The simple answer to that is from A to F. A is the least expensive and F is the highest. The problem is that when you go shopping for fabric you will not see a Grade for the fabric. The manufacturer sets his own grade scale. The grade-to-cost of manufactures varies from one maker to another. With that is mind I feel it is more confusing and not worth worrying about.
So the next thought should be what kind of fabric should I use?
The short answer is the one you like. You will pick out the fabric that calls out to you first. My clients don’t usually care if it is rayon or cotton. They pic out either fabric, leather or vinyl. If it is a fabric, they look for either a solid color or a pattern that they like. It can become pretty confusing when you start talking about natural fibers versus synthetic fibers. To tell you the truth understanding that is only good for how to clean it and wither the synthetic will wear better than the natural fibers, which leads me into what you should consider when looking for your fabric, leather or vinyl and that is what we call
Abrasion or Double rubs
So what is a double rub test? A double rub is a testing method that uses a machine that passes a testing pad back and forth over the fabric until it is worn out. Each back and forth pass is what we call a double rub. Just like when we sit and get up from furniture.
The higher the number of double rubs the higher the quality and wear of the fabric. That means if you have a house full of kids and pets that commit unspeakable crimes against your furniture then you want to look into the higher commercial range of the double rubs. Around 100,000 to 250,000. Yep that will last a long time.
Now say your home is not that chaotic or maybe you have no pets to tear holes into your couch, then a domestic or residential fabric around 25,000 to 50,000 would work wonders. Now truth be told you can use this domestic fabric even if you have lots and lots of kids and a house full of pets. Remember though the higher the rub count the longer the fabric will last. (Under normal conditions)
Whatever that means.
When you go out shopping for fabrics or you are looking on line. Look for the manufactures label and it will tell you the rubs and wither or not it is Rail Roaded which is another very important thing to know when picking out fabrics. I will cover that in my next post. Until then Happy shopping.