Upholstery Fabric Types: A Designer's Field Guide

How to read this guide

Upholstery fabric types can be cut different ways. By construction: woven, knit, non-woven, or coated. By surface: flat-woven, pile, textured. By fiber: natural, synthetic, blend.

A specifier typically combines these. A bouclé is a woven with a looped boucle yarn in wool or polyester. A chenille is a woven with a tufted chenille yarn in rayon, cotton, or polyester. The construction and the fiber both matter.

The table below lists the main types the design trade encounters, with the data you would look for on a spec sheet.

The main upholstery fabric types

Flat-woven and jacquard

Flat-woven fabrics are the workhorse of upholstery. Plain, twill, and satin weaves cover residential seating and light contract. A tight construction with a performance yarn can clear contract thresholds.

Jacquards use a multi-harness loom to weave in pattern. The pattern is part of the cloth, not printed on it. Jacquards repeat vertically and horizontally, which matters for yardage planning.

Bouclé and chenille

Bouclé takes its name from the French for curled. The looped yarn gives the fabric its characteristic nub. Wool bouclé is a classic; polyester and acrylic bouclé brings performance and washability.

Chenille uses a tufted yarn (named after the French for caterpillar) to create a soft velvet-like surface on a woven ground. Chenille is durable but the tufts can shed; avoid pet-heavy residential unless performance-treated.

Velvet and mohair

Velvet is a cut-pile fabric where the pile stands perpendicular to the ground. The hand depends on fiber: cotton velvet is soft and crushable, polyester velvet is stain-resistant, silk velvet is luxury-only.

Mohair velvet uses hair from the angora goat. It is among the most durable upholstery surfaces on the market, with Wyzenbeek ratings that regularly exceed 50,000 double-rubs.

Velvet pile direction matters. A railroaded velvet runs the pile across the bolt; an up-the-bolt velvet runs it along the length. Workrooms adjust yardage accordingly.

Linen and linen blends

Pure linen has a beautiful hand and a characteristic slubby texture, but it pills, wrinkles, and has modest abrasion resistance. It is best in residential accent and drapery.

Performance linen blends combine linen with polyester or olefin to hold the linen look while clearing contract thresholds. These appear across MJD Capsule and performance collections.

Knits, vinyls, and coated fabrics

Knits are common in healthcare and automotive because the stretch allows a tight wrap around complex cushions. Double knits and interlock constructions take performance finishes well.

Vinyl (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) are both coated fabrics. Vinyl is harder-wearing, cheaper, and easier to clean but less breathable. PU has a more leather-like hand and is used heavily in hospitality and healthcare when bleach cleanability is required.

Silicone-faced synthetics are the newest entrant, offering leather-like hand with healthcare-grade cleanability and excellent abrasion resistance.

Leather and faux leather

Top-grain leather is graded by aniline level. Aniline leather shows the natural grain; semi-aniline has a light pigment; protected leather has a pigment and topcoat for durability.

Faux leather (PU or vinyl) is often chosen for hospitality and healthcare because it cleans with bleach, resists punctures, and carries lower cost per yard. PU faux leathers with 100,000+ double-rub ratings are common.

Non-wovens and deck fabric

Non-wovens are not face fabrics in most applications. Spunbond and needlepunch constructions show up as decking under cushions and as backing for printed or flocked goods.

Specifying a non-woven as the face cloth is rare outside industrial and medical applications. In upholstery they are mostly infrastructure.

Fiber cheat sheet

Where MJD fits

The Michael Jon Designs Capsule Collection stocks core constructions across most of the categories above: performance wovens, chenilles, bouclés, velvets, linen blends, and coated goods. All are available for immediate yardage and memo order.

For pattern work not in the core, the Print Studio produces custom prints on base cloths ranging from linen blends to performance polyester. Retiring yardage sits in Last Chance at closeout pricing.