows is distinct from the material of the tent flooring.

Modification of materials by applying coatings, screen printing inks or other finishes can affect the flammability of a tent. Materials should be tested as they are found in the finished product.

The flammability performance requirements for tent products are specified in section 2 of the Tents Regulations. Subsection 2(1) of the Tents Regulations state, when tested in accordance with the safety standard, fabric and other pliable material of a tent or of its components and accessories must meet the requirements set out in section 5.2.1 of the safety standard.

Section 5.2 of the safety standard refers to a vertical flammability test for all materials. Section 5.2.1 specifies that materials must meet:

the performance requirement for either damage length or mass loss, and
the performance requirement for flaming debris.

NOTE - For the mass loss criteria in the safety standard, material with a mass per area more than 340 grams per square meter is denoted as "n/a", meaning not applicable. This "n/a" indicates that material with a mass per area greater than 340 grams per square meter is not evaluated for mass loss and must pass the average damage length requirement and the flaming debris requirement. Therefore, if the material with a mass per area greater than 340 grams per square meter fails the damage length criteria, the specimen is considered to have failed the requirement.

As per subsection 2(2) of the Tents Regulations, flooring materials, as defined in the safety standard, that do not meet the performance requirements of section 5.2.1, are further subject to the horizontal test outlined in section 5.3 of the safety standard. Section 5.3.1 of the safety standard requires that these flooring materials meet the performance requirement for shortest intact length.

In sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the safety standard, specimens are assessed in three states: as received, after leaching and after weathering.

Fire-safety labelling requirements

The Tents Regulations require permanent fire-safety labelling in English and French. Subsection 3(1) of the Tents Regulations states that a tent must meet the labelling requirements set out in section 6 of the safety standard, which specifies the warnings and precautions that must be present on a tent. This section of the safety standard also includes general requirements for the label, such as language, permanency, visibility, location and letter height.

Warnings

All tents must bear a label that carries the warnings, word for word, as prescribed in section 6.2.1 of the safety standard. The purpose of these warnings is to inform the user that the tent is not fireproof and to keep flames and heat sources away from the tent.

The label must be permanently affixed to the tent in a prominent location, and must remain clearly visible, unobstructed and legible throughout the life of the tent.

Additional safety information may be printed on the label; however, it should not detract from, contradict or weaken the required information.

Precautions

A tent must also display the applicable precautions, or statements that convey the same meaning, from section 6.3 of the safety standard. The purpose of these precautions is to help prevent fires and maintain safe conditions in and around the tent.

Table 1 provides a summary of the precautionary label requirements, with examples. To assist in the determination of applicability, the meaning of the following terms is provided in the Tents Regulations:

"appliance" means a cooking or heating device (subsection 3(2))
"children's tent" means a tent intended to be used by a child under 14 years of age, and that is not intended to be used with a cooking or heating device (subsection 3(3))

Table 1: Tent product categories and associated precautions.
Tent Category	Example of Product	Applicable Precautions from the Safety Standard
A tent that is not: designed or intended for use with an appliance, or a children's tent	An outdoor camping tent for a family of four	Section 6.3.1 or statements that convey the same meaning
A tent that is designed or intended to be used with an appliance	A winter camping tent that uses an appliance such as a wood stove for heating	Section 6.3.2 or statements that convey the same meaning
A children's tent	A camping tent for a 12 year old child	Section 6.3.3 or statements that convey the same meaning

Toys intended to be entered by a child

Certain toys intended to be entered by a child are subject to the Tents Regulations. Some examples include youth camping tents and play tents that resemble camping tents.

The Toys Regulations (SOR/2011-17) under the CCPSA define a "toy" as "a product that is intended for use by a child under 14 years of age in learning or play". A toy intended to be entered by a child is defined in the Toys Regulations as "a toy that is constructed, in whole or in part, from fabric or other pliable material and that is intended to fully or almost fully enclose a child".

As per subsection 45 of the Toys Regulations, toys intended to be entered by a child that meet the definition of a tent in the Tents Regulations must meet the flammability performance requirements (section 2) and fire-safety labelling requirements (section 3) set out in the Tents Regulations. All other requirements of the Toys Regulations remain applicable to the product, since it is a toy.

Toys intended to be entered by a child, where they do not meet the definition of a tent in the Tents Regulations, are subject to the flammability performance and fire-safety labelling requirements set out in sections 46 and 47 of the Toys Regulations.

A flow diagram illustrating the key decision points for determining which regulations apply to these products is provided in Figure 2.

Under subsection 46(1) of the Toys Regulations, a toy intended to be entered by a child is required to meet ISO 8124-2, entitled Safety of toys — Part 2: Flammability, as amended from time to time. The flammability performance requirement uses an ambulatory incorporation by reference. This means that when the ISO standard is updated, the requirements from the final amended version apply. Under subsection 46(2) of the Toys Regulations, compliance periods are available for regulated parties to adjust their inventory and comply with any new changes.

