Is a cheaper sofa always lower quality?

No. Structural cost, frame, suspension, foam density and fabric, is broadly fixed. What varies wildly between brands is the distribution markup on top of it. Compare specifications, not price tags.

How do I compare two upholstery fabrics fairly?

Ask for composition, weight in g/m², Martindale abrasion cycles and pilling grade. If those four numbers match, the textiles are equivalent regardless of brand name.

Why won't a showroom tell me the foam density?

Usually because they do not know it. Retailers buy finished goods and receive marketing sheets, not production specifications. A maker knows the number because they buy the foam.

Buying · Pricing

Why does the same material cost twice as much in a showroom?

Two sofas, one fabric supplier, one upholstery workshop. One costs 2,000 euros, the other 4,000. The difference is not in the sofa.

furni.io journal6 min read

Europe has a surprisingly small number of upholstery mills. When a showroom in Munich and a direct maker in Poland both quote a 50,000 Martindale flat weave, there is a good chance the roll came off the same loom, in the same country, in the same month.

The fabric is the same fabric

Fabric is specified by numbers, not by adjectives. Composition, weight in grams per square metre, abrasion resistance in Martindale cycles, pilling grade, light fastness. Ask for those four numbers and compare them across two sofas. If they match, you are looking at equivalent textiles, whatever the marketing name on the swatch card says.

Composition: the fibre blend, for example 100% polyester, or a wool blend.
Weight: typically 300 to 450 g/m² for upholstery.
Martindale: 30,000 is domestic use, 50,000+ is heavy domestic.
Pilling and light fastness: grade 4 to 5 on a five point scale.

A swatch with a French name and a swatch with a code number are often cut from the same roll.

What you pay for is the route

The second 2,000 euros pays rent on a retail park unit, a sales commission, a wholesaler's warehouse and a return rate the store has to absorb. None of it goes into the frame, the foam or the weave. It buys the journey the sofa takes to reach you, not the sofa.

How to verify it yourself

Ask both sellers for the frame material, the seat foam density in kg/m³ and the Martindale rating in writing. A direct maker will answer in one message. A showroom will often need to ask the supplier, which tells you how far they sit from the workshop.

Questions answered

Common questions

Is a cheaper sofa always lower quality?: No. Structural cost, frame, suspension, foam density and fabric, is broadly fixed. What varies wildly between brands is the distribution markup on top of it. Compare specifications, not price tags.
How do I compare two upholstery fabrics fairly?: Ask for composition, weight in g/m², Martindale abrasion cycles and pilling grade. If those four numbers match, the textiles are equivalent regardless of brand name.
Why won't a showroom tell me the foam density?: Usually because they do not know it. Retailers buy finished goods and receive marketing sheets, not production specifications. A maker knows the number because they buy the foam.