At a glance
| Composition (by weight) | Feel | Support and shape | Watch-points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 % down | Softest and lightest; sinks deep | Least support; needs dressing every day | Needs the tightest ticking. Usually the dearest fill. |
| 90 % down, 10 % feather | Very soft, with a little body | Low | As above. Ask the supplier to declare it in words. |
| 50 % down, 50 % feather | Soft, with body | Moderate | A common middle blend. |
| 40 % down, 60 % feather | A softer blend that our fills guide offers for a more enveloping seat | Moderate to good | Plump a little more often. |
| 20 % down, 80 % feather | Soft top with structure: the blend our fills guide gives as its usual upholstery specification | Better; holds its shape between dressings | Quills are more likely to work through, so the ticking matters. |
| 100 % feather | Firmer and heavier | The most supportive of these fills | Most likely to show quills; check the weave. |
Trade convention, to be confirmed by the partner upholsterer; no standard grades feel. Composition is written in words because a ratio such as 80/20 is written both ways round. The 40 % and 20 % down blends follow our upholstery fills guide.
What the ratio means, and the trap in it
Down is the soft cluster from waterfowl, with no quill. A feather has a quill, which gives structure and weight. A fill is a mix of the two, so the ratio is a trade-off: more down is softer and lighter and gives less support; more feather is firmer and holds its shape better but is more likely to push a quill through. That is trade convention, not a measured grade, and the table gives the feel as a guide only.
The trap is the order. "80/20" can mean 80 % feather and 20 % down or the reverse. Our own upholstery fills guide writes the feather first ("80% feather / 20% down"), while a laboratory's summary of the EN 12934:2025 label table writes the down first. In a brief, always write both percentages in words, with the word "by weight".
A label also carries more than the ratio. The next section decodes one, with what we could read of the standard and what we could not.
Reading a label against EN 12934:2025
EN 12934 is the European standard for the composition labelling of processed feathers and down. The 2025 edition was approved by CEN on 6 January 2025 and supersedes EN 12934:1999. We read the free preview of a national adoption: the cover, the contents list, the European foreword and the introduction. We did not read the scope or clauses 1 to 10, so every figure below that is not marked as read comes from one laboratory's published summary and must be checked against the standard before it goes in a specification.
What the contents and foreword tell us for certain: the standard covers percentages by weight and a classification (clause 5), tolerances for down labelling (6), fowl species labelling for waterfowl, landfowl and blends (7), fill power labelling (8, new in 2025), the sampling and analysis method (9) and the information passed along the supply chain (10). The foreword lists the changes from 1999: the scope, definitions, Tables 1, 2 and 4 and clause 6 were revised, and the allowed foreign matter rose from 0.5 % to 2 %.
Older web pages still describe the 1999 scheme. One German down-testing site, for instance, gives percentages in 10 % groups and seven classes with 5 % and 15 % limits, while the 2025 contents list has Classes I to III only. If a supplier quotes class limits, ask which edition they come from.
The labelling decoder
Read a label or a supplier's declaration against the rows below. Rows marked as a summary have not been checked against the standard.
