Fabric Guides & Advice
Fabric Glossary: Textile & Furnishing Fabric Terms
A plain-English A–Z of fabric fibres, weaves, patterns and technical terms you are likely to encounter when choosing curtain, blind and upholstery fabrics.
Use the glossary as a quick reference, then follow the links to our longer guides where you need help choosing a fabric, understanding upholstery performance or calculating quantities.
Good to know: fibre names and test figures can help explain a fabric, but the manufacturer’s specification for the exact product should be used when deciding whether it is suitable for curtains, blinds, upholstery or a regulated project.
- Abrasion resistance
- A fabric’s resistance to surface wear caused by rubbing. Upholstery specifications may report an abrasion-test result such as Martindale or Wyzenbeek, but this is only one part of overall suitability.
- Ajour
- An openwork effect in which small holes form part of the textile design. The effect may be created by weaving, embroidery or another construction technique.
- All-over pattern
- A design distributed repeatedly across the whole fabric rather than arranged as a single border, panel or isolated motif.
- Appliqué
- Decoration made by attaching pieces of fabric or other material onto a textile surface, usually by stitching or embroidery.
- Atlas weave
- Another term used for satin weave in some European textile terminology. Long floats create a smooth surface with relatively few visible interlacings.
- Batik
- A resist-dyeing technique in which selected areas are protected, traditionally with wax, before dye is applied. Repeated waxing and dyeing can create layered, intricate patterns.
- Batiste
- A lightweight, fine plain-weave fabric, traditionally made from cotton or linen and now also produced in blends.
- Blend
- A textile made using two or more fibre types, such as linen and viscose or cotton and polyester. Blending can change handle, appearance, stability, durability and care requirements.
- Bouclé
- A yarn or fabric characterised by loops and curls on the surface. Bouclé upholstery ranges from fine, compact textures to large, open loops, so suitability should be checked product by product.
- Brocade
- A richly figured woven fabric in which decorative motifs are created through the weave, often using supplementary yarns. Brocades may be made from many fibre types, not only silk.
- Burnout / devoré
- A patterned effect made by chemically dissolving selected fibres from a blended fabric, leaving transparent or semi-transparent areas beside the remaining fibres.
- Cellulose
- The main structural material in plant cell walls. Natural plant fibres such as cotton and flax are cellulose-based, and cellulose is also the raw material for regenerated fibres such as viscose.
- Chenille
- A soft, fuzzy pile yarn with short fibres projecting around its core. Chenille yarns are widely used in furnishing fabrics to create a tactile, velvety surface.
- Chintz
- Historically, a glazed printed cotton fabric, often floral. Today the term is also used more broadly for decorative printed cottons and chintz-style patterns.
- Colourway
- One colour version of a particular fabric design. The same pattern may be offered in many colourways, each with its own product reference.
- Composition
- The fibre content of a fabric, normally shown as percentages, for example 60% linen / 40% viscose. Composition helps describe a fabric but does not by itself determine suitability. See the Fabric Buying Guide.
- Cord / corduroy
- A cut-pile fabric with distinct raised ribs or wales running along its length. The width of the ribs can vary from very fine to broad.
- Cotton
- A natural cellulosic fibre obtained from the seed hairs of the cotton plant. It is used in furnishing fabrics ranging from lightweight prints to substantial upholstery weaves and velvets.
- Crash
- A fabric with a deliberately crinkled, creased or irregular surface. The effect may come from yarn, weave or finishing.
- Crêpe
- A fabric with a characteristically grainy, pebbled or crinkled surface, created through highly twisted yarns, weave structure or finishing.
- Damask
- A figured woven fabric, traditionally created with contrasting satin-based weave structures so the pattern changes with the light. Many damasks are reversible or nearly reversible.
- Dye lot / dye batch
- A quantity of fabric dyed together under the same production conditions. Shade can vary between batches, so large or colour-sensitive projects may need fabric from a consistent dye lot. See the Fabric Buying Checklist.
- Épinglé
- A woven loop-pile fabric with small, dense uncut loops. It is often used for durable decorative and upholstery textiles.
- Fil coupé / Scherli
- A lightweight figured fabric made with extra pattern yarns whose floats are clipped after weaving. The clipped yarn ends can create a delicate fringed outline around the motifs.
- Flannel
- A woven fabric with a softly brushed or napped surface, commonly made from wool, cotton or blends.
- Flock print
- A raised surface design made by applying short fibres, or flock, to selected adhesive-coated areas of a fabric.
