The Martindale Test: Fabric Rub Count

The martindale scale is the amount of times the discs can oscillate before the fabric shows signs of distress.

The double rub test is a test of a fabrics durability and a good indicator for how well it will stand up to every day use in its desired setting.

During the Wyzenbeek test a sample of test fabric is stretched tightly over a frame on the Wyzenbeek machine. A piece of abradant material, such as cotton duck fabric is then continually passed over the test fabric in a back and forth motion. Each back and forth pass is called a “double rub”.

When having a sofa reupholstered or choosing a new one, it’s important to know the rub count of the chosen fabric. You need to know if the fabric will stand up to everything life throws at it. This is where the Martindale test comes in.

The Martindale (or rub test) is a way of measuring the durability of the fabric. A sample of the fabric is placed on to the flat base of the Martindale machine and then discs loaded with worsted wool or wire mesh are lowered onto the fabric and continually rubbed against the fabric in circular motions.

The test stops at the point of a noticeable change in appearance occurring. The amount of rubs are recorded. The higher the rub count, the more durable the material.

The amount of durability a certain material has determines what it should be used for. In general, fabrics with a lower rub count are only to be used for items of decorative purposes such as scatter cushions that aren’t really intended for sitting on. A higher rub count would be required for public seating in high usage areas such as hotels, bars and gyms.

So in order to ascertain what would be classed as a good rub count for a sofa you must have a good idea of the intended usage or setting.

A Martindale test of between 15,000 – 20,000 rubs is considered to be an ideal amount of durability for general domestic use. This fabric would be ideal for the upholstery of all parts of a sofa in your home including all seat and back cushions.

A Martindale test of between 20,000 – 25,000 is classed as heavy domestic use, meaning that it can be used on sofas in the home that incur extra levels of wear such as recliner or fold down sofa beds.

The answer to this question greatly depends on the desired use of the fabric. An outcome from a Martindale test considered to be a positive one for a fabric for a certain environment, may be considered a poor outcome for the same fabric used in a different environment.

For instance a fabric that achieves a rub count of between 15,000 to 20,000 rubs would more than stand up to everyday general use for furniture in and around the home. Whereas a fabric of the same rub count of between 15,000 to 20,000 would be totally inadequate for a high usage setting such as seating in a hotel or gym.

Something to bear in mind, is the fact that despite a high rub count, there are certain situations that can still cause fabrics to wear thin before their time.

Fabrics wrapped tightly around sharp corners can wear quicker than they should. Also fabrics upholstered directly onto wood without any foam in between the fabric and the wood can also cause the fabric to wear prematurely.

Finally, although piping adds a nice touch to furniture, the fabric (regardless of how high the rub count is) used to construct the piping can wear prematurely in high use environments, particularly in vulnerable places such as the front of a seat.

These two tests are commonly used to predict wear-ability on fabrics i.e. how long a material should last before it starts displaying signs of wear. This helps to determine in what setting the material should be used.

A material with very high durability would be the ideal candidate for the upholstery of furniture in high traffic areas such as hotels and restaraunts. Whereas materials achieving a lower durability should be reserved for decorative items such as scatter cushions and occasional chairs.

The Wyzenbeek method is more commonly used in the United States, whereas manufacturers in Europe more commonly employ the Martindale method.

Similarly the Martindale test is more often used to test Wool and natural fibers and Wyzenbeek is regularly used for testing synthetic fibers.

Martindale

During the Martindale test a sample of the fabric is placed on to the base of the Martindale machine. Discs loaded with an approved abradant material such as worsted wool or wire mesh are then lowered onto the fabric and continually rubbed in a figure of eight motion.

The test continues until any signs of wear (including yarn breaks, piling & holes) are observed. The amount of cycles determines the rating. The higher the amount of cycles the more durable the fabric.

Wyzenbeek

This test employs the use of a Wyzenbeek machine. A sample of test fabric is pulled tight in a frame. Cotton duck fabric is then rubbed in a back and forth motion on the test fabric (each pass back and forth is called a “double rub”). The test continues until there is a noticeable change in appearance or two yarns break

The amount of double rubs are recorded at the end of the test. A fabric achieving 15,000 double rubs or less is classed as suitable for low traffic use and any material achieving 30,000 rubs or higher is approved for use in areas of high traffic use.

Comparing test results

It should be noted that there is no direct correlation between the results of the Martindale and Wyzenbeek. Therefore it’s not possible to estimate the number of cycles achieved in one test if results for the other test have been established.

If for instance a fabric proves to be highly durable in the Wyzenbeek test, you can’t simply say that it would also prove highly durable in the Martindale test.