Performance standards for textiles
used in upholstery vary depending upon the end use of the furniture
concerned. These performance categories are defined in BS2543:2004 as
follows:
LD
- light domestic use: suitable only for upholstery intended for
occasional or very light usage
GD
- general domestic use: suitable for most styles of upholstery for
general domestic use
HD
- heavy domestic use: suitable for upholstery where increased
durability and enhanced performance are required to counter heavy use
GC
- general contract use: suitable for upholstery likely to be subject
to general contract usage, e.g. environments where the furniture is
likely to be used throughout the day.
SC
- severe contract use: suitable for all types of upholstery use.
A number of performance criteria need
to be met for textiles to be assigned to one of the above categories
and, in general, the more severe the category the more severe the
test.
Test regimes include:
Physical strength characteristics
for example tensile strength, tear strength, seam slippage, burst strength etc.
Colour related properties
especially colour fastness to light, wet rubbing, dry rubbing andwater.
Pile retention properties for woven and knitted pile fabrics
