Most Durable Outdoor Furniture Fabric

Most Durable Outdoor Furniture Fabric

Choosing the right outdoor furniture fabric is essential to selecting the right pieces for your patio, deck, or poolside. Everyone loves a plush, upholstered chair to lay back and relax and a comfortable dining seat for al fresco meals. Having waterproof outdoor fabric and durable outdoor furniture is an absolute must so that your family can enjoy your seating arrangement for many years to come.

During the shopping process, you'll likely come across seats and lounge chairs that feature many different outdoor furniture fabrics. However, not all of these fabrics have the same quality and features to withstand the test of time. You need items that are not just water-resistant but also UV-resistant, rip, and tear-resistant.

Keep reading to learn more about the most durable outdoor fabrics, the benefits of our favorite materials, and how you can be sure that you're selecting pieces that will last season after season.

What Is the Most Durable Outdoor Fabric?

The most durable outdoor fabrics are Sunbrella fabric and Tempotest Italian Performance Fabric. These are fabrics that manufacturers use for a variety of purposes, well beyond furniture. You'll find them on boats and marine vessels, umbrellas, restaurant awnings, outdoor curtains, pergolas, hot tub covers, hammocks, and more. Any piece of outdoor equipment that requires upholstery can benefit from this type of fabric.

These fabrics offer comfort, durability, and protection from the sun and inclement weather. Artisans have used Tempotest Italian Performance Fabric and Sunbrella fabric since the 1920s and 1960s, respectively, signifying their reliability.

What Is Sunbrella Fabric and What Other Fabrics Are Comparable?

Sunbrella performance fabric is a 100% solution-dyed acrylic fabric designed specifically for outdoor use. It features tightly woven fibers saturated with color and UV-stabilized pigments before being spun into yarn, meaning fade resistance and sun protection are at their very core. Because of this, Sunbrella fabric won't fade over time, as many other outdoor furniture fabrics do.

Instead of featuring only a surface finish to protect the fabric, as other competitors may, Sunbrella fabric doesn't wear down or deteriorate due to its outstanding construction. Other materials feature surface finishes that are easily worn down or washed away as time passes. With Sunbrella, this is not the case.

Best of all, Sunbrella fabric is famous for its extreme durability, the utmost comfort, and easy cleaning. Unlike other outdoor fabrics, Sunbrella is non-abrasive, meaning it won't leave you with that scratchy, itchy, or sticky feeling even on the hottest days.

Comparable Fabrics

Tempotest Italian Performance Fabric is the only comparable waterproof outdoor fabric to Sunbrella. It's also a solution-dyed acrylic fabric that is water repellent, resistant to mold and mildew and offers superior protection against UV fading.

The only significant difference between the two fabrics is the standard swatch width available to manufacturers. Sunbrella fabrics come in standard widths of 50-inches, whereas Tempotest Italian Performance Fabric is available in standard panels of 120-inches. This means that for larger pieces of durable outdoor furniture, such as cabana canopies, Tempotest fabric is the best choice. For smaller items, such as seat cushions and chair backs, both offer the same benefits and features.

The Benefits of Durable Outdoor Furniture Fabric

When shopping for durable outdoor furniture, comfort and style are usually top of mind. However, it's crucial to also pay attention to durability, resilience, and versatility. You may find pieces that feature cotton or polyester blends, but these are unlikely to hold up to routine wear and tear or poor weather. Most importantly, these fabrics don't possess the qualities of Sunbrella or Tempotest that allow them to last for years.

Here are the three main benefits of purchasing durable outdoor furniture that utilizes Sunbrella or Tempotest fabric.

1) The Ability to Withstand the Great Outdoors

Your outdoor furniture goes through a lot throughout the seasons. In the summer, the sun's rays beat down relentlessly, which can fade the color of lower-quality materials. There may be frequent rain storms that can leave cushions soaked down to the core. Even once they dry, the damage may be done. You may find that your favorite pillows and cushions are now stained with mold and mildew, making them both unsightly and unsafe for continued use.

