Upholstery Dictionary by Mayer Fabrics

Upholstery Dictionary

Contents

Yarn Types................................................................................................................................................... 3
Weave Types............................................................................................................................................... 5
Fabric Processing Terms............................................................................................................................ 10
Finishing Terms ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Testing....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Miscellaneous ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Leather ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Terminology for Vinyl-coated fabrics........................................................................................................ 17

Yarn Types

Acetate – A man-made fiber derived from a cellulose base.

Acrylic – A synthetic fiber derived from a petrochemical base. It most resembles wool (resiliency, high
bulk, light weight), but because of flammability characteristics is seldom used in contract upholstery
fabrics.

Alpaca – The long, fine hair fiber obtained from the domesticated camel-like South American Alpaca. It
is classified as wool.

Angora – The silky hair of the Angora goat, native of Angora, a province of Turkey. Also known as
Mohair, the goat fiber is classified as wool.

Antron – DuPont’s trademarked term for tri-lobal nylon. A strong, delustred synthetic fiber.

Berber Yarn – A hand or machine spun wool characterized by its mottled, natural color and irregular
diameter.

Cellulose – A basic plant fiber found in cotton, flax, and wood. Chemically treated, it is the base for the
man-made fibers rayon and acetate.

Chenille – 1. A fuzzy, caterpillar-like yarn of either cotton or man-made fibers, produced by locking
short, cut fibers at right angles to the core thread
2. Fabric woven with chenille yarn in the weft, producing a cut-pile surface.

Cotton – A vegetable fiber composed of pure cellulose. It is soft and absorbent, and takes dyes and
special finished extremely well. Strong and durable, it has excellent resistance to pilling and abrasion.
Mercerization improves all these inherent qualities. Plain-weave cottons benefit particularly from the
applications of stain-repellent finishes.

Donegal Tweed – A thick, homespun woolen fabric, originally hand-woven in Donegal, Ireland. The
yarns are characteristically rough, with flecks of many colors.

Egyptian cotton – A fine grade of cotton known for its long staple.

Fiber – The most basic element in a cloth. Any tough, thread-like substance, natural or man-made, that
can be spun, woven, felted, knitted or knotted into a fabric.

Filament – A fiber of indefinite length, either natural (silk) or man-made. Silk filament is the actual
thread of a silkworm’s cocoon; while man-made filament is produced by forcing a solution through a
spinneret.

Flax – The plant from which linen is produced.

Han Spun Yarns – Yarns spun by hand on a spinning wheel.

Jute – A coarse natural cellulose fiber used primarily in burlap and carpet backing.

Kemp – The coarse wool fiber found in the fleece of mountain sheep and domestic goats. Because it
does not absorb moisture, it appears lighter than other fibers in a fabric when dyed.

Lamb’s Wool – The first fleece sheared from a young sheep. The previously unclipped fiber ends are
tapered, producing a very soft texture.

Linen – 1. A natural cellulose yarn made from flax fibers. It is noted especially for its strength, cool hand
and luster. Its major flaw is its lack of resilience, which makes linen fabrics crease easily.
2. Fabric woven from linen yarns

Lycra – An elastomer fiber manufactured by DuPont.

Man-Made Fiber – Any fiber that is manufactured whether natural or synthetic in origin.

Merino – a breed of sheep that yields high-grade wool used for fine woolen and worsted cloth.

Mineral Fiber – A natural or man-made fiber derived from a mineral, such as asbestos or fiberglass.

Mohair – 1. The processed fiber of the long, silky hair of the Angora goat. The fiber is known for its
lustrous soft quality and extremely hard wearing characteristics.
2. A velvet or plush fabric with a mohair pile and cotton back.

Monofilament – A single-ply untwisted yarn. It may be either a man-made fiber extruded from a
chemical solution or the single thread of the silkworm.

Natural Fiber – Any textile fiber obtained from an animal, vegetable or mineral source. Wool and
cotton are examples.

Novelty Yarns – Yarns spun with varied twists, tufts and loops to achieve textured effects.

Nylon – A synthetic fiber known especially for its strength, resistance to abrasion, inherent elasticity
and relatively low cost, which make it an ideal material for upholstery fabrics. However, nylon fabrics
have a tendency to pill and can attract soil because of static electricity.

