The regular sofa (above left) has a fabric pattern running up the roll, which is the typical way fabric is milled. The railroaded sofa (above right) has a fabric pattern that is milled " railroaded", meaning that the fabric is woven so that the pattern or grain is positioned so that the top of the pattern would be from the long side of the fabric to the other long side of the fabric.

Railroading a fabric is necessary when the typical 54" or 60" width of fabric is not enough to run the span of a piece of furniture. This is useful when you have something like a long cushion that exceeds the width of the fabric. If this was the case, you would typically put a seam where the fabric ends and restart the pattern which can be sometimes unattractive. Instead, you can have the fabric railroaded so that the pattern can continue around the cushion and be seamless. Another great example of when a railroaded pattern is useful is with sofa backs. Sometimes it’s also helpful to cut railroaded fabrics because the pattern may be unusual and cutting it railroaded would be a lot easier to match up.

The term railroading refers to the layout of the fabric on a piece of furniture in relation to the way it is woven at the fabric mill.

The term railroading refers to the layout of the fabric on a piece of furniture in relation to the way it is woven at the fabric mill.