- Gauze / leno weave
- An open weave in which warp yarns cross or twist around one another to hold the weft in place, creating a stable, airy structure.
- Half-drop repeat
- A pattern repeat in which the motif on the next vertical line is offset by half the repeat rather than aligned directly beside it. This can affect matching and fabric quantity.
- Herringbone
- A broken twill pattern in which diagonal lines reverse direction to form a repeated V or zigzag effect. See more fabric patterns.
- Horizontal repeat
- The distance across the width of a patterned fabric before the design repeats. It is important when centring motifs and planning pattern matching. See the Fabric Buying Guide.
- Horsehair
- A highly durable woven textile traditionally made with horse tail hair, often used as the weft, combined with another fibre in the warp. It has a distinctive crisp handle.
- Houndstooth
- A two-colour broken-check pattern created from a variation of twill weave, traditionally associated with black and white. See more fabric patterns.
- Ikat
- A resist-dyeing technique in which warp yarns, weft yarns, or both are patterned before weaving. Slightly feathered or irregular motif edges are characteristic of many ikats.
- In-between
- A semi-sheer furnishing textile with more body or opacity than a very light voile but less than a conventional curtain fabric. The term is especially common in Continental European collections.
- Jacquard
- A fabric with a pattern woven into its structure using individual control of warp yarns on a jacquard mechanism. Damask, brocade and many complex figured upholstery fabrics can be jacquards.
- Lightfastness
- A measure of how well a textile colour resists change when exposed to light under specified test conditions. It does not mean a fabric is completely fade-proof.
- Linen
- A natural cellulosic fibre made from the stem of the flax plant. Linen is valued for its dry handle, texture and relaxed appearance and may crease or develop slubs as part of its character.
- Loden
- A dense, fulled wool cloth traditionally associated with Alpine clothing. Fulling compacts the woven cloth to give it a firm, felted surface.
- Martindale
- A commonly used abrasion test for upholstery fabrics in the UK and Europe. The result reports how many rub cycles the fabric withstands under the specified test method; it should be read alongside the manufacturer’s stated usage. Read our Upholstery Fabric Guide.
- Mercerisation
- A treatment for cotton using caustic soda, normally under controlled tension, to improve properties such as lustre, dye affinity and strength.
- Moiré
- A watered or rippled visual effect that changes with the light. It can be produced by finishing techniques or built into the textile construction.
- Nap
- A directional surface created by raised fibres. Brushed fabrics and some pile textiles can look lighter or darker depending on the direction in which the nap lies.
- Nonwoven
- A textile sheet made by bonding or entangling fibres rather than weaving or knitting them. Felt is a familiar example.
- Organdy
- A crisp, lightweight, transparent or semi-transparent plain-weave cotton fabric, usually given a firm finish.
- Organza
- A crisp, sheer plain-weave fabric traditionally made from silk and now also produced in synthetic fibres.
- Paisley
- A decorative pattern based on a curved teardrop or boteh-shaped motif, often arranged in elaborate repeats. See more fabric patterns.
- Pattern match
- The way adjacent lengths or cut pieces of a patterned fabric are aligned. Straight match, half-drop and other layouts can materially affect cutting and quantity.
- Pattern repeat
- The distance from one point in a design to the corresponding point where the pattern begins again. Furnishing fabrics may state both vertical and horizontal repeats. See the Fabric Buying Guide.
- Pile
- Raised loops or cut fibres standing above the ground fabric. Velvet, velour and some chenilles are pile fabrics.
- Pile direction
- The direction in which a pile lies. On velvet and similar fabrics it can alter colour and sheen, so all pieces normally need to be cut consistently.
- Pile velvet
- A velvet in which selected pile areas form a pattern against a flatter ground, sometimes described as figured or patterned velvet.
- Piqué
- A fabric with a raised, corded, cellular or geometric surface created by its weave or knitting structure.
- Plain weave
- The simplest woven structure, with each weft yarn passing alternately over and under successive warp yarns.
- Plissé
- A permanently pleated, puckered or crinkled textile effect produced by construction or finishing.
- Polyacrylic / acrylic
- A synthetic fibre used for soft, lightweight or weather-resistant textile applications. Properties depend on the specific fibre and fabric construction.
- Polyamide / nylon
- A family of synthetic fibres known for strength and abrasion resistance. Nylon is the best-known textile polyamide.
- Polyester
- A widely used synthetic fibre that can be engineered into many different textile surfaces, from smooth sheers to velvets and heavy upholstery fabrics.
- Railroaded
- A fabric intended to be used with its width running along the horizontal length of the finished item rather than vertically from top to bottom. This can change how many seams or cuts are required. See the Fabric Buying Guide.
