The Martindale Rub Test: Complete Guide for Upholstery Specification

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What the Martindale Test Is

The Martindale test is a standardised method for measuring a fabric’s resistance to abrasion. It simulates the wear a fabric experiences in normal use on upholstered furniture by rubbing a fabric sample against a standard abrasive surface under controlled conditions and counting how many cycles the fabric can withstand before showing visible signs of deterioration.

The result is expressed as a number of rubs or cycles, always reported in multiples of 5,000. The higher the number, the more resistant the fabric is to abrasion, and the more suitable it is for demanding applications.

The test is defined under the international standard BS EN ISO 12947, which has four parts covering the testing apparatus, determination of specimen breakdown, determination of mass loss, and assessment of appearance change. Part 2, the determination of specimen breakdown, is the most commonly cited in fabric specifications.

A Brief History

The test takes its name from J.G. Martindale, who developed the method in 1942 at the Wool Industries Research Association, known as WIRA, for wartime research into gas-protection fabrics. It was not originally designed for upholstery. Its application to furniture and interior textiles came later, as the method proved to be a reliable and repeatable way of measuring abrasion resistance across a wide range of fabric types. It was adopted as a British Standard and subsequently incorporated into the European and international standards framework as BS EN ISO 12947. Today it is used by fabric manufacturers, test houses, and specifiers across the UK, Europe, and internationally as the benchmark for upholstery durability.

How the Test Works

A circular sample of the fabric under test, 140mm in diameter, is mounted face-down in a specimen holder on the lower plate of the Martindale machine. A foam backing is placed behind the sample to simulate the padding of upholstered furniture. A smaller disc of worsted wool fabric, 38mm in diameter, is mounted on the upper plate as the abradant. Under some test configurations wire mesh is used as the abradant instead of wool.

The machine applies a constant load of 12 kilopascals, equivalent to approximately 120 grams per square centimetre, which simulates the pressure of a seated person. The upper plate then moves against the lower plate in a Lissajous curve, which is a compound figure-of-eight motion that ensures the abrasion is applied in multiple directions rather than a single line. This multidirectional motion is what distinguishes the Martindale method from the Wyzenbeek method, which applies abrasion in a straight back-and-forth line.

The test pauses every 5,000 cycles and the sample is inspected under a standardised light source. The inspector looks for two complete yarn breaks or a noticeable change in the appearance of the fabric surface, such as pilling, flattening, or loss of pile. When either of these conditions is met, the test ends and the cycle count at that point is the fabric’s Martindale rub count.

Because the test pauses at 5,000-cycle intervals, the result is always a multiple of 5,000. A fabric described as achieving 25,000 rubs reached that interval and passed; it was not tested through the full 30,000 interval. Multiple samples from different areas of the same fabric are tested simultaneously to account for variation within the material. The abradant is replaced after every 50,000 cycles to prevent glazing, which would artificially inflate results.

What the Rub Count Means in Practice

The rub count is a guide to the appropriate application of a fabric, not a guarantee of a specific lifespan. The following thresholds represent the standard classifications used in the UK and Europe, with examples from the Kothea range at each level.

Under 10,000 rubs: decorative use only. Fabrics at this level are suitable for cushions, throws, and accent pieces that receive minimal friction. They are not suitable for any application where a person will sit on or lean against the fabric regularly.

10,000 to 15,000 rubs: light domestic use. Suitable for occasional-use furniture in low-traffic rooms, such as a bedroom accent chair that is rarely sat on, or decorative cushion covers on a guest bedroom bed. Often applicable to fabrics with delicate yarns that require dry cleaning. Not recommended for main living room seating.

15,000 to 25,000 rubs: general domestic use. The standard range for everyday household furniture including living room sofas and dining chairs in a single-occupancy or couple household. Kothea’s Relax Linen at over 15,000 rubs and Linen Velvet at 20,000 rubs sit within this band, making them suitable for residential upholstery in schemes where appearance takes priority over heavy-use durability.

