A practical buyer's guide from Carolyn Fabrics in High Point, North Carolina.
Pinnacle is Carolyn Fabrics' 40-color house-brand vinyl for marine and contract seating. It has a soft hand, exceeds 1,500,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek abrasion test, and is made with Staycool Technology, which keeps every color up to 10% cooler in direct sunlight than conventional PVC. Actual results vary by color and conditions.
That combination makes Pinnacle a useful starting point for boat and pontoon seating, restaurant and hospitality seating, healthcare and office seating, gym equipment, RV interiors, and other upholstery projects that need both wear resistance and broad color choice. It is not for aviation use.
When Pinnacle belongs on the short list
| Project | Why consider Pinnacle | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Boat and pontoon seating | Marine application, UV/lightfastness and mildew-resistance testing, cold-crack result, and Staycool Technology | Color, hand, stretch, cushion construction, care instructions, and project exposure |
| Restaurant and hospitality seating | 1,500,000-plus Wyzenbeek abrasion result, soft hand, 40 colors, and water-based cleaning code | The facility's cleaner, concentration, rinse procedure, and maintenance schedule |
| Healthcare, office, and waiting areas | Contract use, abrasion result, and documented antibacterial test | Exact cleaning protocol and any project-specific fire-code or documentation requirement |
| Gym and fitness equipment | High Wyzenbeek result and contract-seating application | Compatibility with the cleaner or sanitizer the facility actually uses |
| RV and transportation interiors | Soft hand, broad color range, listed transportation use, and temperature-related test results | Required flammability documentation, exposure, care, and installation construction |
What the 1,500,000-plus double-rub result means
Pinnacle exceeds 1,500,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek abrasion test. That is a strong laboratory abrasion result and is useful when comparing materials tested by the same method and conditions.
A double-rub result does not predict an exact number of years in service. Real upholstery life also depends on seam design, cushion shape, UV exposure, cleaning chemistry, maintenance, installation quality, and misuse. When comparing two products, check the test method, abradant, endpoint, and document date instead of relying on the headline number alone.
How Staycool Technology helps in direct sunlight
Pinnacle is made with Staycool Technology, which allows all colors to be 10% cooler in direct sunlight. Actual results vary by color and conditions.
This is most relevant for sun-exposed boat seats, pontoons, golf carts, UTVs, convertibles, RV seating, and outdoor-facing commercial seating. Staycool is the technology name used for Pinnacle. It should not be treated as a promise that every completed seat will reach a fixed temperature.
Marine-use specifications
Pinnacle is intended for marine seating and carries material-level results relevant to marine environments:
- UV/lightfastness: AATCC 16.3, Grade 4.0 at 1,500 hours
- Mildew resistance: AATCC 30-III and ASTM G21, Class 1
- Anti-pinking: passes ASTM E1428-15a
- Cold crack: -55°C / -67°F
- Marine flame test: IMO FTP Code 2010, Part 8
Mildew and pinking resistance also depend on what is underneath the vinyl. Those results describe the material. In a finished seat, resistance to mildew and to pinking also requires that the foam and other components be certified against the same problems. Uncertified foam is a common source of pinking and mildew in marine seating regardless of which vinyl is used over it.
These are material test results. They do not certify a finished seat, boat, installation, or cleaning program. Good marine performance still depends on drainage, ventilation, foam condition, cover use, cleaning, and installation.
Contract-use specifications
For restaurants, hospitality, offices, healthcare environments, and other commercial seating, Pinnacle combines its Wyzenbeek result with these documented material specifications:
- Anti-bacterial: passes AATCC 147-2011
- Strength: tensile ASTM D751 — 94 lb. weft × 101 lb. warp; tear ASTM D2261 — 13 × 10 lb.; seam slippage ASTM D751 — 64 × 67 lb.
- Warranty: 3-year limited, against becoming unserviceable from loss of colour, loss of strength, abrasion or pilling under normal use
- Cleaning code: W — use water-based cleaning agents or water-based foam
- Contract flame tests: CAL TB117-2013, NFPA 260 Class 1, and UFAC Class 1
Cleaning Code W is not blanket approval for every disinfectant or sanitizer. Before approving a maintenance protocol, confirm the exact cleaner, concentration, dwell time, rinse step, and frequency against the current care information for the material ordered.
