Understanding Fabric Specification Sheets

When you’re choosing fabrics for interior design, upholstery, or commercial spaces, a fabric specification sheet is one of the most important tools you can use. More than a simple data list, a fabric spec sheet explains how the fabric performs, its intended use, what it’s made from, and how it should be cared for.

Below is a simple guide to the key fields you’ll find on most fabric specification sheets and what they mean for your project.

Collection & Colours
Collection: Identifies the range the fabric belongs to which is useful when creating a consistent look across multiple spaces.

Colours: Lists all available colourways. Some designs come in just one colour, others in a broad palette of 10–20 tones.

Product Type
Describes the intended use and performance level. Product type helps you quickly determine whether the fabric is appropriate for your application.

Common categories include:

Upholstery
Light Domestic: Suitable for upholstery intended for occasional or light use such as scatter cushions or decorative furniture. 

General Domestic: Suitable for most upholstery applications for general, daily domestic use. 

Heavy Domestic/General Commercial: Suitable for upholstery normally subjected to heavy domestic use including living room, motion furniture such as recliners, and commercial applications requiring 20,000 - 39,000 Martindale cycles, (an abrasion test utilising oscillating plates on a fabric sample to determine weave strength. More explanation will be supplied in this article). 

Heavy Commercial: Suitable for upholstery subjected to heavy use in both domestic and commercial spaces. Includes motion lounges, bar stools, tub chairs, dining chairs and living room furniture in busy family households. These fabrics achieve a 40,000 + Martindale cycles rating. 

Drapery: Lightweight and soft-hanging.

Outdoor: UV-resistant, mould and mildew resistant, and highly durable. 

Products can be dual purpose, meaning the fabric can be used for both drapery and upholstery, allowing your design aesthetic to carry across applications.

Attributes

Special features or certifications such as:

- OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, (free from harmful substances and safe for humans and pets). 
- Encore Recycled
- Outdoor (SunDec)
- Halo Easy Care
- WarGuard
- Washable 

Drapery Attributes
- 3 Pass / Blockout (100% light blockage)
- Triple Weave / Dimout (75-95% light reduction)

These attributes help you understand extra performance benefits. Please note, the above list is only a snapshot; there are several other attributes not shown here. 

Styles & Composition 
Styles: Describes the aesthetic such as classic, modern, textured, check, stripe, urban. Helpful for a quick design reference.

Composition: Shows the fibre content (e.g. 77% Polyester, 23% Viscose).
This affects:
- Durability
- Hand-feel/softness
- Price
- Cleaning needs

Blended fibres are often used to balance performance with texture and hand-feel. Further information on yarn types and fabric composition can be explored here. 

Pattern Details

Pattern Match
Indicates whether the pattern needs aligning across panels/or the application.

- Yes: The design may be a print, floral, stripe, or geometric and is best pattern-matched for a seamless look. 

- No: Plain or texture.

Pattern Repeat
The measurement in centimetres before the design repeats, (horizontal & vertical axis). The manufacturer will use this information to determine how much fabric to purchase. 

Railroaded (Upholstery)
Explains the direction of the pattern on the roll:

- Yes (railroaded): Pattern runs across the roll, creating a seamless pattern across applications. 

- No: Pattern runs down the roll.

- Plain: Can be cut in any direction; however, it should be cut consistently in the same direction for each piece of furniture.

- Multi: Indicates full flexibility in cutting direction. Panels for the same furniture piece may be cut in different orientations without compromising the fabric’s appearance or usability.

Continuous (Drapery)
Explains the direction of the pattern on the roll:

- Yes (continuous): Pattern runs across the length of the roll, allowing for a seamless pattern in drapery applications.

- No: Pattern runs down the roll.

Self Weighted (Drapery) 
- Yes: Hem on one side of the selvage is weighted with either metal, plastic or material, creating wide drops that fall beautifully and drop without flare.

- No: Selvage finished without a weighted hem. 

Size & Care

Width
Typically 137 – 320cm. Wide width fabrics reduce seams and may reduce total meterage. Upholstery fabrics are generally no wider than 150cm, while drapery and bedhead fabrics can be available in a double width of 300-320cm, creating a seamless finish for architectural windows and oversized bedheads. 

Roll Size
Approximate metres per roll which is important for specifying projects.

Weight (gsm)
Heavier weights generally suit upholstery, while lighter fabrics are for drapery or decorative use.

Origin 
Shows where the fabric was woven, printed, or finished. This may matter for project requirements or sustainability considerations.

Care & Maintenance 
Stain Repellent
Indicates whether a protective finish is applied If “No,” you can often add one later such as our OnGuard range.

FIAA Care Label (Australian Standard for Furniture)
Examples:
- Care Label 1: Often velvets or pile fabrics
- Care Label 5: Dry clean only 
- Care Label SunDec: Outdoor use 

WCAA Care Label (Australian Standard for Drapery)
Examples:
- Care Label 3: For printed, linen or dyed cotton fabrics
- Care Label 6W: For acrylic foam backed or flock coated fabrics
- Care Label 12: Commercial washing for polyester

A dual-purpose fabric will have both FIAA and WCAA care label and will indicate slightly different care instructions for the same fabric, depending on its intended use. 

