Upholstery

Good upholstery fabric has to do two things at once: look right in the room and survive years of everyday use. At Super Cheap Fabrics we carry one of Australia's largest and most affordable upholstery ranges, with over 240 designs across jacquards, chenille, velvet, linen-look weaves, blockout and printed fabrics. Everything is sold by the metre with no minimum order and ships Australia-wide in 3 to 8 business days, so you can reupholster a single dining chair or a whole lounge without paying showroom prices.

This guide covers the main types of upholstery fabric, how the Martindale rub test tells you what will last, how much fabric to buy, and how to care for it, so you can choose the right cloth with confidence whether you are a professional upholsterer or tackling your first DIY project. Browse the full range below.

Types of Upholstery Fabric, Explained

Upholstery is a family of weaves, each with its own look, handle and best use. Here is what each type is made for, so you can match the fabric to your piece.

Jacquard and Damask

Jacquard fabrics have the pattern woven into the cloth rather than printed on top, so the design has depth and catches the light as you move around it. Our La Scala and Venetian Scroll damasks bring a classic, formal look to feature chairs, ottomans, bedheads and statement cushions, with the weight and body to tailor cleanly.

Chenille and Textured Weaves

Chenille and textured plains have a soft, tactile surface with a subtle sheen and a dense, hard-wearing weave. Slubs, tweeds and heathered grounds like our Sona Slub, Agentbis and Delphine ranges hide everyday marks well, which makes them a practical, forgiving choice for sofas, armchairs and headboards that see daily use.

Velvet and Velour

Velvet and velour add a plush, luxurious pile that reads as instantly high end. Our cotton velour is a heavyweight, dense-pile fabric ideal for feature chairs, ottomans, headboards and cushions where you want softness and richness of colour. Velvet suits pieces that are more about looks than heavy daily wear.

Linen-Look and Basketweave

Linen-look and basketweave fabrics give a natural, relaxed texture that suits modern and coastal interiors. Ranges like Benton and Vermentino pair an easy, neutral handle with real durability, so they work across sofas, chairs, cushions and headboards and sit beautifully alongside timber and natural tones.

Blockout

Blockout fabric has a dense weave, sometimes with a backing, that blocks light and adds privacy and insulation. Our Trellis blockout jacquards combine that density with a decorative woven pattern, so they double as a functional and a feature fabric for curtains, blinds, pelmets, roman blinds and headboards.

Printed and Patterned

Printed and patterned upholstery brings colour and personality to a room. From botanical prints like Zen Reed to bold graphic designs, these fabrics are ideal for statement cushions, occasional chairs and soft furnishings where you want the fabric to be the centrepiece.

Upholstery Durability: The Martindale Rub Test

The Martindale rub count is the standard measure of how much wear an upholstery fabric takes before it shows signs of ageing. It is the single most useful number when you are choosing fabric for a piece that gets used. Match the rub count to how hard the piece will work.

If a fabric will cover a piece your family uses every day, aim for the heavy domestic band or above. For headboards, cushions and pieces that are looked at more than sat on, you have room to choose on colour and texture alone. If you are unsure of the rub rating on a specific fabric, contact us and we will help you match it to your project.

How to Choose Upholstery Fabric

Start with the piece, not the colour. For a family sofa or everyday chair, choose a tight, hard-wearing weave such as a polyester or poly-cotton jacquard, chenille or basketweave in the heavy domestic rub band. For headboards, ottomans and cushions, you have more freedom to choose velvet or a lighter linen-look weave. For curtains, blinds and light control, look to blockout. Then weigh up fibre and weight: polyester and poly-cotton blends are hard-wearing and easy to live with, cotton-rich weaves feel softer and more natural, and a higher GSM gives more body and structure. Most of our upholstery sits between 140 and 300 GSM, with widths from 122cm to 152cm, all sold by the metre.

How Much Upholstery Fabric Do I Need?

Use this as a rough starting point, then add extra for pattern matching and piping. A dining chair seat needs about 0.5 to 1 metre, a full dining chair with back around 1.5 to 2 metres, an armchair around 6 to 8 metres, a two-seater sofa around 12 to 14 metres and a three-seater around 14 to 18 metres. Because everything is sold by the metre with no minimum, the safest approach is to order a metre first to confirm colour, handle and rub rating, then come back for the full amount from the same roll.

Why Buy Upholstery Fabric from Super Cheap Fabrics

Upholstery fabric is usually sold at a premium through trade showrooms. We keep a designer-quality range affordable and open to everyone. You buy by the metre with no minimum order, every fabric is quality-checked before it is listed, and prices stay low every day rather than only on sale. We also run a rotating clearance range and designer deadstock where premium upholstery fabric is heavily reduced. Orders ship Australia-wide in 3 to 8 business days, or you can see and feel the fabric in person at our Melbourne store at 153 Sackville Street, Collingwood VIC 3066, five minutes from the CBD.

Caring for Upholstery Fabric

Vacuum regularly to lift dust before it settles into the weave, and blot spills straight away rather than rubbing them in. Most of our upholstery fabrics are best cleaned with a professional upholstery service or gentle spot cleaning using a mild solution, and any cleaner should be tested on a hidden offcut first. Keep a spare offcut from your roll, as dye lots can vary slightly between orders, so a saved piece is useful for testing cleaners and for small future repairs. Rotate and plump loose cushions so wear spreads evenly across the piece.