Olefin – A polypropylene fiber characterized by its light weight, and resistance to moisture and
abrasion.

Plied yarn – A yarn formed by twisting together two or more single strands.

Polyester – A synthetic polymer fiber, manufactured from coal, water and petroleum. Strong, durable
and wrinkle resistant, it is often blended with other fibers. Its major disadvantages are its inability to
breathe and tendency to pill.

Ratine – 1. A novelty yarn constructed by twisting a heavy yarn back and forth on a fine thread.
2. A textured fabric woven in plain weave with ratine yarns.

Raw Fiber – Textile fiber in its most natural state. E.g., silk before de-gumming, wool before scouring.

Rayon – The generic name for a man-made fiber derived from cellulose, which can be manufactured to
have the basic characteristics of cotton or silk. Viscose and cuprammonium are two common rayons.

Reprocessed Wool – wool produced by re-carding and re-spinning shredded scraps of unused fabrics
and yarn.

Silk – The natural protein fiber unwound from the cocoon of the silkworm. Also, any fabric woven from
monofilament or spun-fiber silk yarns. Silk is noted for its strength, elasticity, affinity for dyes and high
cost.

Sisal – A strong natural cellulose fiber used in making cord and matting.

Slub – A lump or knot in a yarn that is sometimes a defect and sometimes purposely spun to produce a
textured surface in cloth.

Staple – A natural or man-made fiber that has a relatively short length and is spun into yarn.

Synthetic Fiber – A textile fiber made from a petrochemical rather than natural base. All synthetic fibers
are man-made, but not all man-made fibers are synthetic.

Weave Types

Basket Weave – A balanced plain weave in which two or more warp yarns interlace with two or more
filling yarns, so that the fabric resemble the surface of a woven basket.

Bird’s Eye – A dobby loom weave in the pattern of a diamond with a small center dot.

Boucle –
1. A looped and crimped novelty yarn.
2. A fabric exhibiting a knotty, looped surface, woven with boucle yarn.

Broadcloth –

1. A wool fabric with a close twill weave, that is brushed and sheared to give a uniform, slightly felted,
smooth appearance.
2. A tightly-woven, lustrous cotton fabric in a plain weave with a find crosswise rib.

Brocade – A jacquard woven fabric with a supplementary warp and/or filling which creates an over-all
design. The back is constructed of satin or twill weaves.

Broken Twill – A twill weave with diamond lines reversed in alternate directions to form a pattern.

Cadet Cloth – wool broadcloth made especially for the uniforms of cadets in military academies. The
twill weave is heavily milled and cropped to produce a compact, durable fabric.

Calvary Twill – A smooth-surfaced 63° diagonal twill fabric with pronounced ribs, woven or worsted
wool yarns.

Chevron – A twill weave with a zigzag repeat.

Chintz – A plain-weave, closely woven cotton, either printed or dyed, with a glazed surface that
increases the fabric’s soil resistance.

Corduroy – A cloth make of either natural or synthetic fibers, with cut-pile ribs (or wales) running the
length or width of the fabric. The ribs are pronounced by weft yarns that are carried over the fabric
face and then cut. See cut-pile fabric.

Grospoint – A non-directional uncut pile fabric that is warp-looped and extremely resilient and hard
wearing. Made of wool or man-made fibers, it generally has larger loops than a frise.

Hand-woven Fabric – cloth woven on a hand or foot-powered loom, or woven by hand without a loom.

Harris Tweeds – Highly durable woolens hand-woven on the Outer Hebrides Islands off the coast of
Scotland. They are rough-textured and made in narrow fabric widths.

Herringbone – A twill weave which has a zigzag pattern produced by alternating the direction of the
twill in the loom threading. The chevron pattern runs selvage to selvage.

Homespun – Traditionally, a plain weave fabric woven from hand-spun yarns. It is currently machine-
woven with irregular yarns to reproduce the original textures.

Honeycomb – A hexagonal woven pattern, resembling the cells of a honeycomb.

Hopsacking – A coarse basket weave fabric of jute, hemp or cotton.

Houndstooth – A variation of twill weave, with a broken check pattern.

Jacquard – A loom attachment that uses a punched card system to raise and lower single heddles. It
weaves fabrics with complex patterns and figures, such as tapestry and brocade.

