It is wise to ask for a specification of the fabric used on the quality stacking chairs to see that it conforms to the British standard for fire retardancy and that the fabric has been tested for abrasion resistance. This is the ‘Martindale test’ for resistance to wear during use whereby an independent testing facility uses a machine to continually rub the fabric until it is destroyed, counting the number of rubs needed so that a figure can be given. A minimum ‘rub test’ result should be 15,000, with some fabrics made for severe contract use giving over 50,000 rubs before wearing down.