Always check the care instructions field to ensure long-term performance and easy maintenance. You can find our full list of care labels here. A care label should always be adhered to your furniture or drapery so it can be referred to when required. 

Usage Recommendations 
Outlines where the fabric is suitable, based on testing. Examples include:
- Upholstery
- Cushions
- Drapery
- Lampshades
- Roman Blinds
If a usage isn’t listed, it may not be recommended or simply hasn’t been tested for that application.

Guarantee 
The warranty period (e.g. 3 years) indicates expected performance when used and cared for correctly.

Performance & Test Results 

This is the technical heart of a fabric spec sheet. These metrics tell you how the fabric withstands real-world use.

Martindale Abrasion (ISO 12947)
Measures durability by running rub cycles on a machine in a looping figure-8 motion, using a fabric sample against an abrasive material. The total cycles are calculated when the appearance changes or two adjacent yarns on the fabric sample break. 

- Domestic/General Commercial: 15,000–25,000 cycles 
- Heavy commercial: 40,000+ cycles 

Wyzenbeek (ASTM D3597)
Measures durability by applying rub cycles on a machine in a back-and-forth motion, using a fabric sample against an abrasive material. Results are calculated when two yarns break or there is noticeable wear on the fabric surface. The higher the rub cycle, the better!

Seam Slippage (ISO 13936-2)
Shows how seams hold under pressure. Lower numbers = stronger seams.
The Australian standard for a seam opening should be less than 6mm at maximum force, but at Warwick our seam slippage result for a design does not exceed 5mm.  

Pilling Resistance (ISO 12945-2)
Rated 1–5, with the highest number representing the best result.
- 5: no pilling
- 4: excellent
The Australian standard is a result of 3 – 4 min.  

Colourfastness to Light (ISO 105-B02)
Rated 1–8, with the highest number representing the best result.
- 5: Indoor use
- 6-7: Outdoor use

Colourfastness to Rubbing (ISO 105-X12)
Rated 1–5 for wet and dry rubbing, with the highest number representing the best result. Scores of 4/5 or 5/5 indicate strong colour performance.

Colourfastness to Laundering (ISO 5077/ISO6330) (Drapery only)
Indicates the amount of movement, (both shrinkage and stretch), in a fabrics warp and weft when its washed. A negative result means it has a shrinkage result, whereas a positive number indicates stretch. A result of 0.0 means there is no movement at all. 

Warp and weft are the two sets of yarns that make up a woven fabric:

- Warp: The yarns that run vertically (up and down) on the loom. They stay fixed in place during weaving.
- Weft: The yarns that run horizontally (side to side), woven over and under the warp yarns.
Together, the warp and weft create the structure, pattern, and strength of the fabric.

Colourfastness to Hanging (AS2663.1.B) (Drapery only)
Indicates the amount of movement, (both shrinkage and stretch), in the warp and weft when the fabric is hung. A negative result means it has a shrinkage result, whereas a positive number indicates stretch. A result of 0.0 means there is no movement at all. Some fibres are prone to movement such as 100% Linen and should be seen as a characteristic that can be managed with the drapery style such as puddling hems.  

Formaldehyde Testing
Ensures no harmful chemical residues. 'Not detectable' = safe and compliant. The Australian standard is up to 100ug; however, we always strive for a ‘not detectable’ result.  

Flammability
(AS/NZS 1530.3)                                   
A radiant heat test – measuring how easily the fabric ignites, how quickly flames spread, the heat it releases, and smoke amount it produces. Lower numbers indicate safer performance. This is important for commercial spaces and must be compared to the appropriate building code.

(AS/NZS 1530.2) (Drapery only)
A vertical burn test – measuring how quickly the fire travels and smoke develops. Lower numbers indicate safer performance. This is important for commercial spaces and must be compared to the appropriate building code.

(Group Number AS5637.1 and AS3837)
Measuring heat and smoke off a small sample. Results ranging from 1-4 with the lowest number indicating the safest performance. This is important for commercial spaces and must be compared to the appropriate building code.

Certifications
Certifications like OEKO-TEX®, Quality Management System ISO9001, or independent test-house reports confirm:
- Safety
- Durability
- Chemical compliance
- Responsible sourcing and production
Essential for commercial, hospitality, and healthcare projects.

NB: Please note when a result displays as a dash (-) it means no test has been conducted and results are not available

A fabric specification sheet is your roadmap to choosing the right textile for your project. Understanding these fields helps you:
- Select suitable upholstery and drapery fabrics
- Communicate accurately with suppliers
- Meet Australian standards and performance requirements
- Set clear expectations for durability and care

With the right knowledge, fabric spec sheets become a powerful tool for designing confident, functional, and long-lasting interiors.

The product specification sheet can be found in the Downloads section on each product page, as shown in the example here.