Is my Fabric Durable?

Abrasion can be defined as the removal of material from the bulk of the substrate, during relative movement of the abrasive and substrate. This test try to forecast how well a fabric will stand up to wear and tear as upholstery. The resistance power against damage due to abrasion of a fabric known as abrasion resistance. Abrasion testing isn’t the only method to guage the durability of a fabric, its one of the most direct method. There are also tensile strength, vertically and horizontally.

In the fabric industry there are two different methods of testing that are typically used to measure a fabric’s ability to withstand abrasion. One is known as the “Martindale” and the other is known as the “Wyzenbeek”. Martindale is the preferred test in Europe. Wyzenbeek is preferred in the US.
Testing of upholstery fabrics takes time and the longer the consumption of time at the testing centre the most cost involved in getting the fabric certified. Some untested fabrics can also be quite durable too, this is from our years of experience. By looking and feeling the fabric selected for your custom upholstery, we would roughly be able to advise you if its of certain quality.

Of course it also shouldn’t deter you from using low rub count fabrics. Natural materials such as silk and cotton can also be used for your custom sofas or chairs that you want to build. It just simply have its natural characteristics of advantages and disadvantages.

Cotton fabric are very soft and cooling to touch when use for upholstery but it weakens after 4 to 5 years which is actually acceptable to some of our customers. Silk with rub counts of <3000 would last for about 2 years. But its certain very elegant and beautifully awesome.

How long your fabric last also depends on how you approach it when you take your seat on your upholstered furniture too. I don’t suppose you throw yourself with your whole body weight on your sofa. That instantaneous moment creates extreme amount of stress to the upholstered fabric.