46 CFR § 160.052-3 - Materials—standard vests.
(a) General. All components used in the construction of buoyant vests must meet the applicable requirements of subpart 164.019 of this chapter. The requirements for materials specified in this section are minimum requirements, and consideration will be given to the use of alternate materials in lieu of those specified. Detailed technical data and samples of all proposed alternate materials shall be submitted for approval before those materials are incorporated in the finished product.
(b) Unicellular plastic foam. The unicellular plastic foam shall be all new material complying with the requirements of specification Subpart 164.015 of this subchapter for Type A or B foam.
(c) Envelope. The buoyant vest envelope, or cover, shall be made from 39″, 2.85 cotton jeans cloth, with a thread count of approximately 96 × 64. The finished goods shall weigh not less than 4.2 ounces per square yard, shall have thread count of not less than 94 × 60, and shall have a breaking strength of not less than 85 pounds in the warp and 50 pounds in the filling. Other cotton fabrics having a weight and breaking strength not less than the above will be acceptable. There are no restrictions as to color, but the fastness of the color to laundering, water, crocking, and light shall be rated “good” when tested in accordance with Federal Test Method Standard No. 191, Methods 5610, 5630, 5650, and 5660.
(d) Tie tapes and body strap loops. The tie tapes and body strap loops for both adult and child sizes must be 3/4-inch cotton webbing meeting the requirements of military specification MIL-T-43566 (Class I) for Type I webbing.
(d–1) Body straps. The complete body strap assembly, including hardware, must have a minimum breaking strength of 150 pounds for an adult size and 115 pounds for a child size. The specifications for the webbing are as follows:
(1) For an adult size vest, the webbing must be 1 inch;
(2) For a child size vest, the webbing must be three-quarter inch and meet the requirements of military specification MIL-W-530 for Type IIa webbing.
(e) [Reserved]
(f) Thread. Each thread must meet the requirements of subpart 164.023 of this chapter. Only one kind of thread may be used in each seam.