--- title: "What Cushion Fabrics Are Made Of: Polyester, Cotton, Linen" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-fabric-composition-polyester-cotton-linen/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/" published: "2026-03-16" updated: "2026-03-16" keywords: "what are cushion fabrics made of, polyester cushion fabric, cotton cushion fabric, linen cushion cover fabric, natural fiber cushion covers" --- # What are your cushion fabrics made of: polyester, cotton or linen? *Fiber is the part of a color you feel before you see it. Here is the whole range, one follow-up at a time, the way buyers asked.* Also asked as: What are the fabrics made of?; Is the outer fabric polyester or natural? > **The quick answer:** Most cushion fabrics in the range are polyester or polyester blends, chosen because they last longer on seating and clean easily: the velvet, the soft fabric, the linen-look fabrics and the corduroy. The natural choices are the 100% cotton stripes, the linen-cotton blends and separate 100% cotton and 100% linen charts. Every range machine washes at 86°F (30°C). ![Oatmeal window seat cushion edged in sage piping with sage and boucle pillows, waffle blanket and eucalyptus on the sill](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/oatmeal-window-seat-cushion-sage-piping-eucalyptus-1600.webp "Sage piping on an oatmeal cushion takes its cue from eucalyptus on the sill and a sage pillow at the wall.") ## Key facts - Most fabrics in the range are polyester or polyester blends, for durability and easy cleaning. - The velvet is polyester. - The soft fabric and the L linen-look fabrics are polyester or polyester-weighted blends. - The corduroy is a polyester blend. - The N striped fabrics are 100% cotton; the H fabrics are a linen-cotton blend. - The linen floor sofa uses a cotton-linen blend with no synthetics. - Every range machine washes at 86°F (30°C). ## “So what is most of it made of?” Polyester, mostly, and on purpose. On a seat used every day, polyester lasts longer and lets go of a spill far more easily than a natural fiber. The velvet is polyester, and it is the fabric buyers love most: durable and soft. The soft fabric and the L linen-look fabrics are polyester or polyester-weighted blends, and the corduroy is a polyester blend. Each family has its shelf in the [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/), [linen-look](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/) and [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) swatch libraries. ## “And if I want something natural?” There are real choices, my friends. The N stripes are 100% cotton (N8 is 98% cotton, 2% polyester). The H fabrics are a linen-cotton blend, so H carries natural fiber while L is linen-look polyester. The linen floor sofa uses a cotton-linen blend with no synthetics, and separate 100% cotton and 100% linen charts exist for pure fiber. [Real linen versus linen-look](https://cushionguide.com/guides/real-linen-vs-linen-look-cushion-fabric/) shows how to read the label. ## “Does the fiber change the washing?” No. Care is the same for every range: the covers come off and machine wash at 86°F (30°C). Where fiber shows is in wear. The cotton stripes are slightly less hard-wearing than linen or velvet, so on a seat used every day I lean toward the blends. Which matters more on your seat: the hand of a natural fiber, or a cover that shrugs off a spilled glass? The [fabric families compared](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-fabric-types-compared/) may help. > **Tailor's margin:** On a cushion fabric chart, velvet, soft fabric, linen-look and corduroy are polyester or blends; the striped cottons and linen-cotton weaves carry natural fiber. > Most cushion fabrics are polyester for a reason: on a seat used every day, polyester lasts longer and cleans more easily, and every range washes at 86°F. > > — Élodie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** What are the different fabric ranges made of? **The workshop's answer:** The charts cover velvet, soft fabric, linen, corduroy and outdoor fabrics; the N stripes are cotton and the L linens are polyester-weighted. All of them machine wash at 86°F (30°C). **A common question:** Is your linen 100% linen, and is your velvet cotton velvet? **The workshop's answer:** It depends on the range. The velvet is 100% polyester and so is the linen-look bench fabric; the most natural option is the 100% cotton stripe. The linen floor sofa uses a cotton-linen blend with no synthetics. **A common question:** What are the linen-look fabric and the soft fabric made of? **The workshop's answer:** Both are polyester, chosen for durability so they suit long-term everyday use. **A common question:** What are the striped fabrics made of? Is there a linen stripe? **The workshop's answer:** The N stripes are 100% cotton (N8 is 98% cotton): natural and washable, but slightly less hard-wearing than linen or velvet. There is no linen stripe. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Is polyester cushion fabric worse than cotton? Not on a seat. Polyester blends last longer under daily sitting and clean more easily, which is why most of the range uses them. Cotton is natural and washable but slightly less hard-wearing. ### Which fabric code families carry natural fiber? The N stripes, which are 100% cotton (N8 is 98% cotton), and the H fabrics, a linen-cotton blend. The L family is linen-look polyester, and separate 100% cotton and 100% linen charts cover pure fiber. ### Is the corduroy cotton corduroy? No. The corduroy is a polyester blend, chosen like the velvet and the linen-look fabrics for wear and easy cleaning, and it washes at 86°F (30°C). ## Related at the atelier - [Can my cushion be made in 100% cotton or linen instead of polyester?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/natural-fiber-cushion-covers-polyester-allergy/): A cushion or cover can be made in 100% cotton, pure linen or a cotton-linen fabric for anyone avoiding polyester. - [Is your velvet cotton velvet or polyester?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/velvet-cushion-fabric-cotton-or-polyester/): The cushion velvet is synthetic, polyester or a poly-cotton blend, not cotton, linen or silk velvet. - [Is your linen cushion fabric really 100% linen?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/is-linen-cushion-fabric-100-percent-linen/): Usually not: the standard linen cushion fabric is a blend or a linen-look weave, not 100% linen. - [Royal Blue Velvet Lumbar Pillow: One Blue, Two Fabrics, Dark Wall](https://cushionguide.com/readings/royal-blue-velvet-lumbar-stripe-square-black-wall/): A lumbar pillow changes a bed fastest when it repeats one exact color in two fabrics, such as royal blue velvet in front of a royal blue and cream cotton stripe. - [Custom Bench Cushion in Heathered Navy with Burgundy Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/heathered-navy-cushion-burgundy-piping-labeled/): To order a two-fabric custom bench cushion right the first time, name the body fabric and the piping fabric separately, by code, in one final message, and order the exact size of the bench as… - [High-density foam, memory foam, latex or fiber: which cushion fill?](https://cushionguide.com/guides/high-density-foam-vs-memory-foam-latex/): For most seat cushions, high-density polyurethane foam is a better fill than memory foam: it springs back, holds a crisp edge and suits window seats and benches. - [Cushion covers for allergies: natural fibers, known fills and covers that wash](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushions-for-allergies-natural-fibers/) - [Real linen or linen-look? Reading a cushion fabric label honestly](https://cushionguide.com/guides/real-linen-vs-linen-look-cushion-fabric/) *With color and care — Élodie* --- Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-fabric-composition-polyester-cotton-linen/