Section 47 sets out the requirements for a permanent label containing a warning and an alert symbol that must be present on a toy intended to be entered by a child. The warning text or its equivalent, in English and French, must appear on the label. Section 47 also sets out general requirements for the warning and alert symbol, such as location, size and legibility.

Refer to the Industry Guide to Health Canada's Safety Requirements for Children's Toys and Related Products for more information on safety requirements for toys.

Compliance Periods

Section 4 of the Tents Regulations sets out a compliance period that applies when a new version of the final amended safety standard is published to facilitate adjustment of the supply chain inventory.

The compliance period begins on the date a final amended safety standard is published. The timeframe that regulated parties have to bring their products into compliance with a final amended safety standard was established with consideration of the seasonal nature of tent product use. As such, the applicable timeframe is dependant on the activity being conducted:

One year for manufacturers and importers
Two years for advertisers and sellers

Regulated parties are encouraged to achieve compliance with a final amended safety standard for tent products as soon as possible, and must meet this final amended safety standard at the end of the applicable compliance period.

A compliance period is also set out in section 46 of the Toys Regulations for a toy intended to be entered by a child. The compliance period begins the date a final amended ISO 8124-2 standard is published. The timeframe that regulated parties have to bring their products into compliance with a final amended ISO 8124-2 standard is dependant on the activity being conducted:

180 days for manufacturers and importers
365 days for advertisers and sellers

For a toy intended to be entered by a child, regulated parties are encouraged to achieve compliance to the final amended ISO 8124-2 standard as soon as possible, and must meet this final amended ISO 8124-2 standard once the applicable compliance period has ended.

Regulated parties are encouraged to stay informed about the development and amendment process for the applicable standard, as well as the publication dates for final amended versions of the standards.

Information on notification of CGSB standardization activities is available on the Notification of Standardization Activities web page.
Developmental work on ISO standards, including future changes to the ISO toy standard, is available on the standards web page.

Transitional Provision

The Tents Regulations were published on November 20, 2024. As the new requirements came into effect immediately, it was recognized that regulated parties would require time to adapt elements of their business, such as design, production, inventories and testing, to be able to comply. To support this transition, a two-year transitional provision is included in the Tents Regulations.

Until November 20, 2026, a tent as described in the Tents Regulations is deemed to be compliant with the regulatory requirements provided it meets either the current or the former requirements of the Tents Regulations.

The former Tents Regulations (SOR/2016-185), which make a static incorporation by reference to the 1995 version of CPAI-84: A Specification for Flame-Resistant Materials Used in Camping Tentage, is available online. Unlike an ambulatory incorporation by reference, a static incorporation by reference refers to the standard at a specific moment in time. Note that the transitional provision also applies to toys intended to be entered by a child under the Toys Regulations.

The transitional provision ends on November 20, 2026, and includes all regulated activities under the CCPSA, such as manufacture, import, advertise and sale.

Note that the transitional provision differs from the compliance period, which applies when a final amended version of a referenced standard is published.

To obtain a copy of the archived Industry Guide for the former Tents Regulations, complete the general enquiries form. Under Program, select Consumer Product Safety. Then, under Enquiry Type, select Documentation Request –> Other.

Use of flame retardant chemicals

The function of flame retardant chemicals in manufactured materials is to slow the ignition and the spread of fire. Certain flame retardant chemicals may be harmful to human health or the environment. Health Canada encourages industry to use safe, non-chemical alternatives to meet the flammability performance requirements.

The former Tents Regulations set out requirements for flammability performance using a static incorporation by reference to specific sections of CPAI-84. Tent manufacturers may have applied flame retardant chemicals on tent materials in order to comply with the flammability performance requirements in the former Tents Regulations.

Compared to the previously referenced CPAI-84 standard, the current safety standard in the Tents Regulations utilizes a balanced approach to assess the flammability performance of tents as it:

allows mass loss as a performance criteria
incorporates revised criteria for flaming debris
eliminates the after-flame time requirements

With these changes, the Tents Regulations help reduce or eliminate the need for flame retardant chemicals in tent products.

Information about factors affecting textile flammability – such as fibre content, fabric construction, fabric weight and fabric finishes – can be found in the Industry Guide to Flammability of Textile Products in Canada.

Health Canada continues to evaluate the human health risks associated with flame retardant chemicals under the Chemicals Management Plan and encourages industry to monitor the information on the Summary of Flame Retardant Assessments page regularly. This will help industry stay informed of CMP screening assessment conclusions and risk management strategies that may be put in place to help protect the health of the public.

Health Canada also encourages Canadian manufacturers, importers, advertisers and sellers to voluntarily disclose the chemicals used in the tents they supply in Canada, including any flame retardant chemicals, when requested by individuals including distributors, retailers or the public.

See Notice to stakeholders on the use of flame-retardant chemicals in certain consumer products in Canada.

Resources

For further information, visit the resources below or contact a Health Canada Consumer Product Safety Office by using the general enquiries form or telephone at 1-866-662-0666 (toll-free within Canada and the United States).

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2026-02-05

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