What size sample do you need for a relief fabric?
A relief fabric is chosen for its surface, and the surface is what a small cutting hides. Judge a piece large enough to see how the relief reads over an area, not a single detail.
Ask for samples of the exact article and colour you intend to specify, by the name on its datasheet. If you are planning a mock-up or a large board, say what size you need in the message box of the request; AKA Acoustics will contact you to confirm the request before samples are sent.
How should you judge a sample in place?
A relief reads through light and shadow, so look at the sample where the fabric will go and in the light it will get. Hold it flat against the wall, or up to the ceiling, and look at it once with daylight from the side and again under the project's light fittings. Then step back to the distance people will see it from, because a surface chosen at arm's length is seen across a room.
Turn the sample the way it will be installed. A ceiling sail is seen from below, a wall panel face on, and a curtain in folds, so gather a curtain sample in your hand to see how the relief behaves in a fold. Designing a textured wall or ceiling covers viewing distance, light and set-out in more detail.
The table sets out what to check on each sample, and how.
| What to check | Why it matters | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Article and colour | The sample must be the fabric you will specify | Match the label to the datasheet name |
| Relief in side light | Light across the surface shows the relief | Hold the sample by a window, then under the project's lights |
| Viewing distance | The fabric will be seen across the room | View it from where people will stand or sit |
| Orientation | Walls, ceilings and curtains are seen differently | Hold it as it will be installed; gather a curtain sample |
| Colour against other finishes | Colours are judged side by side | Put it on the finishes board, under the project's light |
| Wear | Seats and touched surfaces need abrasion resistance | Read the Martindale figure on the datasheet |
| Care | Some fabrics are cleaned in place | Read the care line on the datasheet |
| Documents | The documents carry the evidence | Download the datasheet and fire documents |
How should you judge colour and batches?
Off-white is Acunic's base colour, and black and beige are standard colours. Any Acunic fabric can be custom dyed, and Getzner's datasheets state that technical specifications may differ for dyed fabric, so for a custom colour, judge the article dyed to that colour if a sample can be made. Custom colour, dyeing and UV printing covers minimums and colour references.
Note the article name, and any batch or roll number, on the back of the sample. Once a sample is approved, keep it as the reference that deliveries are checked against; how to specify an architectural fabric shows the wording.
What paperwork should you ask for with a sample?
A sample shows the surface; the documents show what the fabric is and what it has been tested to. Ask for the datasheet, the Group Number and its fire test report, and the acoustic result with its mounting, at the same time as the sample. For Acunic, datasheets and AKA Acoustics' Technical Product Summary (Version A, October 2024) are on each fabric page, free to download without a form, and each fabric's Group Number is in its specifications.
For Cubic Pico, that set is the Getzner datasheet and the Technical Product Summary, which lists Cubic Pico as Group 1, with the fire test report from AKA Acoustics on request. For a curtain fabric such as Optic Structure, check that the datasheet's absorption figure was measured as a gathered curtain, Getzner's Type G-150 mounting, since each absorption figure belongs to the mounting it was tested in; the mountings are set out in NRC, αw and absorption class.
Check the date on the datasheet too. Getzner states that its technical specifications are valid for four months from receipt.
What should you check for upholstery?
Getzner says Acunic can be used on furniture; check the Martindale figure for the article. Across Acunic, Getzner's datasheets give Martindale abrasion from 15,000 cycles for Accentric Soundwave to 90,000 cycles for Cubic Mega, to ISO 12947-1. Match the article to the wear the seat will get, and read its care line: the Cubic fabrics are non-washable, and the others allow a 40 °C delicates cycle.
How do sample requests work for Acunic?
On the samples page, tick any Acunic fabric, or "Custom colour" with a Pantone or CMYK reference or a description. For a live project, give its name, stage, location and the date documentation closes or the fabric is needed; for a practice library, choose "No, for our practice library" and list the fabrics. AKA Acoustics reviews the request and contacts you to confirm the fabrics, colours and project before samples are sent to the delivery address you give. Say in the request where the fabric will go, for example wall panels or curtains, so the samples suit the work.