Pinnacle specifications at a glance
- Use: marine, contract, hospitality, healthcare, fitness, office, RV, transportation, and residential seating
- Abrasion: exceeds 1,500,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek)
- Face: 100% PVC
- Backing: 100% polyester
- Width: 54 inches / 137 cm
- Roll length: 30 yards / 27 m
- Thickness: 1.10 mm
- Weight: 21.71 oz. per square yard; 33.17 oz. per linear yard
- Colors: 40 offered
- Anti-pinking: passes ASTM E1428-15a
- Cooling feature: Staycool Technology; all colors up to 10% cooler in direct sunlight than conventional PVC
- Direction: non-railroaded
- UV / lightfastness: AATCC 16.3, Grade 4.0 at 1,500 hours
- Cold crack: -55°C / -67°F
- Crocking: AATCC 8, dry Class 5 and wet Class 5
- Bacterial resistance: passes AATCC 147-2011
- Mildew resistance: AATCC 30-III and ASTM G21 Class 1
- Accelerated ageing: ISO 1419 Method C (hydrostatic head, jungle test), 14 weeks
- Tensile / breaking strength: ASTM D751-06 Procedure A, CFFA-17-2013 — 94 lb. weft × 101 lb. warp
- Tear strength: ASTM D2261 — 13 lb. weft × 10 lb. warp; ASTM D751 — 12 × 10 lb.
- Seam slippage: ASTM D751 — 64 lb. weft × 67 lb. warp
- Elongation: ASTM D751 — 116% weft, 64% warp
- Anti-static: ASTM D257 — 1012 ohms per square
- Flammability: CAL TB 117-2013, NFPA 260 Class 1, UFAC Class 1, MVSS 302, BS EN 1021-1 and 1021-2, IMO FTP Code 2010 Part 8 (3.1 & 3.2)
- Chemical transparency: no intentionally added PFAS, PFOA or PFC; phthalate free; formaldehyde free; flame-retardant additive free; heavy-metal free; REACH compliant; Red List Free; California Prop 65 compliant; passes AB 2998
- Manufacturing: ISO 14001 certified, with solvent recapture and reuse
- Cleaning code: W
- Warranty: 3-year limited, against becoming unserviceable from loss of colour, loss of strength, abrasion or pilling under normal use and exposure
On abrasion specifically: results above 100,000 double rubs have not been shown to indicate increased service life. We publish the full figure because it is the number the trade asks for, not because we think it decides anything. Cold crack, UV and cleaning chemistry are the specs that predict how a seat actually ages.
The sections below were moved here from the Pinnacle product page on 2 September 2026 so the product page stays short. Nothing was cut.
Pinnacle in healthcare
Exam rooms, dental operatories, patient recliners, waiting areas, campus health centers, therapy and rehab furniture. Three things decide whether a vinyl survives a healthcare environment, and Pinnacle has published answers to all three.
It takes the disinfectants your EVS team already uses. Pinnacle is cleanable with bleach, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Optim 33TB, Accel Five TB, Accel Concentrate, Virox 5, Oxivir Plus, Oxivir TB, Oasis 146 and isopropyl alcohol — named hospital-grade products, published with dilution ratios, and a property of the material itself. Rinse with clean water and dry after any disinfectant; residue left sitting on the surface is what hazes and cracks healthcare vinyl, on any brand.
It is clean on chemistry, which is where healthcare specification is heading. Pinnacle has no intentionally added PFAS, PFOA or PFC, and is phthalate free, formaldehyde free, free of flame-retardant additives, heavy-metal free and Red List Free. It is REACH, California Prop 65 and AB 2998 compliant, and it is made in an ISO 14001 certified plant. If your project carries a materials-transparency requirement, this is the part of the spec sheet that answers it — and most vinyls at this price cannot.
It is tested where healthcare seating actually fails. Pinnacle passes AATCC 147-2011 for bacterial resistance, carries mildew resistance to AATCC 30-III and ASTM G21 Class 1, is anti-static to ASTM D257 (10¹² Ω/sq), holds Class 5 crocking both dry and wet so color does not transfer to scrubs or gowns, and survives 14 weeks of accelerated ageing to ISO 1419 Method C. Pink-stain resistance is tested to ASTM E1428-15a and warranted — see the foam condition below.