| On the label or the supplier's papers | What it tells you | What to ask | Basis and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Composition by weight, for example 70 % down, 30 % feather | The share of down and of feather in the fill, by weight. | Which number is down. "80/20" is written both ways round: our own fills guide writes feather first, a laboratory summary of the 2025 label table writes down first. State both in words. | EN 12934:2025 clause 5.1 (contents read, text not read). |
| Minimum down behind a ratio | For each label ratio the standard sets a minimum measured down content: the laboratory summary gives, for example, 85 % for a 90/10 label, 75 % for 80/20 and 45 % for 50/50. | A test report if the ratio matters to the price or the feel. | Laboratory summary of the 2025 Table 1. Not checked against the standard. |
| 2 Class I, II or III | How much of the fill is "other elements" (broken feathers, fibres, residue): the summary gives under 12.5 % for Class I, 12.5 % to under 20 % for Class II, and 20 % or more for Class III, with the other elements then stated. | Class is separate from the ratio. Do not use older tables: the 1999 edition had seven classes with 5 % and 15 % limits. | 2025 contents list shows Classes I to III only; the limits are from the summary and an iTeh catalogue note, not the text. |
| 3 Species: goose, duck or a blend | An optional description of the waterfowl species. The summary gives "pure goose" at 90 % goose or more. | Species is a claim that needs a test. | Clause 7 in the contents; figures from the summary. |
| New or recycled fill | The 2025 foreword raises the allowed foreign matter from 0.5 % to 2 %, because more recycled filling is expected. | Whether the fill is new or reprocessed. | European foreword read (primary). |
| 4 Fill power | How far a given weight of fill lifts. Clause 8 on fill power labelling is new in 2025; the summary says stating it is optional. | Mainly a bedding measure: ask if it is stated and by which method. | Contents list read; method and status from the summary. |
| 5 Standard and edition | EN 12934:2025 was approved by CEN on 6 January 2025 and supersedes EN 12934:1999. | Which edition the supplier labels to. | Cover and foreword read (primary). |
| 6 Sourcing mark | A scheme certificate for animal welfare and chain of custody, such as RDS or the Global TDS. It is not part of EN 12934. | The certificate, its scope and its date, checked in the scheme's own directory. | Scheme pages; see section 5. |
A wrap is not necessarily "sole filling". The standard's title says it covers processed feathers and down "for use as sole filling material". When feather is a wrap over foam (build 3 on the cushion constructions sheet) it is not the sole filling, and we have not read how the scope treats that. Ask the supplier to declare the wrap's composition in the same words anyway.
Ticking: keeping the fill in
Down-proof ticking is the tightly woven inner case that stops down and quills working through into the cover or out at a seam. The cover over it is a separate layer, and so is any fire interliner, so ask for all three to be named on the build-up drawing. Three things keep fill where it belongs:
- The weave. A closer weave lets fewer quills through. A test exists: EN 12132-1, a rubbing test of the down-proof properties of fabrics, with an impact test as Part 2. We found catalogue records only and no pass level, so ask the ticking supplier for the method, the edition and the result.
- The chambers. Stitched baffles divide the cushion into compartments so that the fill cannot slump to one end. The drawing shows an open case and a chambered case side by side. Back cushions especially are built in chambers.
- The seams. Fill escapes at stitching first. Ask for double-stitched seams and a seam finish suited to the fill, stated on the drawing.
Plumping and care, and what to ask about sourcing
Plumping. Feather and down settle with use. Our fills guide says feather and down blends benefit from daily plumping on primary seating, with the casing turned end to end every few weeks, and that a cushion can be re-filled or re-cased rather than replaced. Foam-cored wraps need less. For contract seating, agree who plumps, how often and with what instructions before the build is chosen, and put it in the operation and maintenance manual.
Cleaning and wear. Prolonged direct sun fades fabric and degrades foam. For cleaning, follow the cover fabric's care code and the workshop's written instructions: whether a cover can come off a feather fill to be cleaned depends on the build.
Sourcing marks. Two schemes are common. The Responsible Down Standard, run by Textile Exchange, is voluntary and audits animal welfare and chain of custody through third-party certification bodies; its page lists RDS 3.0 of 1 July 2019 and offers a directory to check a certified company. The Global Traceable Down Standard is run by NSF and covers farm to manufacturer chain of custody. Neither is part of EN 12934. A logo on a cushion is not evidence: ask for the certificate, its scope and its date for the supply, and check it with the scheme.
Fire. The fill is part of the composite that is tested, so the certificate has to name it: see seat cushion constructions compared. This sheet makes no claim about any hazard category.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
Fill: [goose / duck] feather and down, [ ] % down and [ ] % feather by weight (both stated in words), class [ ], declared by the fill supplier to [EN 12934:2025], new fill [yes / no]. Supply the declaration and a laboratory test report dated within [12] months with the shop drawings. Net fill [ ] g per cushion.