Both Sunbrella and Tempotest fabrics are water-resistant, meaning the inside cushions won't receive water damage. These fabrics won't get moldy or develop mildew and will retain their bright and vibrant appearance. Even during the wettest seasons, these waterproof outdoor fabrics will last.

You don't have to worry about rushing outside to cover or move furniture that uses either of these fabrics in the event of rain. Even during the colder seasons, snow or wet leaves are unlikely to damage either upholstery option. This makes them ideal for families that require low-maintenance furniture that's still big on style and function.

2) Fabric Is Easily Replaceable

Additionally, since our products have a five-year warranty against manufacturer and structural defects, should you even encounter an issue within that time frame, we'll replace the item for you at no cost. When choosing these outdoor furniture fabrics, you can shop worry-free.

3) Extreme Durability

The most important aspect of outdoor furniture fabric is its durability. With both Sunbrella and Tempotest fabrics, you receive precisely that. Due to the acrylic construction, these fabrics are less likely to rip or tear, even with extended or heavy use.

That means you can host unlimited dinner parties, have daily lounge sessions, and even watch the kids rough house a bit without the concern of fabric damaging easily. Even pets can curl up in comfort without fearing that their nails may scratch or tear the upholstery.

The choice is evident when you combine these benefits with the ability to withstand wind, rain, sun rays, mold, and mildew. Sunbrella or Tempotest waterproof outdoor fabrics are the way to go when selecting new, durable outdoor furniture.

How Is Durability Defined?

The basic definition of durability is “the ability to withstand repeated use over a fairly long period.” However, that definition still doesn’t offer much when it comes to selecting upholstery fabric that stays attractive and holds its shape over the course of many years. When it comes to getting that particular information, we need to get a little more technical and look to several more measurable factors:

Abrasion Resistance

There are many textile standards throughout the fabric industry that test fabrics for durability. Upholstery fabric durability is most often tested for “abrasion resistance,” which is a measurement of how many times a fabric can be rubbed before showing significant wear (defined as two or more yarn breaks).

The “Wyzenbeek Test” is considered the North American standard for testing fabric abrasion resistance. It measures durability in “double rubs.” In a lab, this means a mechanical arm covered in cotton duck fabric sweeps back and forth against the test fabric. In real life, this process equates to sitting down on a chair in a pair of jeans, and then standing back up again -- thousands of times over the lifetime of the furniture. The Wyzenbeek Test compresses that wear and tear into a much shorter period of time.

Fabric ratings are decided by how many double rubs a piece of fabric could take in the lab before showing signs of wear. The ratings range from “delicate duty” (less than 3,000 double rubs) to “extra heavy duty” (more than 30,000 double rubs; these are fabrics designed for the daily punishment of airport or hospital waiting areas).

What is the best fabric to use for outdoor furniture?

The best fabric the use for outdoor furniture is polypropylene fabric. Polypropylene was one of the first marine fabrics due to the fact it had superior UV resistance compared to other fibers. Polypropylene is the best choice for outdoor cushions because it dries quickly when wet and has no dye sites. These non-active dye sites prevent stains and can easily be cleaned with bleach and water solution. 

More outdoor fabric is being used due to the rise in outdoor living and entertainment spaces.

Landscape architects, designers, realtors, and building contractors all agree that regardless of the price point on a home, outdoor living spaces have become a standard feature in new home construction. The trend is to create an outdoor living area that mimics indoor living.

Outdoor kitchens vary from a built-in grill to fully functioning kitchen spaces that may include refrigeration and brick ovens. What outdoor space would be complete without a television and a sound system as well as a fireplace or at least a cozy fire pit?

With all these outdoor living areas, comfortable seating is essential. Think of the seating as an expansion of what you would have inside your home... comfortable dining chairs, a sofa or a sectional. The difference is that the seating is made of outdoor cushion material that can withstand the elements. Harsh sunlight, temperature extremes, water and humidity that contribute to mold require special fabrics engineered for outdoor living.

