Sunbrella Cushions: Fabric Facts & Premium Alternatives

What Sunbrella fabric actually is, where it earns its price, and how our Tech Fabric & Premium Velvet tiers compare.

Sunbrella is solution-dyed acrylic: the color pigment goes into the fiber before it’s extruded, so the color is the fiber, all the way through. That one manufacturing difference is why it fades slower than standard weaves, sheds water, resists mildew, and cleans with soap, water, and — for the worst stains — diluted bleach. It’s a genuine performance fabric, and it deserves the reputation it has.

We Don't Sell Sunbrella — We Sell the Factory-Direct Equivalent

We don’t carry the Sunbrella brand. What we make is custom cushions in our own fabric tiers, cut to your measurements in the same shapes Sunbrella buyers need:

  • Tech Fabric — our outdoor tier: waterproof, wipe-clean, built for full sun, poolside and spilled drinks. The practical answer to “I want a Sunbrella cushion” at a lower rate.
  • Premium Velvet — our indoor tier: a dense luxury pile that resists pilling and stands up to cat claws. For window seats and banquettes that get daily use.

Every shape we cut — all 11, from a 16-inch toss pillow to a hinged chaise pad — is available in both tiers. Order multiple pieces as a set and they’re sewn as one run, so seat and back read as a single lot.

What a Custom Cushion Costs in Our Tiers

Real estimate ranges from our transparent formula ($39 make-base + top area × per-sqft foam & fabric rates × shape factor; rectangles shown):

Typical pieceCotton LinenTech FabricPremium Velvet
20 × 20 cushion, 3″ foam (2.78 sq ft)$88$91$94
48 × 16 window seat, 3″ foam (5.3 sq ft)$129$135$141
Chaise set, seat + back (12.4 sq ft)$253$266$280

Estimates confirmed at checkout; every dimension is verified with you before we cut. Custom cutting means every quarter inch is available at the same price — the fabric tier is the only variable in these rows.

Three Fabric Tiers, One Decision

TierBest forKey propertyFabric rate
Cotton LinenIndoor seats, covered porches, natural texturebreathable natural weave$3.35/sq ft
Tech FabricFull sun, poolside, kids and spillswaterproof, wipe-clean$4.46/sq ft
Premium VelvetIndoor luxury, high-traffic family rooms, cat ownersno pilling, cat-claw resistant$5.59/sq ft

The honest version: Tech Fabric is over-buying for a shaded reading nook and under-buying nothing on a west-facing deck. The full tier-by-tier comparison — olefin, blended acrylics, fabric grades — lives in the outdoor fabric guide; the head-to-head most buyers face first is Sunbrella vs regular outdoor fabric.

Where Sunbrella Earns Its Price

If you buy the Sunbrella brand itself, these are the placements where it justifies the premium — and they’re exactly the spots our Tech Fabric is built for:

  • Full-sun chaises and loungers — the seat that gets the most UV hours on the patio. See custom chaise cushions.
  • South- and west-facing window seats — glass magnifies sun; ordinary weaves bleach in a season. See window seat cushions.
  • Bay windows — three sides of glass; order all three pieces as one set. See bay window cushions.
  • Poolside and near water — chlorine-tolerant, wipe-clean surfaces keep colors true.

Sunbrella Replacement Cushions for a Set You Already Own

Most people arriving at this page are not furnishing a new patio — they are replacing cushions whose fabric died while the frames stayed healthy. The premium-brand route back is fabric-right but set-priced: replacement programs price by the piece against last decade’s patterns, and discontinued colorways strand whole sets. The factory route is measurement-based: trace or measure each piece — seats, backs, corners, chaise hinges — and the replacements come back cut to your frames in the Sunbrella-grade tier, in any colorway in the pool, at the same formula prices as the rest of this site. The piece-by-piece method is walked through in our Sunbrella replacement cushions guide.

