---
title: "Pet-Friendly Upholstery Fabric: 88,000 Martindale, Not Leather"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/pet-friendly-fabric-martindale-rating/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-08-18"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "pet friendly upholstery fabric martindale rating, pet friendly cushion fabric, leather look fabric for dogs, 88000 martindale fabric, durable cushion fabric for pets"
---

# What is the pet-friendly fabric made of, and is it real leather?

*Every dog I've known tested a cushion before its owner ever sat down. Here's what the pet-friendly fabric is made of, and what its rub number means at home.*

Also asked as: What is the pet-friendly fabric made of?; What's its Martindale or Wyzenbeek rating?

> **The quick answer:** The pet-friendly cushion fabric is a 100% polyester woven upholstery fabric rated 88,000 Martindale cycles, well above heavy-duty commercial grade, and it is not leather. It weighs about 11 oz per square yard (370 g/m²) and has a leather-touch texture with a wipe-clean surface. It hasn't been Wyzenbeek-tested, and for real water resistance the outdoor range is the better pick.

![Denim blue trapezoid bay window seat cushion on a white paneled base with a sleeping golden retriever and linen pillows](https://cushionguide.com/media/bay-window-cushions/denim-blue-trapezoid-bay-seat-golden-retriever-1600.webp "A trapezoid-cut denim blue cushion fills a white bay seat, long enough for a golden retriever to stretch out.")

## Key facts

- The pet-friendly fabric is 100% polyester woven upholstery fabric.
- It is rated 88,000 Martindale cycles, above heavy-duty commercial grade.
- It weighs about 11 oz per square yard (370 g/m²).
- It has not been Wyzenbeek-tested.
- It has a leather-touch texture but is not leather.
- The surface wipes clean; the outdoor range is the choice for real water resistance.
- In homes without pets, the soft fabric and velvet collections are more comfortable for daily use.

## What's actually in the pet-friendly fabric

- ✓ **Fiber:** 100% polyester, woven for upholstery
- ✓ **Rub test:** 88,000 Martindale cycles, in the highest upholstery durability tier
- ✓ **Weight:** about 11 oz per square yard (370 g/m²)
- ✓ **Surface:** a leather-touch texture that wipes clean after muddy paws and sticky fingers
- ✓ **Colors:** one of them, G-42, is the leather-textured shade chosen most for big dogs

## What it isn't, so nobody's surprised

- ✗ Not leather of any kind; the leather look is a surface texture on polyester
- ✗ Not Wyzenbeek-tested, so there's no double-rub number to quote
- ✗ Not water-resistant the way outdoor fabric is; wipeable and waterproof are different things
- ✗ Not the only sturdy choice indoors: velvet has performed just as well with dogs

## Velvet in the photo, leather in the swatch

One buyer wrote in about a review photo. On screen the cushion looked like velvet, yet the swatch of the same fabric looked like leather. Both were telling the truth. That cushion was made in G-42, the leather-textured pet-friendly color, for a customer with a large dog who wanted a cover that could take it.

The buyer asking had no pets at all. So the advice was simple: take the soft fabric or velvet instead. They come in very similar colors and they're more comfortable for everyday sitting.

## Velvet or the pet chart, when the dogs live here too

Kids and dogs are the real quality control, neighbor. When a buyer in the US with dogs asked which was tougher, the workshop sent its pet-friendly fabric chart and said velvet and the leather-look fabric perform equally well indoors. Choose by look and feel. Every fabric wipes clean, but for a cushion that meets rain, go to [outdoor acrylic](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/).

If you want to compare rub numbers from other makers, [Martindale vs double rubs](https://cushionguide.com/guides/martindale-vs-double-rubs-fabric/) explains why the two tests don't convert neatly. The [performance and pet-friendly fabrics](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/performance-and-pet-friendly/) and [pet-friendly cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/pet-friendly-cushions/) pages show where each fabric earns its keep. Who's the roughest sitter at your house, the dog or the kids?

> **Tailor's margin:** An 88,000 Martindale fabric shrugs off heavy wear, but wipe-clean polyester still isn't waterproof. Porch cushions need the outdoor range.

