How to become an upholsterer and related worker
Official title: Upholsterer and related worker
Also called: Aircraft upholsterer, Automobile upholsterer, Bedding maker, Furniture upholsterer, Mattress maker, Mattress sewer, Quilt maker, Rail-carriage upholsterer, Soft furnishings maker, Upholsterer, Vehicle upholsterer, Bedding maker
Upholsterer and related worker installs, repairs and replaces upholstery of furniture, fixtures, orthopaedic appliances; seats, panels, convertible and vinyl tops and other furnishings of automobiles, railway coaches, aircraft, ships and similar items with fabric, leather, rexine or other upholstery material. He/she also makes and repairs cushions, quilts and mattresses.
Main tasks
- Discussing upholstery fabric, colour, and style with customers and providing cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items
- Making upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
- Laying out, measuring and cutting upholstery materials following patterns, templates, sketches, or design specifications
- Installing, arranging and securing springs, padding and covering material to furniture frames
- Sewing upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and joining sections of covering materials
- Sewing rips or tears in material, or creating tufting, using needle and thread
- Tacking, gluing or sewing ornamental trims, buckles, braids, buttons and other accessories to covers or frames on upholstered items
- Laying out, cutting, fabricating and installing upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Tailor/Dressmaker
- Garment and related pattern-maker/cutter
- Shoemaker/Cobbler
- Leather goods maker/assembler
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of an upholsterer and related worker?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026