Kersey – A heavily milled woolen fabric with a lustrous nap.

Knit Fabric – A textile produced by continuous interloping of one or more yarns.

Leno Weave – An open weave used for casements, which achieves extra stability by twisting the warp
yarns around each other.

Matelasse – a jacquard-woven cloth with a quilted-like surface of cotton or rayon.

Moleskin – A heavy sateen-weave wool fabric, napped to produce a sheared sueded effect.

Pile Fabric – A three-dimensional surface construction in which cut or uncut loops protrude from the
ground cloth. The loops may be made of warp or filling yarns, and be produced by a double weave or
with wires. The wire method uses round-tipped wires to raise loops for uncut pile, and sharp-edged cut
wires for cut pile.

Plain Weave – The simplest method of interlacing warp and weft threads to make a cloth. Each filling
thread passes alternatively under and over the warp yarns to produce a balanced construction. Also
known as Tabby, this is a strong weave, inexpensive to produce and the best ground for printing.
However, if the thread count is low, the fabric may be too weak for upholstery.

Plush – A cut-pile construction with higher, less dense pile than velvet and velour.

Rep (or Repp) – A plain weave fabric characterized by distinct ribs running selvage to selvage, produced
by weaving large filling yarns through fine warp threads.

Rib – A raised ridge running lengthwise, crosswise or diagonally on a fabric, formed by the insertion of a
heavy thread.

Sateen – A filling-faced satin weave fabric with horizontal rather than vertical floats.

Satin – A warp-faced fabric in a satin weave.

Satin Weave – A basic weave in which the fabric face is composed almost entirely of warp floats;
producing a smooth, lustrous fabric that drapes well. However, it may be prone to snagging if the fabric
is too loosely constructed or the floats are too long.

Serge – A smooth-finished fabric in a balanced twill weave that is the same on both the face and the
back.

Striae – Irregular variations of color in a fabric, napped surface finished to resemble suede.

Suedecloth – A woven fabric with a flat, napped surface finished to resemble suede.

Tapestry – A jacquard-woven fabric with supplementary multi-colored yarns that form a design often
modeled on traditional hand-woven tapestries.

Tweed – A medium-weight, rough woolen fabric, usually twill-woven. The most noted tweeds such as
Donegal, Connemara, Harris and Galshiels, are produced in Ireland and Scotland.

V-Construction – A double weave construction for cut pile fabrics in which the pile yarns are caught by
one short of weft.

Velour – A cut-warp pile fabric of cotton or wool, with higher, less dense pile than velvet.

Velvet – A close-cropped, warp pile fabric with a smooth, right surface, that is produced by a double
weave or with wires. Though originally woven in silk, it is now made with cotton or synthetics.

Velveteen – A single-woven cotton weft pile fabric with a dense cut surface.

Waffle Weave – A three-dimensional rectangular pattern woven on a dobby loom.

Wale – The diagonal, horizontal, or vertical cut or uncut rib of a woven or knitted fabric.

W-Construction – A double weave construction for cut-pile fabrics in which the pile yarns are caught
and woven through a series of three weft yarns.

Weave – The structural pattern in which yarns are interlaced to produce a fabric. The basic weaves are
plain, twill and satin.

Woolen – Fuzzy, loosely twisted yarn spun from carded short wool fibers. Woolen cloths generally
exhibit simpler weaves and coarser finishes than worsteds.

Worsted – Smooth, compact yarns spun from carded and combed long wool fibers. Worsted cloths are
most closely constructed and have smoother finishes than woolen.
Construction Terms

Bias – An invisible line at a 45° diagonal to the grain of a fabric.

Blend – 1. A yarn of two or more staple fibers spun together.
2. A fabric containing blended yarns in the warp and filling.

Cloth – A general term referring to any pliable material whether woven, knitted, felted or knotted.

Construction – 1. The number size of a yarn. The higher the count, the finer the yarn.
2. The number of ends and picks per inch of weave. The higher the count, the finer the weave.

Crimp – A waviness in a fiber, either natural (as in wool) or man-made (nylon). Crimp adds resilience.

Denier – A unit of weight indication the size of a filament. The higher the denier number, the heavier
the yarn.

Density – The number of picks and ends in a cloth.

