UPDATE: An Inside Look at the True Cost of SFI Certification

Just got an email reply from a friend in the industry that deals with the SFI certification process every day. He laid out the costs for the certification process. I’m posting this because I’ve seen elsewhere justifications for Impact using counterfeit labels because the SFI has an unfair monopoly and was charging excessive amounts.

The answer I got is that if a manufacturer wants to certify a suit, it must send SFI material samples for the layers, zipper, cuffs and thres. If it passes, the manufacturer is allowed to purchase patches for $3.30 each which are to be sewn into the suit. Testing costs run $500-$600 and must be renewed every two years. So for each type of suit, the cost SFI imposes on the manufacturer is $300 per year plus $3.30 per unit sold. Fire suits are the most expensive item; tags and testing for seat restraints, shoes, gloves, etc. are even less. Plus, Impact says on its site that all of its products are certified, which means they’ve already paid the $600 for testing and are only saving the $3.30 per patch.

This certainly does not seem like an exhorbitant cost, which makes you ask: If a manufacturer is willing to risk the backlash on its reputation from using conterfeit labels, is more likely becasue that manufacturer wants to save a thousand bucks a year per suit or because of some other reason? Please give us your thoughts in the comments.

Here’s the original post:

Over the weekend the SFI Foundation released a bombshell to anyone that races and uses Impact Racing safety gear. The SFI is the organization that provides a certification standard to ensure all racing safety equipment protects against fire and heat adequately. There are several different standards out there, so gear is certified to the appropriate standard and you know how much protection it provides. For example, a Top Fuel drag racer purchases a much more protective suit that meets a different standard than some racing in amatuer SCCA events because there is much greater risk of engine fire. You can easily tell if a piece of safety equipment meets SFI levels–and exactly what level–by the SFI tag that is sewn into every SFI approved piece of clothing.

Impact has already had problems with some of its equipment and been forced by the SFI to recall some faulty gear. But now the SFI has decertified ALL Impact Racing safety equipment because it says the company has been using counterfeit labels. This affects helmets, fire suits, gloves, boots, and anything else manufactured under the Impact brand. If you are currently racing with any Impact gear and your track inspects safety gear, you have until April 27 to get it replaced. According to the SFI, “Evidence obtained by SFI shows that over a period of years Impact Racing has engaged in the production and use of counterfeit SFI conformance labels and patches, and affixed them to Impact product for use in motorsports. … Evidence shows that Impact had counterfeit SFI labels and patches made in Asia and then affixed them to Impact products it distributed to members of the racing community. To SFI’s knowledge, Impact never advised its customers that its products contained phony SFI labels and patches.”

 If you are interested, you can read the entire release from the SFI here.

Impact has replied with a short message on its website, saying that Impact is legally challenging SFI over the decertification. Adding that the dispute is essentialy over tags and–we’re quoting here–”Our products are certified.” We’re also posting an image of the message below.

The problem as we see it is if any safety company is will to lie and/or cheat in any area or on any level. Then should that company be trusted in any area or on any level? By the way, Impact has already had problems with the quality of racing products it has sold that has been certified. For more information on that, please check out this forum thread from several professional drag racers. The problem any owner of Impact Racing equipment has right now is he or she has to decide if they believe the problem lies only in the tags and the equipment is up to standard or if the equipment cannot be trusted.

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