Contract Fabrics: The Most Essential Facts to Know
If fabrics intended for home use must pass a series of tests to ensure the quality is suitable for their use, the contract sector is much more demanding, as fabrics must comply with many strict regulations that vary depending on the country in which the product is sold.
Contract fabrics are used in places with high traffic of people who use them. Hotels, restaurants, hospitals or airports are places where the highest quality is required when choosing upholstery fabrics for armchairs, chairs, walls or curtains.
The most important tests that this type of fabric intended for high traffic areas must pass start with compliance with fire safety regulations. In other words, the regulations state that all fabrics intended for the contract sector must have properties that make them ideal for this type of space without the risk of using cigarettes, lighters or matches.
The aim of this type of testing is to understand and assess, while reproducing as faithfully as possible the real conditions of use, the behaviour of the fabric in fire conditions, in order to ensure the safety of users in the event of a fire. Among the most important parameters to know such behavior in a given situation are flammability or ease of ignition, flame spread, release of flaming droplets or particles, heat emission and smoke production.
In addition, the fabric must also pass a certain number of cycles in the Martindale Test. In other words, fabrics intended for the contract industry must meet standards in terms of durability, which allow to measure their resistance to abrasion, which is done by subjecting the fabric to an abrasion process measured in cycles. The minimum number of cycles required for the contract industry is 30,000. The higher this value, the greater the resistance to abrasion, and therefore the fabric is better suited for use in rooms that are constantly and regularly used.
However, contract fabrics play in the first league, so in addition to the tests mentioned above, and also to ensure high quality during use, they must pass a number of other tests that allow to measure wear and weight loss and to assess changes in the appearance of the fabric.
It should also be emphasized that fabrics intended for the contract industry are mostly antibacterial, which helps avoid the spread of mites and fungi that could be harmful to users.
As we have already mentioned, the laws for the contract industry in force in each country regarding the production of fabrics, both for horizontal and vertical decoration, are different. Despite this complication, the effort that manufacturers put into meeting them is often highly rewarded when the fabrics are successful both nationally and internationally.
Contract fabrics are used in places with high traffic of people who use them. Hotels, restaurants, hospitals or airports are places where the highest quality is required when choosing upholstery fabrics for armchairs, chairs, walls or curtains.
The most important tests that this type of fabric intended for high traffic areas must pass start with compliance with fire safety regulations. In other words, the regulations state that all fabrics intended for the contract sector must have properties that make them ideal for this type of space without the risk of using cigarettes, lighters or matches.
The aim of this type of testing is to understand and assess, while reproducing as faithfully as possible the real conditions of use, the behaviour of the fabric in fire conditions, in order to ensure the safety of users in the event of a fire. Among the most important parameters to know such behavior in a given situation are flammability or ease of ignition, flame spread, release of flaming droplets or particles, heat emission and smoke production.
In addition, the fabric must also pass a certain number of cycles in the Martindale Test. In other words, fabrics intended for the contract industry must meet standards in terms of durability, which allow to measure their resistance to abrasion, which is done by subjecting the fabric to an abrasion process measured in cycles. The minimum number of cycles required for the contract industry is 30,000. The higher this value, the greater the resistance to abrasion, and therefore the fabric is better suited for use in rooms that are constantly and regularly used.
However, contract fabrics play in the first league, so in addition to the tests mentioned above, and also to ensure high quality during use, they must pass a number of other tests that allow to measure wear and weight loss and to assess changes in the appearance of the fabric.
It should also be emphasized that fabrics intended for the contract industry are mostly antibacterial, which helps avoid the spread of mites and fungi that could be harmful to users.
As we have already mentioned, the laws for the contract industry in force in each country regarding the production of fabrics, both for horizontal and vertical decoration, are different. Despite this complication, the effort that manufacturers put into meeting them is often highly rewarded when the fabrics are successful both nationally and internationally.