Dimensional Stability – The ability of a textile to maintain its original shape and size.

Elasticity – The ability of a stretched material to recover its original size and shape.

End – 1. A single strand of warp yarn.
2. A short length of fabric.

End-And-End – A fabric weave with two alternating colors or warp yarns.

Fabric – In general, any woven, knitted, knotted, felted or otherwise constructed material made from
fibers or yarns. Cloth, carpet, caning and matting are all defined as fabric.

Fabric Widths – Upholstery fabrics are generally manufactured in widths 48” = 120 cm.
50” = 138 cm., and 60” = 150 cm. Normal upholstery yardage requirements are based on 50” – 54”
goods.

Face – The side of the fabric which is visible when upholstered on furniture.

Filling – In weaving, the crosswise yarn or yarns that interlace at right angles with the vertical warp.

Filling-Faced – A term used to describe fabrics in which the filling picks predominate over the warp
ends. The following may conceal the warp completely.

Float – A portion of warp or filling yarns covering two or more adjacent yarns to form a design or satin
surface.

Loft – The bulk or resilience of a fabric, yarn or fiber.

Nap – A cut-pile or fuzzy surface finish of a cloth.

Pattern – 1. The arrangement of form, design, or decoration in a fabric.
2. A guide or plan for cutting fabric.

Pick – In weaving, a single short, or passage, or filling yarn through the warp shed.

Ply – An individual strand of yarn.

Repeat – The amount of surface a single pattern covers on a fabric.

Resilience – The abilities of a fabric or fiber to return to its original shape after stretching or crushing

Skein – A loosely coiled length of yarn.

Textile – Any fiber or yarn, natural or man-made, or any fabric made from these materials.

Texture – The characteristic look and feel of a fabric’s surface (rough or smooth, shiny or dull) based on
fiber, weave and finish.

Thread – A single yarn, either a filling pick or a warp end of a fabric.

Twist – The tightness and direction of the twist spun into a yarn. The most common is the clockwise of
S-twist. The Z-twist is spun in a counter-clockwise direction.

Warp-Faced Fabric – A woven cloth in which the warp yarns predominate over the filling yarns. See
Satin Weave.

Weave – The structural pattern in which yarns are interlaced to produce a fabric. The basic weaves are
plain, twill and satin.

Weft (or Filling) – The horizontal or crosswise element in a cloth/

Yarn – Any for of spun, twisted or extruded fiber, natural or man-made, that can be interlaced in
weaving. It can be a monofilament, spun, single-ply or composed of two or more yarns twisted
together.

Fabric Processing Terms

Backing – A semi-liquid latex sprayed or rolled on fabric to prevent seam slippage and increase stability.

Beam – The cylinder at both the front and back of a loom, onto which the warp is wound.

Beater – The moveable frame on a loom that holds the reed and packs the filling yarns into place.

Carding – A process used for all natural fibers in which they are separated and brought into general
alignment before spinning. Yarns spun from carded wool are called woolen yarns.

Combing – The process of making carded fivers parallel and removing their impurities before spinning.
Combed yarns are smooth, fine and lustrous. Combed wool yarns are called worsted yarns.

Flaw – A defect in a fabric.

Grey Goods (or Greige Goods) – Woven fabrics as it comes from the loom: undyed, unbleached,
unprinted, and unfinished.

Hand – The tactile quality of a fabric.

Harness – A rectangular frame on a loom that holds the heddles through which the warp yarns pass. A
loom’s harnesses raise and lower the heddles in predetermined patterns so that the filling yarns can be
threaded through the warp sheds to produce the desired weave. Different weaves may employ
anywhere from one to forty harnesses.

Kiss Coat – A light latex backing on a fabric.

Knot – A weaving flaw occurring where yarns are tied, and most often pulled through to the back of the
fabric.

Loom – A machine that produces woven textiles by interlacing warp and filling yarns.

Mildew Resistant Fabric – Fabric treated to resist deterioration by mildew and mold.

Mill – A building or collection of buildings with machines for manufacturing a product, especially
textiles.

Piece (or Roll) – An entire length of cloth from a loom, usually 33, 50 or 60 yards long.

Printing – The application of color designs to the surface of the cloth. There are two kinds of printing:
roller printing and heat transfer printing.

