A seat cover is a cloth or synthetic material that covers a car seat or bench to protect it from spills, stains, and general wear and tear. Most covers come in one set to fit all the seats in a vehicle. They are often backed with a layer of foam to provide comfort for passengers. Some covers are custom designed for a specific type of seat, but most can be used in any vehicle.
Mechanical durability of seat covers depends on a number of factors including fabric tear strength, abrasion resistance, pilling propensity, and odor retention. These attributes can be affected by fiber type, yarn structure, fabric thickness, fabric surface texture, and foam type, density, and are important design considerations in seat cover fabrication.
Seat cover fabrics that have excellent tensile strength and abrasion resistance are highly desirable. These characteristics are achieved by using appropriate blends of fabrics and processes for the production of automobile upholstery.
Most automotive seat covers are trilaminates consisting of a face fabric, foam layer and scrim backing fabric (Fung & Hardcastle, 2000). The face fabric is designed to be attractive, have good lightfastness and soil resistance properties while being able to withstand repeated use and washing. The foam layer provides cushioning comfort and the scrim backing fabric controls the stretch properties of the seat cover. The cover is often treated with an additional coating to improve abrasion and flame retardancy properties. These coatings can also be added to the seat cover after its manufacture to increase the life of the product.