> The pet-friendly cushion fabric is 100% polyester rated 88,000 Martindale cycles; it looks like leather up close, but it isn't leather.
>
> — Rosa

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** What is the pet-friendly fabric made of, and how does it rate for abrasion?

**The workshop's answer:** It's a 100% polyester woven upholstery fabric rated by its supplier at 88,000 Martindale cycles, well above heavy-duty commercial grade, weighing about 11 oz per square yard (370 g/m²), with a wipe-clean surface for pets and kids. It hasn't been Wyzenbeek-tested, but that Martindale score sits in the highest upholstery durability tier.

**A common question:** A review photo looks like velvet, but the swatch looks like leather. Which fabric is it, and is it right for me?

**The workshop's answer:** It's G-42, a leather-textured, very durable pet-friendly color, chosen by a customer with a large dog to prevent damage. Without pets, the soft fabric or velvet collections are more comfortable day to day and come in very similar colors.

**A common question:** With dogs in the house, is velvet or the leather-look fabric tougher? Is the leather-look one real leather?

**The workshop's answer:** Indoors they perform equally well, per the pet-friendly fabric chart. The leather-look fabric has a leather-touch finish but isn't leather. All the fabrics are wipeable; for real water resistance, choose the outdoor range. Otherwise, pick by look and feel.

**A common question:** Can you make a washable topper to protect my couch from pets and kids?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The quilted sofa topper is a slim, reversible layer made to your couch's size in linen or velvet, machine-washable at 86°F (30°C), with optional two-color sides, corner tassels and a bound edge.

## Questions buyers ask next

### How does 88,000 Martindale compare with heavy-duty commercial fabric?

It sits well above heavy-duty commercial grade, in the highest upholstery durability tier. Martindale is a rub test counted in cycles, so a higher number means the surface stands up longer to daily sitting, sliding and scratching paws.

### Is there a double-rub number for the pet-friendly fabric?

No. The fabric hasn't been Wyzenbeek-tested, and that's the test that gives double rubs. Only the Martindale figure of 88,000 cycles exists, and because the two tests use different machines, one number can't be converted exactly into the other.

### Can the leather-look fabric go on a bench that gets rained on?

It wipes clean, but it isn't made for weather. Whenever real water resistance is needed, the workshop recommends the outdoor range instead, and keeps the pet-friendly fabric for sheltered spots where wear, not water, is the worry.

## Related at the atelier

- [Can you make a custom dog bed or cat cushion, and which fabric should I pick?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-dog-bed-cushion-fabric/): Yes: dog beds and cat cushions are made to your measurements on a custom order link, and the workshop recommends its pet-friendly fabric chart, which washes at up to 86°F (30°C).
- [Which cushion fabric is best if you have both kids and pets?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-fabric-for-kids-and-pets/): For a home with kids and pets, choose velvet or soft fabric, a wipe-clean microfiber: velvet is the most stain-resistant, soft fabric is the easiest to spot-clean, and both are the most durable in…
- [Can you make a washable sofa topper to protect my couch from pets and kids?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-sofa-topper-pets-kids/): Yes, a quilted sofa topper can be made to your couch's size: a slim, washable layer that sits on the existing cushions without adding height.
- [Pet-friendly cushion fabric: what holds up to claws, hair and muddy paws](https://cushionguide.com/guides/pet-friendly-cushion-fabric/): The best pet-friendly cushion fabric is a tight, flat, loop-free weave in a mid-tone, sewn as a zip-off cover that washes at 86°F (30°C).
- [Kitchen Window Seat Cushion in Ivory: Styling a Cottage Corner](https://cushionguide.com/readings/ivory-corner-window-seat-cushion-cottage-kitchen/): To style a kitchen corner window seat, keep the cushion pale and let wood and one bunch of flowers bring the color.
- [Navy window seat cushion in a white kitchen, season by season](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-window-seat-cushion-white-kitchen-built-in/): A navy performance-weave window seat cushion suits a busy kitchen all year, because the dark weave hides spills and pet hair.
- [Choosing cushion fabric: seven families compared for real homes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-fabric-types-compared/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) 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/pet-friendly-fabric-martindale-rating/