Roving – Fibers that are carded and combed and arranged in parallel alignment before spinning.

Scouring – The washing of fiber, yarn or fabric to remove grease, dirt, sizing, or tint.

Seconds – Imperfect fabrics with weave finish or dyeing flaws.

Selvage – The reinforced self-edges on either side of a woven cloth, finished to prevent raveling.

Sett (or Set) – The density of a fabric’s warp and filling.

Shading – The apparent gradations of color in cut-pile fabrics that are caused by variations in light
reflections. This is not a defect, but a desirable characteristic of these fabrics.

Shed – The space formed as the harnesses of a loom raise some warp threads and lower others. The
shuttle passes through the shed to lay in the filling.

Shrinkage – The contraction of fiver, yarn or fabric.

Shuttle – The device on a loom that carries the filling yarn through the shed to interlace it with the
warp

Shuttleless Loom – A loom on which the filling is carried across the warp by a rapier instead of a
shuttle, allowing faster production. The selvages have a cut edge and may be bound by heat setting.

Single – A single-ply yarn.

Slippage – The sliding of filling threads over ends, or the shifting of warp threads, resulting in open
spaces in a fabric.

Spinneret – A metal disc with numerous holes through which a chemical solution is extruded to
produce synthetic fibers.

Spinning – The process of twisting staple fibers into single-ply yarn, or of drawing liquid through a
spinneret to produce synthetic monofilaments.

Treadle – A lever or peddle on a loom that activates the lowering or raising of a harness.

Warp (or Ends) – The lengthwise yarns in a fabric, running vertically through the loom and parallel to
the selvage.

Weaving – The process of making a fabric on a loom by interlacing horizontal yarns (weft) at right
angles with vertical yarns (warp).

Weft (or Filling) – The horizontal or crosswise element in a cloth.

Finishing Terms

Finish – Any treatment given to a fiber, yarn or fabric to alter its “grey goods” state. Any one or more of
the following finishes may be applied to an upholstery fabric:

Additive finish – A general term referring to any chemical rather than mechanical finish.

Beetling – A treatment for linen in which the fabric is beaten with wooden mallets, producing a
permanent smooth finish.

Bleaching – A chemical treatment that removes color and stains from a fabric or yarn. Bleaching has a
tendency to weaken some fibers.

Calendering – An ironing process that adds sheen to a fabric.

Carbonizing – The removal of vegetable matter in a wool fabric by immersion in an acid bath.

Chlorination – A chemical treatment used on wool to reduce shrinkage.

Coated Fabric – A fabric coated, or treated, with any substance to make it waterproof. Coating
substances include rubber, vinyl, plastics, and oil.

Cropping – The cutting or shearing of fine hairs which protrude from the surface of a cloth.

Decating – The forcing of steam through cloth, which causes the fiber yarns to sell and produces a
smooth, wrinkle-free fabric. Decating is used especially on wool cloths, to set nap and develop luster.

Delustring – The application of a chemical treatment that reduces the sheen of an-made yarns and
fabrics.

Finishing Plant – A facility where special treatments are applied to great goods, i.e., dyeing stain
repellent, or fire retardant finishes.

Fireproof Fabric – Fabric that is impervious to burning.

Flame Resistant Fabric –
1. Cloth inherently resistant to burning because of the nature of its fiber content and/or weave.
2. Fabric treated with a pre-retardant finish to meet code standards for flame resistance.

Flame Retardant – A chemical applied to fiber, yarn or fabric to reduce its tendency to burn.

Mercerization – The treatment of cotton and linen fabrics with a caustic soda to increase strength,
luster and dye affinity.

Mothproofing – The application of chemicals to wool to make it resistance to destruction by moth
larvae.

Napping – A fabric-brushing process that produces a fuzzy, even surface. Yarns spun for napped fabrics
have a low degree of twist.

Resin – A synthetic finish applied to fabric to add water repellence, resistance to crushing or luster.

Scotchguard – A registered brand name for a chemical finish produced by 3M Co. that makes fabric
more resistant to water, oil and dirt.

Shearing – A mechanical process that cuts projecting fibers from the fabric face. It is especially used for
wool and other fabrics with a tendency to pill.

Shrinking – The treatment of fabric with hot water or steam to induce natural shrinking and minimize
shrinkage in later use.