- Regenerated cellulose fibre
- A manufactured fibre made by dissolving naturally derived cellulose and reforming it as filament or staple fibre. Viscose, modal and lyocell are examples; they are not classed as synthetic polymer fibres.
- Rib weave
- A woven structure in which groups of yarns or altered yarn sizes create pronounced ribs across or along the fabric.
- Satin
- A fabric made with a satin weave, which uses longer yarn floats to create a smooth, often lustrous face. Satin describes the construction, not the fibre: it may be silk, polyester, cotton or another material.
- Seersucker
- A fabric with alternating smooth and puckered areas, traditionally produced through differences in yarn tension or finishing.
- Selvedge / selvage
- The finished edge running along each side of a woven fabric. The usable fabric width may exclude part or all of the selvedge.
- Shot fabric
- A fabric woven with different colours in the warp and weft so its apparent colour changes with the viewing angle or light.
- Silk
- A natural protein fibre produced by silkworms. It is valued for lustre, fine handle and drape but many silk furnishings require careful handling and protection from strong light.
- Stock cutting
- A small cutting taken from the fabric currently available in stock. It can be used to compare the present dye batch with an earlier sample before a larger order is placed. See the Fabric Buying Checklist.
- Swatch / sample
- A small piece of fabric supplied for colour, texture and handle assessment. A sample may not show the full scale of a large pattern, so repeat information should also be checked. See the Fabric Buying Checklist.
- Synthetic fibre
- A man-made fibre formed from synthetic polymers, such as polyester, acrylic or nylon. Regenerated cellulose fibres such as viscose are manufactured fibres but are not synthetic polymer fibres.
- Taffeta
- A crisp plain-weave fabric with a smooth surface and characteristic rustle. It may be made from silk or manufactured fibres.
- Thread count
- The number of warp and weft threads within a stated area of woven fabric. It is useful in some comparisons but is not a universal measure of furnishing-fabric quality or durability.
- Toile de Jouy
- A style of printed fabric associated with late-18th-century Jouy-en-Josas in France, typically featuring detailed pastoral, historical or scenic motifs in one colour on a light ground. See more fabric patterns.
- Trevira CS®
- A brand for inherently flame-retardant textiles made using flame-retardant polyester fibres and yarns. The fire-retardant property is built into the fibre rather than applied only as a surface finish.
- Trimmings
- Decorative textile finishes such as braid, fringe, tassels, cords, piping and borders used on curtains, cushions, blinds and upholstery.
- Tweed
- A textured woollen or wool-rich woven cloth traditionally associated with Scotland and often made in twill, herringbone, check or other structured weaves.
- Twill
- A woven structure recognised by diagonal ribs or lines created by the regular progression of warp and weft interlacings.
- Two-ply / double cloth
- A fabric constructed from two layers or systems of cloth that are woven together at selected points. Double cloth can create extra weight, pattern or reversible effects.
- Velour
- A general term for textiles with a soft, plush surface. In furnishing use it may describe pile fabrics similar to velvet, although the exact construction varies.
- Vertical repeat
- The distance down the length of a patterned fabric before the design repeats. It is a key measurement when calculating patterned curtain or upholstery quantities. See the Fabric Buying Guide.
- Viscose / rayon
- A regenerated cellulose fibre made from dissolved cellulose. It is known for softness, drape and good dye uptake and is frequently used in furnishing blends and velvets.
- Voile
- A lightweight, sheer or semi-sheer fabric, usually in a simple weave, used for curtains and decorative window treatments.
- Warp
- The yarns that run lengthwise in a woven fabric and are held under tension on the loom.
- Weave
- The arrangement by which warp and weft yarns interlace to form a woven fabric. Plain, twill and satin are the three fundamental weave families.
- Weft
- The yarns inserted across the width of a woven fabric, passing over and under the warp yarns.
- Welting / piping
- A narrow fabric-covered cord inserted into a seam as a decorative edge or to define the shape of cushions and upholstered furniture.
- Wide-width / room-high fabric
- A fabric produced substantially wider than conventional furnishing cloth. Depending on pattern direction and project dimensions, it can sometimes be used across a window to reduce joins.
- Wool
- A natural protein fibre obtained from sheep. Its crimp and resilience make it useful in many furnishing textiles, from tailored drapery to hard-wearing upholstery.
- Wyzenbeek
- An abrasion test commonly used in North America. It reports double rubs rather than Martindale cycles, and the two systems should not be directly converted.
