It may not be intuitive to think of slipcovers as upholstery because they are not fixed to your sofa or armchair as upholstery would be.
Slipcovers also typically don’t feature padding or decorative details, like buttons, for example.
However, slipcovers serve much the same purpose as upholstery – covering, decorating, and protecting the furniture underneath – and, therefore, the criteria used to evaluate upholstery fabrics is important to understand as it may help you choose a slipcover that best meets your and your couch’s needs.
Because it is made to cover furniture, upholstery fabric is generally heavier and more durable than other fabrics.
Durability refers to the ability of a product to remain functional in the face of normal operation over its design lifetime without requiring excessive maintenance. It is, in other words, the quality of being able to last a long time without becoming damaged.
The very act of shopping for a slipcover indicates that fabric durability is a concern. Your couch has probably thrown up its hand and self-identified as a heavily used piece that will either need a slipcover to protect it from wear and tear or that needs a slipcover to conceal wear and tear that has already occurred.
With this in mind, lets take a closer look at common tests of fabric durability – also referred to as fabric wearability or abrasion resistance.
Abrasion resistance tests are used by the textile industry to establish upholstery fabric durability ratings, while other wear tests are used to determine other durability characteristics.
In this article: Abrasion Resistance • The Wyzenbeek Test • The Martindale Test Textile Labeling Requirements in the United States • U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Labeling Requirements • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Labeling Requirements Other Measures of Upholstery Fabric Durability • Colorfastness • Stain resistance • Shape retention • Thread count • Weave tightness • Susceptibility to pilling How to Make Use of This Information
Abrasion Resistance: The Wyzenbeek and Martindale Tests
In the textile industry, upholstery fabric durability ratings are determined through various testing methods. Two of the most widely used methods for testing fabric durability are the Wyzenbeek method and the Martindale method.
Tests based on these two methods were established by ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), an organization has maintained voluntary but consensus standards for services and products in a range of global industries, including the textile industry, for more than a century.
Though there are differences in their methods, the Wyzenbeek test (ASTM D4157) and the Martindale test (ASTM D4966) both employ rub testing techniques to simulate natural wear.
The Wyzenbeek test is the test most commonly used in the United States (and in North America as a whole). The idea behind the Wyzenbeek test is to simulate abrasive rubbing that occurs when a person sits in a chair and then stands. The fabric being tested is cut into two pieces so that it can be tested in perpendicular directions – across both the fabric’s warp and weft. During the test, an abradant – typically a piece of cotton duck – is repeatedly rubbed back and forth over the fabric being tested. Every back-and-forth motion counts as one “double rub.”
Every 5,000 double rubs, each sample is checked for signs of noticeable wear. While wear may encompass other visible signs, the occurrence of two yarn breaks serves as a standard for determining that significant wear has occurred.
If after the first 5,000 double rubs, there isn’t any noticeable wear the fabric is subjected to another 5,000 double rubs.
Once wear becomes evident (or two yarn breaks occur) the test is ended.
The fabric’s durability is then rated at the highest 5,000 double rub interval it reached without showing wear and tear.
The Martindale test is the test most commonly used in Europe. Like the Wyzenbeek test, the Martindale test uses repeated abrasion to test a fabric’s durability. Unlike the Wyzenbeek test the Martindale test uses wire mesh or wool as the abradant and a circular rubbing motion. Because of this circular motion, a Martindale rating is expressed in “cycles” rather than in “rubs.”
Though like a Wyzenbeek rating, a Martindale rating is measured in multiples of 5,000, there is no correlation between the Wyzenbeek and Martindale tests and no formula for translating the results of one to the other.
“Great!” you say. “This all seems very straightforward.”
But how does one go about using Wyzenbeek or Martindale ratings to choose a durable slipcover?
Textile Labeling Requirements in the United States
Certainly, having consensus standards of product quality within an industry is important. But while Wyzenbeek and Martindale ratings are significant within the textile industry (as are other tests) the usefulness of durability ratings to consumers is more limited.
Or rather durability ratings are useful, but difficult for consumers to discern.
If you visit a furniture showroom in North America, you will typically be able to find fabric durability ratings measured in “rubs” on the back of fabric swatches. In other words, you will be able to see how an upholstery fabric that you might be considering performed in a Wyzenbeek test.
But while in the United States government agencies like the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) do have regulations regarding the labeling of textiles and upholstery, neither the FTC nor the CPSC require disclosure of fabric durability as part of their labeling requirements.
Therefore, consumer facing labels on most textiles will not provide information about the fabric’s abrasion resistance.
Here is what consumer facing labels are required to disclose.
The FTC requires labels on textiles and upholstered furniture to list the fiber content, country of origin, and identity of the manufacturer or another business responsible for marketing or handling the product.
