How to Distinguish Between Different Sofa Fabrics?

Sofa fabrics differ in performance, with their quality generally ranked as follows: genuine leather, microfiber leather, technical fabric, PU, ​​and PVC. The prices of these fabrics also follow this ranking. It's worth noting that PVC (imitation leather) is rarely used in sofa manufacturing, or is limited to very low-end sofa products. PU (simulated leather), on the other hand, is often used for the non-contact surfaces of office sofas and genuine leather sofas. Microfiber leather and technical fabric are commonly used as contact fabrics in sofas, with microfiber leather focusing more on providing a leather-like feel, while technical fabric focuses more on a fabric-like feel.

First, we can observe the microstructure of their base layers. Microfiber leather has a three-dimensional mesh structure, and its back surface (the side of the leather) will appear rough and coarse, similar to the texture of genuine leather's collagen layer after it has been cut. In contrast, PU leather has a flat warp and weft structure, and its back surface appears smooth and flat. Furthermore, microfiber leather does not contain a foam layer, which is another important characteristic for distinguishing between the two. In summary, by observing the microstructure of the base and whether it contains a foam layer, we can effectively distinguish between PU leather and microfiber leather.

The differences lie in:
When comparing microfiber leather and technical fabric, we need to pay attention to several key aspects. While price is one factor, it's even more important to carefully observe the texture, color, and feel of the leather. These details will help us better identify high-quality products. For example, in some cases, higher-priced microfiber leather does indeed show a significant advantage in quality.

The image on the right shows suede microfiber leather, whose quality is improved compared to the product on the left, hence the slightly higher price. However, it's worth noting that this is only background information for later discussion.

The microfiber leather on the right has a thicker base, similar to PU material. A thicker base means stronger tensile strength and a longer lifespan.

From the cross-section of the base, we can see that the microfiber leather on the right has a more uniform and finer three-dimensional mesh, which is an important indicator of its superior quality.