25,000 to 40,000 rubs: heavy domestic and light contract use. Suitable for high-use family furniture with children and regular daily use, and for light commercial applications such as a private office or a boutique hotel bedroom that is not turned over multiple times per day. Kothea’s Restful Linen at over 45,000 rubs falls into this band and above, making it suitable for contract bedroom seating and residential upholstery in heavily used rooms.

40,000 rubs and above: contract grade. The standard threshold for commercial upholstery in hotels, restaurants, bars, and offices. Fabric at this level is specified where furniture will receive daily use by multiple different people over an extended period without replacement or reupholstering. Kothea’s Recline Linen achieves 80,000 Martindale rubs. Mohair Velvet achieves 100,000 Martindale rubs. Fine Cotton Velvet achieves 110,000 Martindale rubs. Faux Leather 3 achieves in excess of 200,000 Martindale rubs, placing it among the most abrasion-resistant upholstery fabrics available for contract specification.

A note on diminishing returns. Results above 50,000 rubs have little additional practical impact on longevity for most residential applications. The difference between a fabric at 50,000 and one at 100,000 is not meaningful in a domestic living room. The significance of very high rub counts lies in the most demanding contract environments: transport seating, healthcare waiting rooms, casino public areas, and anywhere furniture is in continuous use around the clock.

What the Martindale Test Does Not Measure

The rub count is one indicator of fabric performance, not a complete picture of durability. Specifiers should be aware of the following limitations.

UV light resistance and fading. The Martindale test is conducted in a controlled environment with no light exposure. A fabric that achieves 100,000 rubs may fade significantly in a south-facing room within a year. Light fastness is a separate property tested against the Blue Wool Scale under a different standard entirely.

Pilling. Pilling is the formation of small fibre balls on the surface of a fabric through repeated rubbing. It is a normal characteristic of many natural and blended fibres and is not the same as abrasion failure. A fabric can pill at relatively low rub counts without the yarns breaking. Pilling resistance is assessed separately and is particularly relevant when specifying wool and mohair fabrics.

Staining and liquid resistance. The test is conducted dry. It gives no information about how a fabric will respond to spillage, moisture, or cleaning agents. A high rub count does not indicate stain resistance.

Pet damage. Cat and dog claws create a tearing and snagging force that is entirely different from the flat circular abrasion of the Martindale machine. No rub count, however high, predicts resistance to animal claws.

Seam slippage and tensile strength. The abrasion test is conducted on a flat sample away from seams. A fabric that performs well in abrasion may have poor seam strength when cut, sewn, and stretched over a frame. Tensile strength is a separate test.

Chemical degradation. Cleaning agents, solvent-based spot removers, and harsh detergents can degrade fabric fibres and surface finishes in ways the Martindale test does not simulate. Always confirm the appropriate cleaning code for a fabric before specifying it in an environment where soiling and cleaning will be frequent.

Furniture construction and padding. The rub count assumes the fabric is correctly upholstered over adequate padding. Fabric specified at 40,000 rubs applied over a poorly padded frame with sharp edges will fail prematurely because the real stress concentrates at contact points the laboratory test does not replicate.

Martindale and Wyzenbeek: the Key Difference

Designers working on international projects, particularly those involving US clients or global hotel brands, will encounter both the Martindale and Wyzenbeek test standards. The two are frequently confused and occasionally treated as interchangeable. They are not.

The Wyzenbeek test, defined under ASTM D4157, is the standard used in North America. It applies abrasion in a straight back-and-forth motion along the warp and weft of the fabric using cotton duck or wire mesh as the abradant. Each back-and-forth movement is called a double rub. The test ends when two yarn breaks occur or noticeable wear is observed.

The Martindale test applies abrasion in a multidirectional Lissajous figure-of-eight motion. Because it tests multiple directions simultaneously, it subjects the fabric to a more complex pattern of stress than the straight-line Wyzenbeek test.

