Jute is the most common form of webbing material that is found in the suspension systems within furniture. The material is made up of a natural, vegetable fibre that is spun into extremely strong bands that are then used for furniture suspension.

Typically, the best jute webbing comes on a roll and is marked with a red stripe; lesser quality jute webbing is marked with a black stripe. The different qualities of jute webbing can influence its use within the upholstery industry.

High-Quality

This jute webbing is generally used to give support to the part of the furniture that is likely to be bearing the most weight. For example, the seat.

Lesser-Quality

This type should be used on traditional furniture pieces and on sections of the furniture that will bear the least weight. For example; the back piece.

A Brief History

Jute has been used for furniture webbing for hundreds of years. Up until the 1950s, jute was the only material that fit the purpose for suspension; it was only at this time in history that synthetic materials began to appear for this use.

How Is Jute Webbing Used?

Jute webbing is used to create a structural framework over coil springs, within the furniture, under the seat and is stretched as tightly as possible over this area of the furniture. It is often laid out in a woven style, before being fixed in place, to provide as much structural support and stability as possible.

Tip: When upholstering a chair, flip it onto its back and work out how many strips it originally had. This will enable you restore it to it’s original state.

When it comes to repairing any upholstered furniture, it is important to know which webbing was used before, to ensure that you repair the chair to its original strength and reduce the risk of damaging it further due to the use of incorrect webbing or fitting. There are several other types of webbing:

• Industrial/commercial polyester webbing,
• Polypropylene webbing,
• Nylon webbing.

These all come with their advantages and disadvantages, but if you are unsure about what webbing your furniture had, using jute webbing is a safe bet. You can create the strength you want, with the most traditionally used form of webbing.

We hope that this has provided some insight into jute webbing for upholstery. If you would like further advice or information, please contact the J A Milton team on 01691 624023.