Silicone Finish – A liquid fluorocarbon treatment that is either sprayed or padded onto fabric to make it
resistant to water and oil-borne stains. See Scotchguard and Teflon.

Sizing –
1. A starch applied to warp threads to strengthen them for the strains of the weaving process. It is
removed by scouring during finishing.
2. A starch applied to cotton or linen cloth that is removed when the fabric is washed.

Stain and Spot Resistance – The ability of a fabric to resist water and oil-borne stains, whether through
natural fiber characteristics or treatment with a resistant finish.

Tentering – A process of stretching fabric by hooking it to a frame to obtain even width, straight grain,
and smooth surface.

Teflon – A registered brand name for a chemical finish produced by DuPont, that makes fabric more
resistant to water, oil, and dirt. (previously known as Zepel)

Water Repellent Fabric – Cloth that is impervious to water, but still “breathes”.

Weighting – A process of dipping silk fabric in a solution of tin salts to increase the weight and thereby
improving the hand of the fabric.

Wet Finish – Any finishing process in which yarn or fabric is immersed in a solution.

Testing

Flammability Code – The specifications indicating the most amount of burning, charring, smoke density,
or flame spread a fabric may exhibit to meet the approved standard.

Flammability Test – A test to determine a fabric’s resistance to burning. All tests are conducted under
specific atmospheric conditions. The following tests are used in determining a fabric’s flammability
rating:

Diagonal (45°) Flame Test: A fabric specimen is mounted in a holder at a 45° angle and is exposed to an
open flame for a fixed amount of time. The ease of ignition and rate of burning are measured

Horizontal Flame Test: A specimen is mounted horizontally in a holder and exposed to flame for a fixed
amount of time. The burning rate and charhole diameter are measured.

Methenamine Pill Test: A test used for carpeting. A methenamine tablet is lit, and the size of the
burned hole is measured.

Steiner Tunnel Test: Used mostly on carpeting materials. A 2’ x 24’ sample is applied to the ceiling of a
tunnel and ignited with a flame. The resulting flame spread rating determines whether the fabric is
categorized Class A (least flammable) or Class B.

TB 133: A full-scale fire test for furniture manufactured for use in certain buildings. It requires that a
complete furniture piece be exposed to a large open flame in a specially designed test room. It then
measures what happens when all the components are used together. The test measures the amount of
heat generated and the rate at which it is generated. In addition, smoke opacity, carbon monoxide
generation and temperature are measured.

Vertical Flame Test: A fabric specimen is mounted vertically in a holder and exposed to an open flame.
The flaming time and char length are measured.

Gas Fading – Color loss or change due to atmospheric conditions.

Lightfastness – Resistance to fading due to the effects of sun or light.

Martindale Test – A wear abrasion test used extensively in Europe. The fabric’s warp and weft are
abraded at the same time.

Pilling – The formation of fuzzy balls on a fabric surface by the rubbing and matting of loose ends of
fiber. Depending on the fiber, pills may or may not remain attached to the fabric.

Raveling – The fraying of yarn at the cut edge of a cloth

Seam Slippage – The pulling apart of sewn fabrics at the seams, because of loose fabric construction.
See Slippage.

Slippage – The sliding or filling thread over ends, or the shifting of warp threads, resulting in open
spaces in a fabric.

Standard – The accepted quality and color of a fabric.

Standard Atmosphere – In laboratory testing 70°F, 65% relative humidity.

Taber Abrasion Test – An abrasion test for textiles. A fabric specimen is place on a rotating platform
and, as it turns, is rubbed by two abrasive wheels.

Tear Strength – The force required to begin or continue to tear a fabric.

Tensile Strength – The ability of a fabric to withstand tensions without tearing or breaking.

Wyzenbeek Test – A test used to measure a fabric’s resistance to wear abrasion. A fabric sample, pulled
taut and weighted, is abraded with a cylinder covered with a 50x70 wire screen or a 10 oz. cotton duck
cloth.