Revolution Outdoor Fabrics are the perfect choice for the best outdoor fabric for living and entertaining!

The best outdoor fabric for furniture is polypropylene

Olefin Outdoor Fabrics

New to the outdoor fabric category, Revolution outdoor fabrics are woven in King Mountain, North Carolina with olefin and polypropylene yarns.

Olefin is a byproduct of refining petroleum and is extremely durable and stain-resistant. Olefin along with Acrylic is extremely resistant to fading from the sun. Most types of outdoor fabrics on the market will be acrylic, olefin, or polyester. Polyester fabrics will perform the worst because it has the lowest light fastness rating and they require a PFC chemical finish for stain resistance. The two best fibers when making outdoor cushions are solution-dyed olefin and solution-dyed acrylic. The best thing about Revolution outdoor fabrics is that you get superior performance at a great value per yard. Where most outdoor fabrics range from $20 - $50 a yard, Revolution outdoor fabrics cost between $15 and $30 a yard!

Revolution Outdoor Fabrics

Pros Cons

Extremely stain resistant without the use for a PFC chemical treatment.

(MUSTARD, KETCHUP, WINE, SHARPIE... IT ALL COMES OUT )

Currently, produce a small line of outdoor fabric. More fabrics will be     available in the future.

100% woven in the United States with raw materials form within 300 miles of the factory.

Heavy texture ( great for cushions, maybe not drapes )

Exceeds 30,000 Double rubs and us very abrasion resistant

Wax-based water repellent finish for rain and dew.

Outdoor fabrics are over 2000 hours of light fastness or 3-year fade warranty.  

Mildew resistant properties.

Solution Dyed Acrylic Outdoor Fabrics 

Acrylic fabrics are synthetic fabrics made from acrylic fibers. This type of outdoor fabric has a number of advantages including lower specific gravity, mildew-resistant properties and an ability to manage moisture. Made famous by outdoor fabric brands like Sunbrella, most outdoor fabrics are solution-dyed acrylic or a cheap polyester only good for a season. Acrylic is great for lightfastness but is extremely easy to stain when not treated with a stain treatment bath. These fabrics tend to look great at first but become stained as the treatment wears off. Do not let the "solution dyed" marketing efforts fool you. Not all solution-dyed fibers are created equal. Solution-dyed Acrylic can be atmospherically dyed ... This means that the fiber has dye sites. The more dye sites a fiber has, the more wine, ketchup, and stains can penetrate the fiber. Solution Dyed Olefin on the other does not have dye site. This is why Olefin is stain resistant without the use of stain treatment baths.

Pros Cons

High UV and lightfastness scores ( 2000 hr of lightfastness)

Contain harmful PFC Chemical

mildew resistant properties

Known to pill or fuzz

Multiply use application (drapes, cushions, curtains)

Very expensive ( will had $400 average to your upholstery project)

Some liquid resistant properties ( with stain finish applied )

Flat texture ( not great for upholstery / limited design )

Extremely hard to get oily stains out ( Ketchup, Mustard, ETC )

Outdoor Polyester and Prints

Mostly used in one season outdoor goods, polyester outdoor fabrics and prints will be your lowest performing outdoor fabric. This type of outdoor fabric on average will have a lightfastness score no higher than 1000 hours of lightfastness. Unlike solution dyed Acrylic and Olefin, Polyester is batch-dyed. Most polyester is woven white and then dyed in drums to its desired color. This process is great for obtaining mass amounts of colored fabrics but these fabrics are extremely receptacle to staining because of the mass about of dye sites in polyester fiber. These fabrics will be cheap and only good for a seasonal throw pillow or two.

Pros Cons

Largest selection of product

Low Lightfasntness / Fade rating ( 1 year or 500 hour average )

Cheap fabrics by the yard

Hard to clean oily spills like ketchup and mustard

Can have some liquid repellency after a PFC chemical bath

Abrasion results are across the board

Known to pill or fuzz.