Office chairs often have an upholstered foam seat cushion and either a mesh or upholstered backrest. To reduce perspiring commonly associated with leather and vinyl upholstery, office chair seats are often covered with a breathable fabric. There are many upholstery fabrics available, and some are more suitable for ergonomic office chairs than others. What is the best option?
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Nova Ergonomic Office Chair
Lotus Task Office Chair
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Evolv Ergonomic Office Chair
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OrthoGrande XXL Orthopedic Chair
Fabric options for office chairs
Woolen fabrics used to be common for office chair upholstery. However, due to the high cost of wool, most upholstery fabrics are synthetic, and are either acrylic or polyester, or a blended combination of the two.
At Karo, we use polyester fabrics as a standard for our ergonomic, home and orthopedic office chair ranges.
Polyester fabric
Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate or PET) was discovered in a DuPont laboratory in the late 1930s. In 1941, a group of British scientists further developed this discovery and created the first commercial polyester fiber. Today, most polyester fabrics are made from recycled plastics.
When we upholster our office chair seats and/or backrests, unless otherwise specified, we use the Vulcan range of fabric available from Weavers World.
Vulcan is a 100% polyester fabric that is manufactured in South Africa entirely from recycled plastic bottles.
Polyester is perhaps the most common upholstery fabric for office chairs. It’s low cost, strength, flexibility, and stain resistance, are among it’s most significant advantages. Below are the important pros and cons.
Advantages of using polyester fabric for office chair upholstery
Disadvantages of using polyester fabric for office chair upholstery
Polyester is arguably the most common upholstery fabric for office chairs. The cost, durability, and ease of cleaning gives it the edge over natural fabrics like wool.
Explore other material options for office chairs using our Office Chairs Material Guide.