Inner case: down-proof ticking [ ], tested to [EN 12132-1 or equivalent: supplier to state the method, edition and result], double-stitched seams, [ ] chambers per cushion so that fill cannot migrate. Ticking, interliner and cover to be named on the build-up drawing and to be inside the tested composite.
Down and feather certified to [RDS / Global TDS] with chain of custody: certificate [ref], scope [ ], valid to [date], to be supplied with the shop drawings. Plumping and turning instructions [frequency], and who carries them out, to be supplied in the operation and maintenance manual.
Terms used on this page
- Feather-to-down ratio
- The proportion of feather to down in a fill. More down gives a softer, lighter, more expensive cushion and less risk of quills; more feather gives firmer, heavier, cheaper filling.
- Down-proof ticking
- A tightly woven inner case that stops feathers or down quills poking through the cover or leaking out. It sits between the filling and the outer cover.
- Other elements
- In feather and down labelling, the parts of the fill that are neither down nor feather, such as broken feathers, fibres and residue. The class on a label depends on how much of the fill they make up.
- Fill power
- How far a given weight of down or feather lifts when allowed to expand. It is mainly a bedding measure. EN 12934:2025 has a clause on labelling it.
Standards and sources
- BS EN 12934:2025, Feather and down: Composition labelling of processed feathers and down for use as sole filling material: CEN, approved 6 January 2025, supersedes EN 12934:1999. Free preview read (cover, contents, foreword, introduction); scope and clauses not read: confirm against the current edition.
- EN 12132-1:1998, Feather and down: Methods of testing the down proof properties of fabrics, Part 1: Rubbing test: catalogue records only; Part 2 is an impact test.
- International Down and Feather Laboratory: European labelling standards (summary): a laboratory's summary of the 2025 tables, read 5 November 2026; not checked against the standard.
- Textile Exchange: Responsible Down Standard: page read 5 November 2026.
- FIRA and the British Furniture Confederation, Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the contract and non-domestic sectors (2010, updated 2011): the filling and composite statements on the sister sheet.
Questions we are asked
What do 90/10 and 50/50 mean on a feather and down label?
They are shorthand for the percentages of the two components by weight, but the order is not universal: some suppliers write feather first and some write down first. EN 12934:2025 works in percentages of down and feather by weight, so write both in words, such as 90 % down and 10 % feather.
What is the difference between down and feather?
Down is the soft, quill-free cluster from waterfowl such as goose and duck. A feather has a quill. Down is softer and lighter and gives less support; feather gives structure. Most fills are a mix.
What is EN 12934?
A European standard for labelling the composition of processed feathers and down used as a filling. The 2025 edition, approved in January 2025, supersedes the 1999 edition. It covers percentages, classes, species, fill power, sampling and the information passed along the supply chain. It is paywalled: confirm any figure against the current edition.
What is down-proof ticking?
A tightly woven inner case that stops down and quills working through into the cover or out at a seam. It is separate from the cover and from any fire interliner.
How do I stop feathers coming through the cover?
Specify a tightly woven down-proof ticking, stitched baffles that divide the cushion into chambers, and double-stitched seams. Ask the ticking supplier for the down-proofness test method, edition and result: EN 12132-1 is the rubbing test.
How often should feather cushions be plumped?
Our fills guide says daily on primary seating, with the casing turned end to end every few weeks; foam-cored wraps need less. For a hotel or restaurant, agree the routine and who carries it out before choosing the build.
How do I check a down sourcing claim?
Ask for the scheme certificate, its scope and its date for the supply, and check it against the scheme's own directory. Schemes such as the Responsible Down Standard certify animal welfare and chain of custody; they are separate from the composition label.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the ratio table, the label decoder, the ticking drawing and three specification clauses, to keep with your project file.