---
title: "Why Are Outdoor Cushions More Expensive Than Indoor Ones?"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/outdoor-cushion-price-vs-indoor-fabric/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Callum Reid, The Weather Man of Casco Bay"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/"
published: "2026-08-14"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "why are outdoor cushions more expensive, outdoor cushion fabric cost, water-repellent cushion surcharge, outdoor vs indoor cushion fabric, outdoor daybed cushions water-repellent"
---

# Why do outdoor cushions cost more than indoor cushions?

*It's the cloth. Outdoor fabric is built to sit out in rain and sun, and cloth like that is premium. Here's when it earns its keep and when it doesn't.*

Also asked as: Are all the fabrics the same price?; It's quite outside of our budget.

> **The quick answer:** Outdoor cushions cost more because the outdoor fabric is premium: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant, so it can live outside. The surcharge is small; on one quoted 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set it came to under 10% over standard fabric. For a fully covered area, the workshop can re-quote in cheaper indoor fabric.

![Ivory box cushions on a gray wicker patio sectional with navy striped and coral pillows beside hydrangea borders](https://cushionguide.com/media/outdoor-cushions/ivory-wicker-sectional-cushions-flagstone-garden-patio-1600.webp "Ivory seat and back cushions give a dark wicker sectional a clean outline, while navy and coral pillows carry the color.")

## Key facts

- Outdoor fabrics are water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant.
- Fabrics are not all the same price.
- Cheaper indoor fabrics are not suitable outdoors.
- The outdoor-fabric upgrade is a small surcharge over standard fabric.
- On one 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set, water-repellent outdoor fabric added under 10%.
- A fully covered area can be re-quoted in indoor fabric.

## Pay for outdoor fabric when

- ✓ The cushions stay out in open air, rain or shine.
- ✓ The seat sits in direct sun for long stretches of the day.
- ✓ Nobody will carry them in before every storm.
- ✓ It's an uncovered patio, deck or outdoor daybed.

## Where the cheaper cloth fails

- ✗ Linen, velvet or chenille on an open patio: indoor fabrics aren't made for open-air use.
- ✗ An uncovered bench that takes rain: the standard fabrics aren't waterproof.
- ✗ A lounger in full summer sun with an indoor cover: it isn't built for UV.

## What the surcharge actually buys

Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Outdoor fabric costs more because it makes the stronger promise: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant, made to live outside. Fabrics aren't all the same price, and the cheaper ones exist, but they aren't built for open air.

The upgrade is smaller than most people expect. If your porch sits under a solid roof, ask for a re-quote in indoor fabric; see [indoor cushions on a covered porch](https://cushionguide.com/guides/indoor-cushions-covered-porch/) first. For open decks, start with [outdoor acrylic](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/) and the [outdoor cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/outdoor-cushions/) atlas. So tell me, friend: does rain actually reach your seat, or only the wind?

## One daybed set, priced both ways

A buyer in the US wanted water-repellent outdoor fabric for an outdoor daybed: a 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) set with a seat, two backrests and two armrests. The workshop quoted it twice, once in standard fabric and once in outdoor fabric. The water-repellent version came to under 10% more. At the time there were no finished photos of cushions in that outdoor fabric, and the workshop said so plainly.

> **Tailor's margin:** If a patio cushion lives under a solid roof, ask for a re-quote in indoor fabric; if rain reaches it, pay the small outdoor-fabric surcharge.

> Outdoor cushion fabric costs more because it is water-repellent and highly UV-resistant; on one 52 x 28 in daybed set, that meant under 10% extra.
>
> — Callum Reid

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Why do outdoor cushions cost more? Aren't all the fabrics priced the same?

**The workshop's answer:** No. The outdoor fabrics are premium: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant. Cheaper fabrics exist but aren't suitable outdoors. For a fully covered area, the workshop can re-quote in indoor fabric.

**A common question:** Is there waterproof fabric for an outdoor daybed, and does it cost more?

**The workshop's answer:** Water-repellent, yes, at a small surcharge. A 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set with a seat, two backrests and two armrests came to under 10% more in water-repellent outdoor fabric than in standard. Finished photos in that fabric weren't available yet.

**A common question:** Can I put linen, velvet or chenille cushions outside?

**The workshop's answer:** No. Those indoor fabrics aren't made for open-air use. Order through the outdoor listing instead: 100+ outdoor-rated, water-repellent, UV-resistant colors that resist moisture, mildew and mold, with any piping combination.

**A common question:** Can outdoor cushions be 6 inches thick, with ties and no piping?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Outdoor cushions are made to any size and thickness, including 6 in (15 cm). Piping is optional, and ties go where you want them, such as the two corners of a long side.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Is the outdoor-fabric upgrade a big jump in price?

No, it's a small surcharge. On one quoted outdoor daybed set, water-repellent outdoor fabric added under 10% over standard fabric. The exact difference depends on size and pieces, so ask for both quotes.

### Can I save money on cushions for a covered porch?

Yes. If the area is fully covered, the workshop can re-quote the set in indoor fabric, which costs less. Seating that sees rain and direct sun should stay in outdoor fabric.

### Is regular cushion fabric at least water-resistant?

No, the standard fabrics are indoor fabrics and aren't waterproof. For spill-prone indoor spots there's a water-repellent collection, and a separate outdoor range for cushions that live outside.

## Related at the atelier

- [Is your regular cushion fabric waterproof?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/standard-cushion-fabric-waterproof/): No, the standard cushion fabrics are indoor fabrics and are not waterproof.
- [Can I use your linen, velvet or chenille cushions outside?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/indoor-fabric-cushions-outdoors-linen-velvet-chenille/): No: linen, velvet, chenille and the other indoor-listing fabrics are not made for open-air use.
- [Does the outdoor fabric feel plasticky, or soft like indoor fabric?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/outdoor-fabric-feel-soft-or-plastic/): Outdoor cushion fabric here does not feel plastic: it is not the coated, waterproof-plastic kind, and it handles like proper fabric rather than a tarp.
- [Outdoor Bench Cushion in Taupe Stripe: Reading It in Real Light](https://cushionguide.com/readings/taupe-stripe-outdoor-cushion-corner-closeup/): A taupe outdoor bench cushion changes with the light: cool and grayish in morning shade, warmer and sandier in low evening sun, and different again on a phone screen.
- [Outdoor Bench Cushion in Navy Stripe: Feel, Wear and Care](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-teal-striped-cushion-marina-dock-bench/): An outdoor bench cushion on a dock works best slim and firm in a textured outdoor acrylic stripe, because a thick soft pad holds water after spray and a flat solid shows every salt mark.
- [Outdoor Bench Cushions in Sand Beige: Teak, Brick and Roses](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sand-beige-teak-loveseat-cushions-brick-roses/): Sand beige outdoor bench cushions suit a teak loveseat against brick because the color sits between the wood and the pale roses, so the bench blends in instead of standing apart.
- [Waterproof outdoor cushions, honestly: fabric, seams, zippers and foam](https://cushionguide.com/guides/water-repellent-vs-waterproof-cushions/)
- [Can indoor cushions go on a covered or screened porch?](https://cushionguide.com/guides/indoor-cushions-covered-porch/)

*Fair winds — Callum*

---

Written by Callum Reid (https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/) 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/outdoor-cushion-price-vs-indoor-fabric/