The Martindale Test: Fabric Rub Count (2024)

FAQs

The Martindale Test: Fabric Rub Count? ›

The Martindale

15,000 - 25,000: General domestic use

It is suitable for everyday use on main house furniture.

Fabrics withstanding 15,000+ double rubs are classified as heavy-duty, indicating their high durability. The abrasion resistance level of a fabric guides its ideal use. For residential settings: Delicate duty (under 3,000 double rubs): Ideal for pillows, drapes, and curtains.

Between 25,000 – 30,000 rubs

Hardwearing materials, these are often called 'heavy duty fabrics' as they can withstand frequent usage without wearing out or fraying. These are ideal for upholstery fabrics that need to withstand children, pets, or frequent visitors.

A fabric with a Martindale rating of 20,000 rubs is good for residential use. 30,000+ rubs is commercial-grade. A fabric with a Wyzenbeek rating of 15,000 - 20,000 double rubs is good for residential use. 40,000+ double rubs is commercial-grade.

50,000 Double Rubs. This rating is considered very high-use and is suitable for commercial or institutional settings, such as a hotel lobby or hospital waiting room.

Fortunately, commercial furniture comes with even higher double rub ratings to choose from: Contract Upholstery Minimum: The absolute lowest double rub rating you want for office-grade furniture is 15,000. This is considered the best for the average office. Heavy Duty: 15,000-30,000 double rubs.

Very high traffic areas such as hospital waiting rooms, university lounge areas, and restaurants require a double rub counts of 30,000 or more in a synthetic material to meet their standards of wear.

General Domestic - 15,000 - 25,000 rubs

This rub count is suitable for domestic use upholstery i.e furniture in the home that is used every day like curtains or bed linens. For instance, wool fabric would be suitable here but not for heavy-duty furniture with a fixed back.

16,000-25,000 rubs: Suitable for general use, such as sofas or dining chairs. 26,000-40,000 rubs: Suitable for heavy use, such as office chairs or hotel furniture. 40,000+ rubs: Suitable for extra heavy use, such as public seating or healthcare furniture.

What is a 20000 rub count? ›

20,000 - 25,000: General domestic use

A fabric with this score is suitable for general domestic use. It is suitable for everyday use on main house furniture. It is not suitable for items of furniture that put a high level of stress on the fabric such as a recliner.

A Wyzenbeek machine determines the fabric's rub count by rubbing an abrading material, usually cotton duck fabric, back and forth across the tested fabric. A "double rub" is measured for each back-and-forth pass of the abrading fabric.

For commercial seating, we start at 35,000 rubs however we recommend 50,000+ and typically sell many of our materials at 100,000+. The most important thing to remember is that a reliable number of rubs to have with your upholstery is going to be around 15,000.

For residential furniture and light general use, a Martindale rating of 15,000-25,000 is good. Heavy-use domestic furniture, however, requires a higher rating. This covers sofa beds, which go through frequent friction as the user opens and closes the piece of furniture.

Both Wyzenbeek and Martindale are abrasion/rub tests; which test different properties of a textile. Wyzenbeek involves rubbing along the warp and weft of the fabric whereas Martindale is a figure-8 rub. Success in one test does not infer success in the other.

Fabrics with a fabric rub test score of 30,000 or more are suitable for furniture that will be used in commercial settings such as restaurants and hotels. We stock fabric with a Martindale score of up to 100,000, which is tough enough for use in any home or commercial setting.

With a 50,000 Martindale rating you would estimate 6.8 years before you see any visible wear.

In practice, fabrics that have achieved more than 40,000 cycles on the Martindale scale are considered durable and hardwearing. They can be used for several years or more without fear of abrasion or damage to the fabric.