Reference

Glossary for
fabric and shading

Sixteen technical terms that appear on data sheets and labels - each with its test standard, its scale and our own range figures. Pick an area above or scroll through the full lists.

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Where to look

Four areas, sixteen terms

Every term in this glossary belongs to one of these four areas. One click jumps to the matching list further down this page.

Abrasion resistance and durability

Fabric figures

Lightfastness, Martindale, UPF, polyester, solution-dyed - the numbers that describe a cloth.

Five terms
Waterproof outdoor fabrics

Water & weather

Water column, the difference between water-repellent and waterproof, and what helps against mildew.

Three terms
Making up and confection

Making up

What sits inside a cushion and how it is sewn - filling, seams, finishing, tolerances.

Five terms
Test labels and materials

Labels & material

OEKO-TEX, care symbols and the timbers your cushions rest on.

Four terms
Fabrics compared directly

Compare directly

When two qualities are in the running, the comparison pages put them side by side with every test value.

To the comparisons
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Area 1

Fabric figures - the numbers on the data sheet

These five terms describe what a cloth withstands and how long it keeps its colour. All are standardised, none is self-explanatory.

Lightfastness Scale 1-8 to ISO 105-B02. Each step roughly doubles the time the colour holds under sun. Our premium fabrics sit at 7-8.
Solution-dyed Colour is added to the liquid polymer before the fibre exists - it sits in the core and cannot bleach out.
Martindale Rubs until two threads break. ISO 12947 has four parts - a figure without the part is not comparable.
UPF UV protection factor to AS/NZS 4399. UPF 50+ means over 98 percent of UV radiation stays in the cloth.
Polyester The most widely used man-made fibre. Takes up only 0.1 to 0.4 percent moisture and dries very fast.
Area 2

Water and weather

The most common misunderstanding in fabric buying hides in these three terms. Two different tests lead to two different statements - and the difference decides whether your cushion may stay out in the rain.

Water column Pressure in millimetres a fabric withstands, measured to ISO 811. From 1,300 mm a fabric counts as waterproof in Europe.
Water-repellent or waterproof The spray test to ISO 4920 shows whether water beads off. The water column shows whether it penetrates. Two different promises.
Mould on outdoor textiles Removing and preventing mildew stains - and what is allowed on which fabric. Acrylic tolerates more than velvet.
Area 3

Making up and confection

What sits inside a cushion, how it is sewn together, and why a made-to-measure size never comes out exact to the millimetre.

Cushion filling Foam core or flake - what determines support, and which densities we work with.
Seam types Welted, plain, piped: which seam holds on which cushion and how it looks.
Embroidery and printing Custom embroidery and flex printing on outdoor fabric - what lasts and where the limits are.
Tolerances for custom-made products Why a fabric measurement is never exact and which deviation we commit to - cushions plus/minus 1 cm.
Area 4

Test labels and material

Symbols on the label and materials under the cushion - what the marks mean and which timber lasts how long outdoors.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Harmful substance testing in four product classes. Our fabrics carry class 4 for furnishing material.
Care symbols Tub, triangle, square, circle, iron - what the five basic symbols on the label mean.
Teak wood Durability class 1 to EN 350 - but heartwood only. Sapwood is not durable under the standard.
Wood species for garden furniture Teak, eucalyptus, acacia, robinia, larch, douglas fir - durability and upkeep at a glance.
In practice

How to read a data sheet

Four rules that let you compare two fabrics reliably - no matter who publishes the figures.

A number without a standard is not a figure

Every value belongs to a test standard. Martindale without the part number from ISO 12947 cannot be compared, because the four parts test differently.

Lightfastness is not a linear scale

From 5 to 6 is not one sixth better. Each step roughly doubles the exposure time until visible colour loss - the jump from 6 to 8 is enormous.

Water-repellent is not waterproof

The spray test measures the surface, the water column measures penetration. A fabric can bead perfectly and still let standing water through.

Values apply to new goods

Every test measures fresh material. How long a fabric keeps its figures depends on care, location and storage - not on the data sheet.

Frequent questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Because the figures on data sheets are standardised but rarely explained. Anyone who knows that lightfastness runs on a scale of 1 to 8, and that each step roughly doubles durability, can compare two offers. Without that knowledge only the price is left as a criterion.

For shading and cushions that stay outdoors permanently there are three: lightfastness, abrasion resistance to Martindale, and the dyeing method. Solution-dyed fabrics hold their colour far longer than piece-dyed ones because the pigment sits in the fibre core.

Both, clearly separated. Each term page first explains the test standard and the scale in general, then gives the values from our own range. Where we cannot document a value, the page says so.

They are two different tests. Water-repellent is measured in the spray test to ISO 4920 and describes whether water beads off the surface. Waterproof is measured through the water column to ISO 811 and describes the pressure the cloth withstands. A fabric can be water-repellent and still not waterproof.

The care pages sit in the care and cleaning area, sorted once by product and once by fabric quality. What the symbols on the sewn-in label mean is explained on the care symbols page.

Then let us know. We extend the glossary along the questions our customer service actually receives - that is the best signal for what is genuinely unclear.

Sources

Last reviewed: 25.08.2026 · Reviewer: Germes-Team

Term clear, question open?

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