Fabric Selection Guide
Overview
This guide is designed to help customers choose the right fabric for outdoor protective covers — including furniture covers, equipment covers, boat covers, and vehicle covers. We’ll use Sunbrella Awning and Marine fabric as our benchmark throughout this guide, as it represents the gold standard for outdoor cover fabrics. We’ll walk you through the key factors: fabric weight, material type, UV resistance, waterproofing, breathability, and how to evaluate quality vs. cost.
How Fabric is Sold
All fabrics come on a roll and are sold by the linear yard (in the US) or linear meter (in Europe). Roll widths vary — common widths are 46″, 54″, 60″, and 96″. The price per yard reflects one yard at that specific width, so keep this in mind when comparing costs across fabrics.
Fabric weight in the US is measured in ounces per square yard (not per linear yard off the roll). To give you a sense of the range:
- ~2 oz — Lightweight materials like portable hammocks, sleeping bag liners, or lightweight tents
- ~6.5 oz — Mass produced polyester covers and low quality umbrellas
- ~9 oz — Sunbrella canvas (our benchmark — a quality mid-to-heavyweight cover fabric)
- ~18 oz — Heavy vinyl used for bouncy castles and gym mats; very heavy and bulky when folded
For most outdoor cover fabrics, you’ll typically find materials in the 6–11 oz range.
Fabric Materials: What They’re Made Of
Nearly all modern outdoor fabrics are made from some type of plastic/synthetic material. Cotton and linen covers do exist but are rare, specialized, and increasingly expensive — they’re generally not part of the standard mix.
The main materials used for outdoor cover fabrics are:
1. Acrylic — The Benchmark
Sunbrella is our reference point for this guide. It is a solution-dyed, woven acrylic canvas weighing approximately 9 oz/sq yd. It feels natural and almost cotton-like, breathes well, and represents the best combination of UV resistance, longevity, color retention, and overall quality available in a practical cover fabric.
- Best UV resistance of any practical cover fabric — this is acrylic’s greatest strength and the primary reason it is considered the gold standard for outdoor covers
- Breathable (woven construction)
- Available in designer colors with excellent warranty and customer support
- Other brands offer similar quality — some at lower price points with fewer color choices, while others such as Soluda offer many unique colors at a similar price point
- Downside: More expensive than polyester or vinyl (~$35/yard retail 5/2026)
2. Polyester
- Stronger and more abrasion-resistant than acrylic — a meaningful advantage for covers that are taken on and off frequently, dragged, or exposed to constant wind
- Can perform well in UV depending on quality, but does not match acrylic
- Can be listed by denier rather than weight:
- ~200 denier = lightweight (thin disposable-style tote bags)
- ~600 denier = medium weight (online boat covers, budget canopy tents)
- ~800 denier = medium heavy weight (about the weight of Sunbrella fabric)
- ~1000 denier = heavy (think heavy duffel bag material)
- Quality varies significantly — cheaper offshore polyesters degrade quickly in UV and can become weak, faded and brittle, sometimes within a year or two
- Quality US brands include WeatherMax and Top Notch — both perform well outdoors and offer better abrasion resistance to Sunbrella while offering good UV resistance.
3. Vinyl
- Can perform adequately in UV depending on quality, but does not match acrylic
- Always manufactured as a composite fabric unless clear— vinyl is not strong on its own, so it’s bonded to a woven polyester scrim for strength
- Two main types:
- Coated vinyl — liquid vinyl is embedded into the woven polyester fibers (used in bounce castles and gym mats)
- Laminated vinyl — three layers (vinyl / polyester scrim / vinyl) fused with heat or adhesive
- Quality varies greatly based on plasticizer formulation — cheap vinyls will become brittle as plasticizers migrate out, especially with sun exposure
- Awning-grade vinyls with special UV coatings (e.g., PVDF, Tedlar) can be very durable — potentially even better than acrylic in the sun — but are too heavy, costly, and bulky for most cover applications
- Not breathable
4. Nylon
- Very strong and highly abrasion-resistant
- Not recommended for long-term outdoor covers due to poor UV performance
- Excellent for bags, gear, and equipment not subject to prolonged sun exposure (see Special Use Fabrics section below)
Composite & Coated Fabrics
Some high-quality fabrics combine materials for the best of both worlds:
- Top Gun — A polyester base with an acrylic coating, giving you polyester’s strength plus acrylic’s UV resistance. Durable, heavyweight, not as soft or natural looking as Sunbrella. Does not breathe.
- Coated one-side fabrics — White woven polyester appearance on underside, vinyl or acrylic coating on the other. More economical, fairly durable — longevity depends on base denier and coating quality. Fabrics in this category include Aqualon, Santa Fe, and Top Gun 1S.
UV Resistance & Expected Fabric Lifespan
UV exposure is by far the #1 factor in how long an outdoor cover will last. Acrylic fabrics like Sunbrella excel here — UV resistance is their greatest strength and the primary reason they are considered the gold standard for outdoor covers. Polyester and vinyl can perform adequately depending on quality, while nylon is generally not recommended for prolonged outdoor sun exposure.
Using Sunbrella as our benchmark, here is what you can realistically expect in a full-sun environment like San Diego:
| Fabric Color / Type | Expected Lifespan (Full Sun) |
|---|---|
| White / light Sunbrella | ~5 years |
| Dark (blue, black) Sunbrella | ~10 years |
| Quality polyester (WeatherMax, etc.) | Somewhat less than comparable Sunbrella |
| Budget polyester | 1–2 years (can become brittle, faded and weak) |
| Quality vinyl | 1-12yrs (Varies widely by weight, coating and quality) |
Why Does Color Matter?
