Contract Upholstery Fabrics in Dubai: Crib 5, FR & High-Martindale for Commercial Projects

Residential fabric is chosen by feel; contract fabric is chosen by certificate. If you're specifying furniture for a hotel, restaurant, office or fit-out in the UAE, the fabric conversation runs on three numbers — fire rating, rub count and lead time — and this page covers all three, from a Dubai workshop that upholsters commercial projects in-house.

Fire ratings: Crib 5 and friends

UK-trained specifiers ask for Crib 5 — ignition source 5 of BS 5852, the British standard for resistance to flame in upholstered furniture. International projects may specify equivalents such as CAL TB117 or EN 1021-1/2 (cigarette and match tests). What matters on a UAE project is agreeing the standard in the spec and having the certificate in the submittal package — we source contract fabrics with the documentation to match, and upholster them over appropriately rated foams.

Durability: 40,000 rubs and up

Contract grade starts at a 40,000 Martindale rub count — roughly double the family-sofa benchmark — with busy F&B venues often specifying 60,000+. The full scale is explained in our Martindale guide. Alongside abrasion, hospitality specs typically call for high lightfastness (Dubai terraces and window-side seating), cleanability against food and beverage staining, and colourfastness to rubbing.

What we supply

Adams Furniture manufactures commercial furniture and upholsters it in the same Al Quoz workshop: banquette and booth seating, dining chairs in volume, lounge seating, headboards and casegoods. We work three ways — you specify the fabric and we source it; you nominate a mill and we upholster free-issue fabric; or we propose options from contract ranges to hit your budget and rating. Either way you get physical samples and spec sheets before production.

How contractors work with us

Send drawings or reference images with quantities and we return a fixed quote with lead times — typically 4–6 weeks for production runs, prototype first on larger orders. See our restaurant furniture guide, hotel furniture & FF&E guide and commercial projects overview for project context, or the wider custom made furniture in Dubai service. For residential fabric guidance, start with the complete fabric guide. To discuss a project, contact the workshop.

Frequently asked questions

What is Crib 5 fabric?

Crib 5 refers to ignition source 5 of British Standard BS 5852 — a fire-retardancy test required for upholstery in UK-specified commercial interiors such as hotels and restaurants. Fabrics passing Crib 5 resist ignition from a larger flame source than domestic-rated fabric.

What Martindale rating is contract grade?

40,000 rubs or higher is the accepted contract-grade threshold for hospitality and office upholstery, with high-traffic venues often specifying 60,000–100,000.

Can Adams Furniture supply FR-rated upholstery for commercial projects in Dubai?

Yes — Adams Furniture manufactures and upholsters commercial furniture in its own Al Quoz workshop, sourcing flame-retardant and high-Martindale contract fabrics to specification, with samples and spec sheets provided for approval.

Do you handle bulk furniture orders for hotels and restaurants?

Yes. The workshop produces bulk seating, banquettes and casegoods for hospitality and F&B projects across the UAE, working from drawings or prototypes with agreed lead times.