Contract

Contract is an Industry used term to indicate fabrics that can be used in commercial environments.  These are typically hospitals and care homes, educational facilities, office spaces and hospitality areas such as hotels, restaurants and cruise ships. At Just Fabrics, we have over 30 years experience in providing the ideal contract fabrics for all of the above. We know that the perfect contract fabric has to perform brilliantly as well as look fantastic - our collections for contract are specifically designed with durability and high performance in mind as well as providing you with an incredible variety of qualities, colours, price-points and textures all meeting relevant flammability standards.

Whether you are looking for a plain upholstery in that perfect shade or a statement print to make an entranceway spectacular; a wide-width voile or a flame retardant blackout fabric – we have it all.

Contract grade fabrics can also be incorporated into any residential design. See our separate Fire Retardancy and Fire Retardant Fabrics section for further information about fire retardancy requirements and specifications.

Our contract fabrics are fire resistant as standard and are also often stain or water repellent. This information will be detailed in the product specifications and descriptions. Please contact us on 01242 388390 for further advice. 

For each fabric we include a specification. If a fabric is suitable for upholstery, it will be stated under the Upholstery Grade. Some of our fabrics are harder wearing than others and all are tested to a Martindale grade. The Martindale grade is an abrasion test used to measure the durability of a fabric. The warp and weft threads are abraded to simulate wear and tear. 

The rub test score is internationally recognised and measures the durability of upholstery fabric for general domestic or contract use. Fabric is categorised by a numerical score to show how durable it is. The higher the score, the more durable the fabric is.

A score of 10,000 or less: Decorative use

A fabric with this score is suitable as a decorative fabric. Use for cushions or accents. Not suitable for general domestic or furniture upholstery.

10,000 to 15,000: Light domestic use

A fabric with this score is suitable for light domestic use such as for occasional furniture. It will be dry clean only and is often for fabrics made from delicate yarns.

15,000 - 25,000: General domestic use

A fabric with this score is suitable for general domestic use. It is suitable for everyday use on main house furniture. It is not suitable for items of furniture that put a high level of stress on the fabric such as a recliner.

25,000 - 30,000: Heavy domestic use

A fabric with this score is suitable for high levels of everyday use. It is a heavy-duty fabric that would be suitable for light commercial use and items such as recliners and other motion furniture.

30,000 or more: Commercial use

A score of 30,000 or more means that a fabric is commercial grade, it can be used on heavy duty furniture and would be suitable for any commercial environment.

The FR Certificates are accessible via our website for each contract fabric. For any additional information please contact our Customer Service team on 01242 388390 or email orders@justfabrics.co.uk.

Essentially, having furniture that’s Crib 5 (AKA Ignition Source 5) compliant means your furniture and furnishings have passed UK Fire Regulations for most commercial environments. This doesn’t mean items are completely fireproof, but it greatly reduces the risk of ignition, which can save many lives in the long-run.

 This test is used in relation to upholstery and furniture coverings and is conducted by building a small crib-like structure from wooden planks that have been glued together. These structures have to be five tiers high to be used in the test — hence the name Crib 5. Another standard (referred to as Crib 7), is used to test materials that will go into prison cells and high-risk environments.

Lint is attached to the bottom of the structure and propane-diol (a non-flammable liquid) is added. The structure is then ignited with a match.

For a material to pass the Crib 5 test, the flames must extinguish themselves within 10 minutes, and they mustn’t burn to the end of the material or through the padding behind it.

Not necessarily – the certificates you need are different and the tests are different.  You must have the correct certificate for the correct setting (domestic or non-domestic).  Just because something passes the (normally) more stringent non-domestic doesn’t guarantee it will pass for domestic.

Domestic:

• A private apartment or home
• Student flat (a self-contained property)
• Non-permanent holiday home or caravan
• A private dwelling treated as a holiday let
• An Air BnB property

Non-domestic (medium Hazard)

• Care Home
• Hotel
• School, University or Nursery
• Restaurant
• Bar
• Night Club
• Student Hall of residence
• Holiday Parks
• Office Spaces