Reference tables for every material this book mentions — the specifications, the typical use, and a sense of relative cost.
The book this site accompanies prints actual trade prices, but those are UK figures from 2024 and would only mislead a reader in another country or another year. So these charts carry a relative-cost column instead — Low, Moderate, High, or Premium — which travels and doesn't date. For working out what to actually charge, the method (and a real worked example) is in the pricing chapter. Wherever you are, a local upholstery trade supplier will beat retail; in the UK I mostly buy from suppliers like Livedale, with J. A. Milton and AJT for the more specialist traditional materials.
The Buy column links to Amazon as a convenient option. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, so those are paid links — a local trade supplier is usually cheaper for bulk.
Webbing
→ See the Webbing chapter
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Jute, English (10-strand) | 50 mm · 10 strands | Heritage, traditional | Moderate | buy |
| Jute, English (8-strand) | 50 mm · 8 strands | Budget traditional | Low | buy |
| Jute, Indian | 50 mm · 10 strands | Modern traditional | Low | buy |
| Pirelli rubber | 40 mm · rubber | Mid-century repair only | High | buy |
| Elastic, synthetic | 50 mm · elastic | Modern factory | Moderate | buy |
Hessian & scrim
→ See Stuffing & stitched edges
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Hessian, heavy | 12 oz · 1.8 m wide | Spring cover, base | Moderate | buy |
| Hessian, medium | 10 oz · 1.8 m wide | General purpose | Low | buy |
| Scrim | 7 oz · 1.8 m wide | Stitched-edge cover | Moderate | buy |
| Calico, unbleached | 5 oz · 1.5 m wide | Under-cover | Moderate | buy |
Stuffing & padding
→ See Stuffing & stitched edges
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Horsehair, new | sold by the kg | First stuffing — the gold standard | Premium | buy |
| Horsehair, salvaged | sold by the kg | Reclaimed from strip-outs, if available | Low | — |
| Coir fibre | sold by the kg | Budget filling | Low | buy |
| Cotton felt | 200 g/m² · by m² | Wadding | Low | buy |
| Dacron 200 | 200 g/m² · by m² | Modern wadding | Low | buy |
| Foam, high-density | 36 kg/m³ · 50 mm sheet | Cushion base | Moderate | buy |
| Foam, soft | 28 kg/m³ · 25 mm sheet | Cushion top | Low | buy |
Springs
→ Traditional springing ·
Modern springing
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Coil, seat | 8.5″ · 9-gauge | Domestic seats | Moderate | buy |
| Coil, deep | 9–10″ · 8-gauge | Sofa seats | Moderate | buy |
| Coil, light | 6″ · 10-gauge | Backs, edges | Low | buy |
| Zigzag, heavy | 8-gauge · by the m | Sofa seats | High | buy |
| Zigzag, standard | 9-gauge · by the m | Armchair seats | Moderate | buy |
| Zigzag, light | 11-gauge · by the m | Chair backs | Low | buy |
| Spring clips | 9-gauge | Fixing all zigzag springs | Low | buy |
Twines & cord
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Mattress twine | waxed flax · no. 4 | Stitching, buttoning | Moderate | buy |
| Mattress twine | waxed flax · no. 6 | Heavy work | Moderate | buy |
| Laid hemp cord | hemp · 3 mm | Spring lashing | Moderate | buy |
| Button twine | linen · no. 5 | Buttoning only | Moderate | buy |
Tacks, staples & nails
| Material | Spec | Use | Relative cost | Buy |
|---|
| Improved tack | 13 mm · 1 kg box | General tacking | Low | buy |
| Improved tack | 10 mm · 1 kg box | Lighter tacking | Low | buy |
| Fine tack | 6 mm · 500 g box | Visible edges | Low | buy |
| Fine tack | 8 mm · 500 g box | Calico, top fabric | Low | buy |
| Staple | 10 mm · box of 5000 | Staple gun | Low | buy |
| Decorative nail, antique brass | 10 mm · box of 200 | Chesterfield trim | Moderate | buy |
| Gimp pin | 8 mm · box of 200 | Gimp fixing | Low | buy |
Materials specified, if not priced. The next chapter is the knots-and-stitches reference — every traditional knot and stitch in the book, illustrated with sketch diagrams.