How to Verify a Pool Safety Cover Really Meets ASTM F1346
ASTM F1346 is the performance standard for pool and spa safety covers. To verify a cover, look for the F1346 marking and warning label on it, and ask the maker for current documentation for your model. Be careful with claims like “an F1346 cover will not hold more than one inch of water.” We could not find a one-inch rule in the standard text we reviewed.
By the Calm Water Pools Team | Last verified: September 28, 2026
What ASTM F1346 is
The standard’s full title is “Standard Performance Specification for Safety Covers and Labeling Requirements for All Covers for Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs.” The current edition is F1346-23, approved in July 2023 (ASTM). It covers pools, spas, hot tubs and wading pools, and its purpose is to reduce drowning risk by inhibiting access by young children when a cover is correctly installed and used.
ASTM sells the standard and we do not reproduce it. What follows is a plain-language summary, based on a copy of the 2010 reprint of the F1346-91 text that we could read. The 2023 edition may differ in detail, so the current edition governs.
The three kinds of cover it describes
- Power safety covers: automatic covers driven by a motor.
- Manual safety covers: spring-and-strap covers anchored into the deck, like a winter safety cover.
- Other covers: solar covers and energy blankets, which are not a child barrier.
A manual cover can meet F1346 and still not count as the barrier that a building code requires. See can a pool safety cover replace a fence.
What the standard tests
In the 2010 text we reviewed:
- Static load: the cover is tested with 485 pounds for pools wider than 8 feet, and 275 pounds for pools 8 feet wide or narrower.
- Drainage: the cover must drain substantially all standing water within 30 minutes after normal rainfall stops. The test checks whether water fully covers a torso-shaped test object about 5 inches thick.
- Marking: every safety cover must carry the manufacturer’s name, a date, an instruction to inspect the cover for wear, and a warning label headed “AVOID DROWNING RISK” with hazard statements such as removing standing water and keeping children away. The labeling must state that the product meets F1346.
About the “one inch of water” claim
Some websites say an F1346 cover “will not allow water accumulation greater than one inch.” We looked for a one-inch or other water-depth rule in the standard text we reviewed and did not find one. What the text does address is drainage of standing water after rain, as described above. Whatever the number, water sitting on a solid cover is a hazard, so pump it off (see pumps, ice and snow on a solid cover).
How to check a cover before you buy or rely on it
- Find the label. A compliant cover should carry the manufacturer name, date, warning label and a statement that it meets F1346.
- Ask for documentation. Ask the maker or dealer for written documentation for your specific model, and which edition it references.
- Check the mechanism on an automatic cover. Look for a UL listing on the drive mechanism, and check that the switch is in line of sight of the cover.
- Confirm the installation matches the instructions. Coverstar states its covers comply when installed and maintained according to the instructions.
- Read the warranty. Compliance and warranty both depend on correct installation and care.
What Latham says about its covers
A Latham document dated 2019 states that Coverstar covers, automatic and manual, have been tested by independent laboratories and found to comply with the ASTM requirements for safety covers, and that the Coverstar power mechanisms are listed by UL as power safety covers under F1346-91 (Latham, UL and ASTM standards). That document cites the 1991 edition, so ask for current documentation for your model. The UL listing it describes applies to power mechanisms, not to manual covers.
Frequently asked questions
What is ASTM F1346?
It is the performance specification for safety covers and labeling for all covers used on swimming pools, spas and hot tubs. The current edition is F1346-23, approved in July 2023.
Does ASTM F1346 have a one-inch water rule?
We did not find one in the standard text we reviewed. That text addresses draining standing water within 30 minutes after normal rainfall stops. Some websites repeat a one-inch rule, but you should not rely on it.
How do I know my safety cover meets ASTM F1346?
Look for the maker’s label stating it meets F1346, ask the maker or dealer for written documentation for your model, and make sure the cover was installed and maintained according to the instructions.
Does a winter safety cover count as a pool barrier?
Not necessarily. The standard describes manual and power safety covers, but the building codes we reviewed exempt a pool from barrier requirements only for a powered cover, and some jurisdictions have removed even that. Ask your county.
Are Latham covers ASTM F1346 compliant?
Latham says Coverstar covers were tested by independent laboratories and found to comply, and that its power mechanisms are UL listed as power safety covers. That statement is from a 2019 document citing the 1991 edition, so ask for current documentation for your model.
Sources: ASTM F1346-23 (title, edition and scope); ASTM F1346-91 (2010 reprint) as hosted by Aquamatic (classes, load, drainage and marking); Latham, UL and ASTM standards. We summarize the standard and do not reproduce it. Details in the current edition may differ.