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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

What's the Martindale or double-rub rating of the cushion fabric?

Also asked as:What's the Martindale rub count for fabric 132?Does it have a high double-rub rating?

A rub count is a number from a machine, and this cloth has never sat under that machine. What the workshop can offer is plainer, and still worth knowing.

Answered by

The Colorist of New Orleans ·

Black and cream arch-pattern seat cushion and matching backrest cushion on a walnut bench below a green-framed windowSave
A matching backrest cushion leans on the window reveal, turning a plain walnut bench into a sunny two-seater.

The quick answer

There is no Martindale rub count or Wyzenbeek double-rub figure for these cushion fabrics, because the workshop holds no lab test certificates. What it can say: the fabrics are heavy-duty upholstery grades chosen for daily bench use, durability complaints are rare, the outdoor fabrics are the toughest, and velvet and soft fabric also wear well. The sofa corduroy has a PDF spec sheet.

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Key facts

  • No Martindale or Wyzenbeek test certificates are available.
  • The fabrics are heavy-duty upholstery grades for daily use.
  • Durability complaints are rare.
  • Outdoor fabrics are the most durable option.
  • Velvet and soft fabric also wear well.
  • A PDF fabric spec sheet exists for the sofa corduroy.
  • The sofa corduroy is among the fabrics from a mill certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (03.T.3239).

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Have Élodie’s workshop cut this for you

Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — Élodie

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The fabrics are heavy-duty upholstery grades for daily use.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Ask these instead of a rub count

  • Which fabric family wears hardest? The outdoor fabrics, then velvet and soft fabric. For a bench in daily use, start with outdoor cushions or velvet.
  • Is there a spec sheet? For the sofa corduroy, yes: a PDF with the fabric details.
  • How has it held up for other buyers? Durability complaints on these upholstery grades are rare.
  • Can I hold a swatch first? Judge the weave in daylight before you commit; the swatches pattern shows how to order them.

What you won't get

  • A Martindale figure for fabric 132, or for any other code.
  • A Wyzenbeek double-rub number, above 50,000 or otherwise.
  • A lab certificate in place of the corduroy's spec sheet.

Why an honest blank beats a borrowed number

A rub count only means something when a lab measured that exact cloth. Without the test, any figure would be a guess dressed up as a fact, and I would rather tell you, my friends, that the page is blank.

What fills the blank is lived wear: heavy-duty upholstery grades chosen for daily bench use, with rare complaints. The two tests don't convert into each other either; the Martindale vs double rubs pattern explains both. Which matters more on your bench: sheen, or sheer toughness?

Without a Martindale certificate, any rub count for a cushion fabric is a guess; ask which fabric family wears best instead: outdoor, then velvet.

Élodie Marchand
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Do your fabrics have a double-rub rating above 50,000?

    The workshop's answer

    There are no official double-rub (Wyzenbeek) test certificates, so no number can be quoted. The fabrics are upholstery-grade and hold up well to daily use, with rare durability complaints; for heavy use the outdoor fabrics are the toughest, and velvet and soft fabric also wear well.

  2. A common question

    What is the Martindale rub count of the black fabric, code 132?

    The workshop's answer

    There's no exact lab Martindale figure for it. The workshop describes it as a premium heavy-duty upholstery fabric selected for durability and wear resistance in daily bench use.

  3. A common question

    What's the rub count on the sofa corduroy, and is the fabric certified?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop sends a PDF spec sheet with the fabric details. The corduroy is one of the fabrics from a mill certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (03.T.3239).

  4. A common question

    Is the corduroy cotton or polyester?

    The workshop's answer

    Mostly polyester: the furniture corduroy is described as 100% polyester or a poly-cotton blend, never pure cotton, and the covers are removable and machine washable.

Questions buyers ask next

What does a Martindale test actually measure?

It rubs fabric in a figure-eight and counts the cycles until wear shows. It is common in Europe; the Wyzenbeek test, used most in North America, counts back-and-forth double rubs instead.

Which fabric should I choose for a bench cushion used every day?

Outdoor fabrics are the most durable option, and velvet and soft fabric also wear well in daily use. All are heavy-duty upholstery grades chosen for bench seating.

Is the velvet shiny or matte?

It has a short, tight pile that feels smooth. Its sheen has been described both as slightly glossy and as not shiny, so ask for real-life photos; for a low-sheen look, choose linen.

How many Martindale rubs does a home seat cushion need?

It depends whose scale you read. One German institute scale puts private use at 10,000 to 15,000 rubs; a US distributor cites 20,000 or more for light domestic use; both treat 40,000 and up as commercial grade. Martindale and double rubs come from different machines, so the two numbers can't be converted into each other.