Sheet rubberised hair 72” x 36”

Rubberised Hair Sheet for Traditional Upholstery

The rubberised hair sheet is a traditional upholstery padding material made from natural animal hair bonded with natural latex.

The hair is formed into rope-like structures that create thousands of small natural springs within the sheet. These fibres compress under load and recover when pressure is released, giving rubberised hair its characteristic resilience and support.

This makes it particularly suitable for traditional furniture restoration, chair and sofa rebuilding, seat pads, backs, arms and mattress construction where a naturally resilient padding layer is required.

What Is Rubberised Hair?

Rubberised hair combines two traditional natural materials:

• Natural animal hair
• Natural latex

The hair fibres provide spring and resilience, while the latex bonds them together into a consistent sheet that can be cut and fitted more easily than loose hair.

Unlike soft polyester fibre or loose feather filling, rubberised hair is intended primarily to provide structure, resilience and controlled support within an upholstery build.

Natural Micro-Spring Construction

One of the main advantages of rubberised hair is the way the hair fibres behave within the sheet.

The hair is spun and formed so that thousands of individual fibres act like small natural springs.

This helps the material:

• Compress under load
• Recover after use
• Maintain body and resilience
• Provide supportive padding
• Resist simply flattening like a loose soft filling

This spring-like construction is why rubberised hair has been used in traditional upholstery and bedding for generations.

Rubberised Hair for Seat Pads

Rubberised hair is particularly useful in chair and sofa seat construction.

It can form a resilient support layer above springs or webbing and beneath softer finishing materials.

Typical uses include:

• Dining chair seats
• Armchairs
• Traditional sofas
• Footstools
• Bench seating
• Loose seat pads
• Furniture restoration
• Antique furniture
• Upholstered stools

For rebuilding the underlying seat structure, see Springs & Webbing range.

Rubberised Hair for Backs & Arms

Rubberised hair is also useful in upholstered backs and arms where a shaped but resilient padding layer is required.

Because the material is supplied as a sheet, it can be cut to fit the required area and layered where additional depth or support is needed.

This can make it easier to achieve a consistent result than using loose hair alone.

Rubberised Hair vs Loose Animal Hair

Both materials use natural animal hair but suit different upholstery methods.

Rubberised hair sheet provides:

• Consistent thickness
• Faster installation
• Easier cutting and positioning
• Uniform support
• Less hand preparation

Loose animal hair provides:

• Greater freedom for hand shaping
• Traditional stuffing techniques
• More control around irregular furniture forms
• Easier building of contours and edges

For loose traditional stuffing, see the BV509 Mixed Animal Hair.

Rubberised Hair vs Rubberised Coir

Rubberised hair and rubberised coir are both resilient sheet materials, but they feel and perform differently.

Rubberised hair is generally springier and more flexible.

Rubberised coir is firmer and more structural because coconut fibre is naturally coarser.

Choose rubberised hair where:

• Greater resilience is preferred
• A springier support layer is required
• More flexibility is useful
• Traditional hair-based upholstery is appropriate

Choose rubberised coir where firmer structural support is the priority.

see the Rubberised Coir Fibre Sheet for the firmer alternative.

Rubberised Hair vs Hair & Coir Mix

A loose hair and coir mix combines the spring of animal hair with the firmness of coconut fibre.

Rubberised hair differs because the fibres are already bonded into a structured sheet.

Choose rubberised hair when:

• A consistent padding thickness is needed
• Faster fitting is important
• A springy natural sheet material is preferred

Choose 50/50 Hair & Coir Fibre Mix where loose filling and hand shaping are more appropriate.

Available Sheet Sizes

The rubberised hair sheet measures approximately:

72" x 36"

and is currently available in:

• 1" thickness
• 2" thickness

These options are shown on the live product page.

The best thickness will depend on the furniture construction, level of support required and the other layers being used within the upholstery build.

Using Rubberised Hair in Traditional Upholstery

A traditional upholstery build can contain several different layers working together.

Depending on the furniture, these may include:

• Jute webbing
• Upholstery springs
• Springing twine
• Hessian
• Rubberised hair
• Loose hair or coir
• Felt or wadding
• Calico
• Top fabric

For spring tying and traditional hand upholstery, browse Sewing Threads & Twines.

For rebuilding the seat foundation, see Springs & Webbing.

For shaping, stitching and hand upholstery work, explore Needles, Pins & Skewers.

Natural Hair & Latex Upholstery Padding

Rubberised hair differs from conventional synthetic upholstery foams because its structure is based on natural animal hair and natural latex.

This makes it particularly relevant to:

• Traditional upholstery
• Antique furniture restoration
• Heritage furniture
• Natural-material upholstery projects
• Mattress construction
• Furniture repair

Its main advantage, however, is practical rather than simply environmental: the combination of hair and latex creates a resilient sheet that remains supportive while retaining natural spring.

A resilient rubberised hair upholstery sheet made from natural animal hair bonded with natural latex. The hair fibres are formed into thousands of small spring-like structures, creating a durable and naturally responsive padding layer for traditional upholstery and furniture restoration.

• 72" x 36" sheet size
• Available in 1" and 2" thicknesses
• Made from natural animal hair and natural latex
• Resilient, springy and supportive
• Suitable for seats, backs, arms and mattress work
• Use it for traditional upholstery and furniture restoration