The FTC also promulgates the “Care Labeling Rule” which requires manufacturers and importers of textiles to attach labels to their products disclosing appropriate care consistent with ordinary product use.
The CPSC is responsible for testing fabric flammability and enforcing the “Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA),” which sets national standards (and compliance requirements) for the flammability of textiles and textile products.
In sum, in the United States, consumer facing labels on most textile products will not disclose fabric durability ratings.
“Hmmm …” you say. “So now what?”
Other Measures of Upholstery Fabric Durability
The textile industry also tests fabrics for durability characteristics other than abrasion resistance, qualities that impact fabric durability but that aren’t measured by either the Wyzenbeek or Martindale test.
These qualities include colorfastness, stain resistance, shape retention, thread count, weave tightness, and susceptibility to pilling.
How do each of these qualities affect fabric durability?
Colorfastness. Colorfastness describes a fabric’s ability to retain its original color without fading and without its dye bleeding or running. While colorfastness does not affect a fabric’s strength, color that fades or dye that runs when the fabric is subjected to abrasion, sunlight, or laundering damage a fabric’s aesthetic function. In that sense, colorfastness is an important aspect of durability.
Stain resistance. Much like colorfastness, propensity to staining impacts the aesthetic longevity of fabric. And while staining does not, in itself, reduce a fabric’s strength, the process of removing stains, which often involves harsh cleaning methods or chemicals, can weaken a fabric’s fibers and shorten its lifespan. Therefore, a fabric that is resistant to staining will generally be more durable.
Shape retention. “Form follows function,” a principle associated with modern architecture, is the idea that the shape of an object (a building, in this case) should be primarily based upon its intended function. This phrase is attributed to architect Louis Sullivan, who probably didn’t have slipcovers in mind, but it neatly gets at this: If a slipcover is unable to retain its original shape, how long will it be able to perform its intended function (covering your couch) in a satisfactory manner?
Shape retention in textiles refers to the ability of a fabric to maintain its original form and size after undergoing various processes such as laundering and use. This property is not only crucial to the long-term appearance of a textile, but to its performance and hence durability.
Thread count. Thread count measures the number of threads in a square inch of fabric. A high thread count indicates more individual fibers in each inch, resulting in a finely woven fabric with a smooth, even texture that is generally experienced as softness. Thread density also makes fabric durable and less likely to tear or rip. Densely woven fabrics are often also heavier, draping better and resisting wrinkles.
Weave tightness. A tightly woven fabric has little or no space between its threads. The fibers of a loosely woven fabric, on the other hand, will easily separate when pulled and prodded, opening gaps in the weave in which dirt and dust become embedded. Dirt and dust particles rub against fabric fibers as we sit and stand (Sound familiar? Hint, Wyzenbeek test.) and this repeated friction causes fabric fibers to break, compromising fabric durability.
Susceptibility to pilling. Pilling also results from abrasion. Pills form when short or broken fibers tangle together forming clusters that appear as small balls and bumps on fabric surfaces. Almost all fabric will pill somewhat, but how much a fabric will pill is an important consideration. While the extent to which pilling affects fabric durability is debated, pilling, like fading and staining, affects the appearance of fabrics and unsightly pilling is a frequent cause of customer complaints.
The results of tests of colorfastness, stain resistance, shape retention, weave tightness, and susceptibility to pilling are typically used internally within the textile industry for quality control and product development.
Additionally, there are no standardized measures or objective, third-party assessment of these qualities and information is generally self-reported.
Moreover, while the results of abrasion resistance tests can be found on fabric swatches and information about thread count can be found on bedding, none of these measures of fabric durability are required to be disclosed on the government mandated labels of textile products.
“Well,” you say, “Given that ratings of these qualities are not part of standard textile labeling and not widely available to the public what practical value do they have in facilitating my choice of slipcover?“
Or any other textile product, for that matter.
How to Make Use of This Information
If you are shopping for a slipcover, how are you to make use of this information?
How indeed?!
There is no straight line, unfortunately.
That said, the textile industry has been assessing fabrics according to these qualities for some time. So, while product specific assessments may be hard to come by, general assessments of abrasion resistance, colorfastness, stain resistance, shape retention, thread count, weave tightness, and susceptibility to pilling by fabric type are available.
You can apply evaluations of the durability characteristics of different types of fabrics when choosing a slipcover, improving your ability to assess how your slipcover is likely to perform over time. (And we will turn to this next.)
Add to your understanding of the basic durability characteristics of different fabrics, a solid understanding of the best way to shop online (which is typically where you will be shopping for a slipcover), and you can greatly improve the odds of your being satisfied with your slipcover choice.
So, by combining general evaluations of the durability of different types of fabric with good online shopping practices you can choose a slipcover that meets your and your couch’s needs.
Any questions thus far? If so, please let me know in the comments below. If not, lets move on to discussing what is the best material for slipcovers.
