100 cotton Upholstery Fabric

Upholstery cotton is a common choice for covering most home and office furniture. It is beautiful and there is such a great variety of upholstery cotton that the differences in design and style are practically endless.

How Durability is Measured and Tested

There are official and standard tests that upholstery manufacturing companies conduct in order to determine the durability of a particular type of upholstery. The company literally takes a large swatch of the material to be tested and stretches tight. Then another piece of cloth is rubbed on it to imitate regular wear and tear on the material. From the moment that one strand of the fabric tears the count of how many rubs it took is recorded. This is actually called the "double rub rating." When rating fabrics for upholstery the bare minimum count of rubs allowed is 30, 000. If the fabric is to be used in an industrial manner then the number can go up in excess of 100, 000 to be strong enough.

Canvas

Canvas is an extremely durable upholstery cotton. The strands that make up the fabric are thick and course and this enables the entire structure of the finished product to be very strong. Consider the difference between a thread and string. The thread will not hold up as well as the string for the obvious reason that it is not as thick.

Corduroy

Corduroy is an attractive retro appearance for upholstery. This fabric is not quite as durable as canvas. Corduroy is a medium strength base fabric that has a mat finish of strips of thick cotton. The strips of cotton have the potential of rubbing off with friction although it will take a considerable amount of time.

Chenille

Of upholstery cottons this pretty and delicate fabric would be considered quite low on the double rub rating scale. It is made of thin fibers that will not hold up to wear very well. A chair or chaise lounge could be covered with this fabric if used in a bedroom or a sitting room where there is little use of the furniture.

Cotton Yarn Fabric

Cotton yarn is a good choice in durable upholstery. The thickness of the fibers that make up the fabric is much the same as canvas but not quite the same durability. Like any of the upholstery cottons the only limitations to design and color is the imagination of the manufacturer and the buyer.