Miscellaneous

Intensity – The brightness of a color.
International Grey Scale – A standard used to measure color fading. See Fade-o-meter.
Jobber – A person or organization that buys large lots of finished fabrics and resells them in smaller
quantities.
Memo Samples – A large sample of fabric, generally a foot square.
Primary Colors – Red, yellow, and blue. All other colors are derived from combinations of these.
Railroading – Applying fabric to furniture so that the weft or filling runs vertically, thereby avoiding
intermediate seam detailing.
Remnant – The leftover end yardage from a bolt of cloth, usually less than three yards.
Secondary Colors – Orange, green, and violet, which are obtained by blending two primary colors.
Shade – A dark variation of a color. See Hue.
Specification – The detailed description of a fabric’s composition, including style, width, pick and end
count, weight per yard, color and finish.
Swatch Card – A paper card (usually 8.5” x 11”) with samples of the entire color line of a fabric.
Tertiary Colors – Colors obtained by mixing three primary colors, or by mixing one or two secondary
colors with black.
Tint – A pale variation of a color. See Hue.
Welt – A fabric-covered cord sewn into an upholstery seam for esthetic reasons or to improve the
durability of the construction.

Leather

Suede – A general term for leather with a wearing surface finished to a final velvet-like nap.
Suede Splits – Suede made from the flesh splits of hide and finished with a velvet-like nap.

Tanning – The process of converting hide into leather by treating the skin with such agents as vegetable
tannins or chromium salts.

Terminology for Vinyl-coated fabrics

Abrasion Resistance - Wearability of a vinyl-coated fabric (or any product) to resist surface damage
from rubbing or chafing.

Adhesion - Bonding strength between the backing and vinyl surface.

Backing - Any product used as a carrier to support a vinyl surface adding overall product strength,
including fabric, non-woven, paper, etc.

Calendar - Dry compound manufacturing method used to apply a controlled coating of vinyl gum to
produce a film. Compound is heated and drawn through a series of high temperature polished rolls to
combine all chemicals into the necessary thickness. It can then be laminated to any backing or remain
as a film, if desired.

Cast Coating - Liquid (plastisol) manufacturing process for expanded or non-expanded vinyls using
casting release paper to carry product during production process. This manufacturing method allows
greater accuracy in total product quality vs. calendaring vinyl production procedure.

Expanded Vinyl - Vinyl-coated fabric construction consisting of 3 major parts - backing, foam (center
section), and vinyl skin surface. During production, heat is utilized to “cook” the vinyl, making the
middle foam layer “expand”, thus creating the term “expanded vinyl”.

Filler - Additive (calcium carbonate) generally used to increase the weight of a vinyl product in lieu of
adding other raw materials. (Fillers are also referred to as “loading agents”)

Film - Solid or flexible vinyl (at any thickness) without a backing.

Flat Vinyl - Another name for non-expanded vinyl.

Fogging - Phenomenon created when a vinyl-coated fabric or film is subjected to high temperatures in
confined areas. Result is plasticizer exudation (common to automobile interiors).

Gauge - Total thickness of a vinyl product (including backing, if present) usually measured in .001".

Grain (Embossing) - Mechanically textured surface of vinyl.

Laminated - Bonding of film and fabric usually with heat and adhesive.

Mildew Proof - Treatments given to vinyl compound and/or a backing to retard the growth of a variety
of fungi that ultimately result in mildew growth.

Non-expanded Vinyl - Vinyl-coated product manufactured without a foam layer between the skin
surface and
backing.

Pigment - Compound used to provide color.

Plasticizer - Additive used to make basic, raw material, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) soft and flexible.

Print - Application of tinted inks used to change the surface appearance of a solid color. Prints are used
to give vinyl fabrics a variety of surface looks, including florals, leathers, etc.

PVC - Common name for polyvinyl chloride resin, the basic raw material in all vinyls.

Slip Finish - Same as top coat.

Skin Thickness - Overall thickness of the wear layer surface (solid vinyl). Usually measured in .001".

Strike-through - Manufacturing defect that allows texture from backing to show on surface area.

Tear-strength - Ability of vinyl fabric to resist tearing. Measured horizontally and vertically in
pounds/inch.

Top Coat -Thin layer of clear or tinted vinyl used on wear surface to protect total product from
abrasion. Top coat also provides desired degree of gloss.

Unsupported Vinyl - Any vinyl film or expanded vinyl produced without a backing.

UV Stabilized Pigments - Special pigments formulated to resist fading or color change resulting from
long-term exposure to the sun (ultraviolet rays).