Faux Leather Testing Standards Explained: Abrasion, Hydrolysis, Flex and Colourfastness

Short answer: Four families of tests cover most faux leather failures. Abrasion (Martindale or Wyzenbeek) predicts surface wear. Hydrolysis (ISO 1419 Method C) predicts whether PU will crack and peel in heat and humidity. Flex (ISO 7854, or ASTM D2136 at low temperature) predicts cracking at folds. Colourfastness (rubbing and light) predicts colour transfer and fading. Each result only means something alongside its method, test conditions and end-point definition.

Key Takeaways

• Martindale and Wyzenbeek results don’t convert into each other. The Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) states there is no correlation between the two methods.
• ACT’s upholstery guideline is 15,000 Wyzenbeek double rubs or 20,000 Martindale cycles for low traffic, and 30,000 or 40,000 for high traffic.
• For PU hydrolysis, industry guidance commonly cites ≥3 weeks at 70 °C / 95% RH for residential and ≥5 weeks for commercial upholstery, and weeks in the chamber don’t equal years in use.
• A test report is only as good as its details: accredited lab, article and lot number, sample date, and a clear end point.

Tests are only useful once they’re written into your purchasing spec. For where they fit, see the faux leather specification sheet guide.

Which Test Covers Which Failure?

Abrasion: Martindale vs Wyzenbeek

Both methods rub the material against an abradant until a defined end point (often the first visible breakdown of the coating or exposed backing) and report the number of cycles. Martindale rubs in a Lissajous figure-of-eight pattern, which abrades in every direction. Wyzenbeek rubs back and forth in a straight line and reports “double rubs”. Martindale is the common reference in Europe and much of Asia, and Wyzenbeek is common in North American contract furniture.

How a Martindale abrasion test is set up and run. Note the specimen holder and the figure-of-eight motion.

The Association for Contract Textiles publishes the most widely cited upholstery thresholds, shown below. ACT also warns that the two methods have no correlation, that both measure only flat abrasion (not edge wear), and that repeat tests on some fabrics can vary by 60% or more. A result above the threshold is a minimum-quality screen, not a lifespan prediction.

Hydrolysis: The Jungle Test (ISO 1419 Method C)

Hydrolysis is the reaction between PU and moisture that breaks polymer chains, and it’s behind most of the peeling “leather” sofas and jackets you’ve seen. ISO 1419 covers accelerated ageing of coated fabrics. Its Method C, the tropical test, stores samples at 70 °C and 95% relative humidity. Samples are checked against an unaged control, commonly at weekly intervals, for cracking, delamination, tackiness and changes in colour or gloss.

Mitchell Faux Leathers’ technical note on hydrolysis testing summarises common industry guidance as at least 3 weeks for residential and 5 weeks for commercial upholstery. The same note stresses that no equivalence exists between weeks in the chamber and years of field life. Treat claims like “6 weeks = 6 years” as marketing, not science.

Write the requirement as: “ISO 1419 Method C, [N] weeks, no cracking, tackiness or delamination versus control.” It applies to PU and PU-finished microfiber. PVC doesn’t hydrolyse the same way, so ageing tests for PVC focus on heat, light and plasticizer migration instead.

Flex Resistance: ISO 7854 and Cold Crack

ISO 7854 sets out three ways to flex coated fabrics repeatedly until damage appears: Method A (De Mattia), suited to materials that can’t be mounted for the other methods or where little sample is available. Method B (Schildknecht), suited to lightweight constructions and light-to-medium flexing. Method C (crumple/flex), for materials that will see severe flexing. Name the method on your spec, because cycle counts from different methods are not comparable. For footwear uppers, buyers often also use leather flex methods (such as the Bally flexometer, ISO 32100) because their test rigs mimic a shoe’s vamp flexing.

For PVC and anything used outdoors or shipped through winter, add ASTM D2136, a pass/fail bend test at a stated low temperature. Plasticized coatings stiffen as they get colder, and this test shows whether yours will crack at the temperature you care about.

Coating Adhesion, Tear and Tensile

ASTM D751 is a collection of methods for coated fabrics rather than a single test. It includes breaking strength, tear strength and the adhesion of coating to fabric, where a strip is peeled and the force per unit width recorded. Low adhesion, especially after hydrolysis or heat ageing, is the early signal of peeling. Consider asking for adhesion both before and after ageing.

Colourfastness to Rubbing and Light

Rubbing fastness (ISO 11640 for leather-type surfaces, or ISO 105-X12) rubs a white cloth over the sample, dry and wet, and grades the stain on a 1–5 grey scale. It matters most for dark colours on seating and bags worn against light clothing. Light fastness (ISO 105-B02) exposes samples to xenon-arc light and grades fading against blue wool references. Specify it for anything near windows, in cars or outdoors.

How to Read a Supplier’s Test Report

Before accepting a report, check these six points:

1. Lab accreditation: ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation covering the specific method used.
2. Sample identity: article number, colour and lot match what you’re buying. A report on a different colour isn’t proof for yours.
3. Date: recent enough for your contract (commonly within 12 months) and after any change in chemistry or process.
4. Method and edition: the exact standard, method letter and any deviations.
5. Conditions: load, abradant, temperature, duration.
6. End point and result: what counted as failure, and whether the test ran to failure or stopped at a target.

Bottom Line

• Match each test to a failure you actually want to prevent.
• Always pair a number with its method, conditions and end point.
• Treat lab results as screening tools, not lifespan guarantees, and check the report itself, not the datasheet summary.

Still choosing a material? Start with PU vs PVC vs microfiber leather.