Straight talk on the antibacterial finish: it protects the vinyl. It inhibits bacterial and fungal growth on the material, which is what keeps a chair from staining, odoring and degrading between deep cleans. It is not a disinfectant, it is not EPA-registered as one, it does not protect people, and it does not replace your facility's cleaning or infection-control protocol. If a supplier is selling you upholstery on an infection-rate claim, ask them for the registration number.
One thing to know before you spec it: if your architect's submittal specifically requires CFFA Spec 201-C healthcare stain resistance, CFFA-101 disinfectant-exposure testing, or a Greenguard / indoor-air-quality emissions certificate by name, Pinnacle does not currently carry those reports — Spradling Silvertex does, and we stock it. Call us and we will tell you straight which one your project actually needs. We would rather put you in the right material than win the line.
Pinnacle by application: marine, hospitality, fitness, transportation
- Marine — boat and pontoon seating, cockpit cushions, helm chairs. Cold crack to -67°F, IMO FTP Code 2010 Part 8, pink-stain resistance to ASTM E1428-15a, and Staycool Technology, which runs up to 10% cooler in direct sunlight than traditional PVC fabrics. Actual surface temperature varies by color and conditions.
- Restaurant and hospitality — booths, dining chairs, bar seating, lobby furniture. Class 5 wet and dry crocking matters here too.
- Gym and fitness — benches, machine pads, studio seating. The abrasion result and the 14-week ageing test are the argument.
- Office, RV and transportation — task and guest seating, coach and cabin interiors. MVSS 302, BS EN 1021-1 and 1021-2 on file.
The mechanical numbers, since most vinyls do not publish them
Tensile strength 94 × 101 lb and seam slippage 64 × 67 lb, both ASTM D751. Tear strength 13 × 10 lb to ASTM D2261 and 12 × 10 lb to ASTM D751. Elongation 116% weft and 64% warp. On a 100% polyester rip-resistant backing at 1.10 mm and 736 gsm. These are the numbers that tell you whether a seam holds and whether a cover survives being pulled over a frame — and they are missing from most competitors' sheets entirely.
What Pinnacle is not
Pinnacle is not aviation-rated and is not supplied with aviation burn-test documentation. For an aircraft interior, review Carolyn Fabrics' aviation upholstery guidance and choose a material with the documentation required for that project. Material documentation does not approve a completed aircraft seat or installation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pinnacle a marine vinyl or a contract vinyl?
Pinnacle is intended for both marine and contract seating. Its specifications include a 1,500,000-plus Wyzenbeek abrasion result, UV/lightfastness and mildew-resistance tests, cold-crack performance, and marine and contract flame-test listings.
Does Pinnacle stay cooler in direct sunlight?
Pinnacle is made with Staycool Technology, which keeps every color up to 10% cooler in direct sunlight than conventional PVC. Actual results vary by color and conditions, and the completed seat's temperature also depends on construction and exposure.
How long will Pinnacle last?
No laboratory abrasion result can predict an exact service life. Pinnacle's Wyzenbeek result is strong evidence of abrasion resistance, but real-world life depends on the application, installation, cleaning, exposure, and maintenance.
Can Pinnacle be cleaned with disinfectant?
Do not assume every disinfectant is compatible. Pinnacle carries Cleaning Code W for water-based cleaning agents or foam. Confirm the proposed chemical and procedure against current care guidance before approving repeated use.
Why do light-colored marine seats turn pink?
Pinking is usually caused by microbial growth in the foam or substrate beneath the vinyl, not by the vinyl itself. Pinnacle passes ASTM E1428-15a for anti-pinking, but that result applies to the material. To protect a finished seat, the foam and other components must be certified against mildew and pinking as well.
Can Pinnacle be used in an aircraft?
No. Pinnacle is not aviation-rated and is not supplied with aviation burn-test documentation.
Compare a sample before ordering yardage
Shop Pinnacle and view all 40 colors. Use the Order a $5 Sample option to compare color, grain, and hand before committing to yardage. Sample shipping is free.
Need help deciding whether Pinnacle fits the job? Call Carolyn Fabrics at (336) 887-3101 with the application, exposure, cleaning plan, color, and required documents.