This surprises most customers: darker colors generally last longer than lighter ones. The reason is translucency, not reflectivity. While a white fabric does reflect sunlight, it is also highly translucent — UV rays penetrate deeply through the weave and break down the fibers faster. Hold a piece of white Sunbrella or most other fabrics up to the light and you can actually see the color of your hand through it. A dark blue or black fabric blocks nearly all light, allowing only tiny pinpoints through the weave.
Additionally, color hue affects fade resistance. Colors on the blue end of the spectrum tend to hold up better, while reds and yellows fade faster — reds in particular tend to shift toward pink or salmon over time, regardless of whether the fabric is solution-dyed or not.
Our recommendation: Choose the darkest color you can live with. An opaque, darker color will significantly extend the life of your cover.
Waterproofing AND Breathability
- Waterproof fabrics (solid vinyls, coated fabrics) do not breathe. Moisture trapped underneath has no way to escape, which can promote mold and mildew growth — especially when combined with dirt and organic debris.
- Breathable fabrics (woven acrylics like Sunbrella, quality woven polyesters like WeatherMax and Top Notch) allow moisture vapor to escape, significantly reducing mildew risk. Breathable fabrics have a chemical coating instead of a mechanical coating that may need to be reapplied after several years.
Important note on seams: Even a cover made with a fully waterproof fabric will have seams — and every stitch creates a potential water entry point. Seam sealing is possible but adds cost and complexity. We design our covers with seam placement in mind to minimize water intrusion. If your application requires a truly watertight cover, let us know upfront so we can plan accordingly — this may affect cost and is not always fully achievable.
Abrasion Resistance & Strength
While UV resistance is the primary concern for most outdoor covers, abrasion resistance becomes a key factor when:
- Covers are taken on and off daily (e.g., restaurant bar covers)
- Covers are handled by staff rather than owners
- Covers are exposed to constant wind flutter
- Covers may be dragged or moved frequently
In these cases, a quality polyester fabric (WeatherMax, Top Notch, Aqualon) may actually be a better choice than Sunbrella, offering superior abrasion resistance while still providing good UV performance.
General strength is rarely a limiting factor in new cover fabrics — most are plenty strong. However, UV degradation will eventually cause even strong fabrics to become brittle and weak, at which point they are no longer repairable. This is often what customers describe as a cover that “just tore in the wind.”
Mold & Mildew
Mold and mildew can grow on virtually any fabric given the right conditions — primarily moisture + dirt. Prevention tips:
- Use a breathable fabric to allow moisture to escape from under the cover
- Ensure good ventilation, especially under covers that trap air
- Keep covers as clean as possible
- Allow whatever is being covered to dry out before re-covering when possible
Name Brand vs. Generic Fabric
Reputable name-brand fabrics (Sunbrella, WeatherMax, Top Notch, Top Gun, Aqualon, Santa Fe) all have:
- Manufacturer websites with detailed spec sheets
- Published data on strength, tear resistance, UV resistance, and weather performance
- Clear origin and quality standards
A good retail reference to compare fabric quality and pricing is Sailrite (sailrite.com).
Be cautious of “house brand” fabrics on cover product websites. It’s extremely common for manufacturers of pre-made covers to:
- Purchase large quantities of inexpensive offshore fabric
- Brand it with an exciting proprietary name (e.g., “Super WeatherGuard Pro”)
- Market it with impressive-looking diagrams showing colorful layers with water and UV rays bouncing off
If a fabric name only appears on one retailer’s website with no traceable manufacturer, it is almost certainly a generic bulk fabric disguised as a name brand fabric. For large covers like camper or boat covers, the sheer volume of material makes using a premium fabric in impossibility for mass-market sellers — meaning you are almost certainly getting a low grade generic polyester or vinyl.
The bottom line: You get what you pay for. Quality acrylic fabric runs ~$35/yard retail; a generic polyester might be ~$10/yard retail. The manufacturer may be buying it for as low as $3/yd. That difference is real, and it shows up in longevity.
Special Use Fabrics
Not every cover project requires a top-of-the-line outdoor fabric. Here are some scenarios where other materials make more sense:
Indoor or Low-Sun Covers
If a cover will be used primarily indoors or under a roof with minimal UV exposure, almost any cover fabric will perform adequately. The main concern shifts to fit, appearance, and dust protection rather than UV resistance.
Bags, Kits & Equipment
Nylon is an excellent choice for bags, gear kits, and carrying cases:
- Extremely strong and abrasion-resistant
- Available in many weights, colors, and weaves
- Comes in specialty versions including ripstop, lightweight packable styles, and fabrics with waterproof or stain-resistant coatings
- UV resistance is less of a concern when the item isn’t left in full sun
Heat-Welded & Specialty Fabrics
We have heat-welding capability, which opens up additional material options:
- Vinyl — some vinyls can be welded for watertight seams
- TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) — weldable, airtight, waterproof; used for inflatable structures, rafts, and specialty applications
- UHMWPE (Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene) — an extremely strong, lightweight fabric suited for high-abrasion applications, specialty backpacks, mountaineering gear, and military-grade uses
- Technical fabrics — including fiberglass-based and heat-resistant fabrics suitable for welding blankets and industrial applications
- Meshes and Knits— allows air and light to freely move through
If you have a specialized project or unique requirements, we’re happy to discuss options — we’ve worked with a wide range of technical materials and can help identify the right solution.
Have questions about which fabric is right for your project? Contact us and we’ll help you choose.