Choosing Color for a Sun-Exposed Seat

Color strategy matters more on performance-fabric seats than anywhere else, because the seat will live long enough for the choice to matter. Mid-tone and patterned weaves hide the fading and soiling that show first on saturated darks (navy, black) and reveal instantly on brights (red, orange). Solution-dyed fibers hold their hue either way — but a cushion that reads fine in year five beats one that merely fades honestly. One practical note for custom orders: screens render every fabric differently and custom pieces cannot be returned, so when color is critical, email us before ordering — we will describe the hand, sheen and true shade from the physical bolt so you order with your eyes open.

Season Care for Premium-Grade Cushions

The habits that make a premium pad last a decade are unglamorous. Stand cushions on edge after hard rain so the core drains, not just the surface. Do one pre-season deep clean — mild soap, cool water, soft brush along the weave — to strip the pollen film that mildew feeds on; solution-dyed fibers take diluted bleach for the stubborn spots. Store dry, flat or on edge, in breathable bags over winter — a tarp over a frame traps the moisture it was meant to keep off. None of this is proprietary wisdom; it is the care guidance the premium brands themselves publish, and it applies to our tiers identically.

Axroma Canvas · Teal

Axroma Canvas · Light gray

Premium Olefin · Orange

Striped Canvas · Light brown

Striped Canvas · Blue

Striped Canvas · Light brown

Premium Olefin · Beige

Premium Olefin · Deep green

Premium Olefin · Red

Premium Olefin · Brown

Premium Olefin · Claret

Premium Olefin · Deep brown

Twelve performance fabrics from the 119-swatch library — the Sunbrella-grade tier and its factory-direct equivalents.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sunbrella worth it for cushions?

In full sun, usually yes: Sunbrella holds color for years where standard polyester bleaches in a season or two, and the brand’s 5-year fade warranty backs it. Under a covered porch or indoors, our Tech Fabric and Cotton Linen deliver most of the practical performance for less — see our fabric guide for the tier-by-tier comparison.

Do you sell cushions in Sunbrella fabric?

No — we don’t carry the Sunbrella brand. Our equivalent tiers are Tech Fabric (waterproof, wipe-clean, built for full sun and poolside) and Premium Velvet (indoor luxury pile, no pilling, cat-claw resistant). Every shape we cut is available in both, at the same measurements and the same factory cut.

How do I clean Sunbrella cushions?

Per Sunbrella’s own care guidance: soap, water and a soft brush for everyday dirt; diluted bleach for stubborn stains and mildew — solution-dyed acrylic is bleach-cleanable without losing color. Air dry. (Our Tech Fabric cleans with a wipe; no bleach needed.)

What colors fade slowest on outdoor cushions?

Solution-dyed mid-tones and patterns: beige, grey, taupes and mixed weaves hide the gradual fade and soiling that saturate first on dark navy and black or broadcast on bright reds and oranges. The fiber grade sets the fade ceiling; the color choice sets how visible the aging is under that ceiling.

Can you make Sunbrella replacement cushions for my existing patio set?

Yes — that is the measurement lane most of this page’s readers are in: send the piece-by-piece dimensions (seats, backs, any hinged or corner pieces) and the replacements come back cut to your frames in the Sunbrella-grade tier at the same formula prices. The full method is in our Sunbrella replacement cushions guide.

Made by the factory that ships them

  • Cushion factory for 10+ years — we cut, fill, and sew every order ourselves.
  • Every dimension you send is re-checked before a single yard of fabric is cut.
  • Made-to-order means any shape, any tier, no minimum.
  • Cut to ± ½ inch of your confirmed dimensions, in writing — outside tolerance, remade free.
Custom cushions from $63 — pick your shape, enter measurements, get a quote in our fabric tiers.
One honest note on color: every screen renders fabric differently, and custom-cut pieces cannot be returned. If color is critical to your project, email us before ordering — we will describe the fabric hand, sheen and true shade from the physical bolt, so you order with your eyes open.

Get a Quote in Our Fabric Tiers →

Related pages

Further reading from the blog