There is no reliable conversion factor between the two tests. A common industry rule of thumb holds that Martindale results run approximately one third higher than Wyzenbeek results for equivalent fabrics, and that for heavy-duty contract use a specifier might require either 30,000 Wyzenbeek double rubs or 40,000 Martindale cycles as the minimum. This is a directional guide only. A fabric that achieves a given Wyzenbeek score cannot be assumed to achieve any particular Martindale score without being independently tested to both standards. The two tests measure different properties of abrasion resistance and success in one does not infer success in the other.

For a detailed comparison of the two methods, including end-use specification guidance, see our full article: Martindale vs Wyzenbeek: Rub Test by Abrasion Explained.

For projects governed by UK and European standards, always require Martindale figures. For projects governed by US or North American standards, require Wyzenbeek figures. Do not attempt to derive one from the other.

How to Specify Correctly

Match the rub count to the actual use, not the most demanding possible use. Over-specifying abrasion resistance frequently leads to specifying a fabric that is technically correct but aesthetically wrong for the project. A fabric rated at 100,000 rubs is not necessary in a private bedroom and the range of available fabrics at that performance level is narrower than at 25,000 rubs.

Consider the full performance profile. Alongside the Martindale figure, check the cleaning code, light fastness rating, fire rating, and pilling resistance before finalising a specification. Each of these is independent of the rub count.

Confirm the test conditions. Ask the supplier whether the rub count was achieved with or without a backing, which abradant was used, and which part of ISO 12947 was applied. Results tested with a foam backing are not directly comparable to results tested without one. This level of detail is rarely published on a standard product sheet but a serious supplier will have it available.

Require third party test certificates for contract applications. Self-certified figures carry no independent verification. For contract projects where the rub count or other performance claims carry legal or liability implications, require test certificates from an accredited independent laboratory before specifying.

Use the rub count alongside a sample. A sample in the hand tells you things the rub count cannot: handle, drape, pile direction, surface texture, and how the fabric behaves when manipulated. Specify by rub count to confirm technical suitability, then choose by sample.

For the US equivalent abrasion test and how Wyzenbeek double rubs differ from Martindale rubs, see our Wyzenbeek vs Martindale guide.

For pilling resistance — a distinct property from abrasion measured by a separate test — see our pilling resistance guide.

Martindale Rub Counts Across the Kothea Range

Kothea supplies Martindale rub count data for all relevant fabric ranges. The following gives a summary by performance level.

• 15,000 rubs and above: Relax Linen (100% linen, pre-washed)
• 20,000 rubs: Linen Velvet (100% linen pile)
• 45,000 rubs and above: Restful Linen (100% linen, pre-washed)
• 80,000 rubs: Recline Linen (54% linen 35% cotton 11% polyamide, pre-washed)
• 100,000 rubs: Mohair Velvet (pile 100% mohair, inherent Crib 5)
• 110,000 rubs: Fine Cotton Velvet (100% cotton)
• In excess of 200,000 rubs: Faux Leather 3 (1% PU 82% PVC 17% polyester, Crib 5)

Wyzenbeek: The US Abrasion Standard

The Wyzenbeek test (ASTM D4157) is the abrasion standard used in the United States. If you are specifying fabric from an American supplier or working on a project with US compliance requirements, you may encounter Wyzenbeek double rub counts rather than Martindale rub counts on data sheets.

Wyzenbeek rubs fabric back and forth in straight lines against a cotton duck canvas abradant — a significantly more abrasive surface than the worsted wool used in Martindale. The result is expressed in double rubs rather than rubs. The two figures are not directly comparable and no reliable conversion factor exists between them. A Wyzenbeek double rub count cannot be used in place of a Martindale rub count on a UK specification.

For UK and European projects, always specify Martindale to ISO 12947. Wyzenbeek results from American suppliers should be noted for reference but should not be presented to building control officers, insurers, or UK contract clients as equivalent to a Martindale certification. The approximate US contract thresholds for Wyzenbeek are: residential 9,000 to 15,000 double rubs; light commercial 15,000; heavy commercial 30,000 to 50,000; severe commercial 100,000.

For a full comparison of the two test methods, see our Wyzenbeek vs Martindale guide.

Trade customers can request technical data sheets and sample cuttings.