Sunbrella fabric is not toxic. It is made from 100% solution-dyed acrylic, a polymer that is chemically stable and does not release harmful substances under normal use. The fabric holds two of the most rigorous safety certifications in the textile industry: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, which screens for over 1,000 restricted substances, and GREENGUARD Gold, which caps chemical emissions at levels safe for children and the elderly. If you’re considering Sunbrella for cushions, upholstery, or indoor furniture, the short answer is that it passes the same safety bar as baby clothing and hospital textiles.
What Sunbrella Is Made Of
Sunbrella fabrics are woven from acrylic fibers. Acrylic is a synthetic polymer, but unlike some synthetics, it doesn’t require heavy chemical finishing after production. The key distinction is the “solution-dyed” process: color pigments and UV stabilizers are mixed into the liquid acrylic before the fibers are formed. The pigment saturates the entire fiber rather than sitting on the surface as a topical dye. This matters for toxicity because surface-applied dyes and finishes are the main source of chemical exposure in conventional textiles. With solution dyeing, there’s far less post-production chemistry involved.
Standard Sunbrella awning and upholstery fabrics are not treated with flame retardant chemicals. According to Glen Raven’s own product specifications, the standard acrylic line is listed as “not flame retardant.” This is actually a point in its favor from a toxicity standpoint, since halogenated flame retardants are among the most concerning chemicals found in household textiles. Glen Raven does offer a separate fire-resistant product line (Firesist), which uses inherently flame-resistant fibers rather than chemical additives, meaning the fire resistance is built into the polymer structure itself rather than sprayed on.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certification
The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 label is one of the strongest indicators that a fabric is safe for prolonged skin contact. The certification tests for over 1,000 individual substances, including formaldehyde, heavy metals like lead and cadmium, extractable nickel, PFAS compounds, phthalates, carcinogenic dyes, organotin compounds, and banned flame retardants. The testing criteria account for every route of exposure: absorption through skin, ingestion (relevant for children who mouth fabric), and inhalation of airborne compounds.
Most biologically active substances, including biocides and flame retardants, are outright forbidden in OEKO-TEX certified products unless they appear on a specific approved list reviewed by independent toxicologists. Sunbrella’s certification means each production batch is tested against these thresholds, not just a single sample at the time of initial approval.
Off-Gassing and Indoor Air Quality
If you’re using Sunbrella indoors, the relevant concern is off-gassing: the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your breathing air. Sunbrella holds GREENGUARD Gold certification, which is the stricter of UL’s two indoor air quality tiers. GREENGUARD Gold sets a formaldehyde limit of just 7.3 parts per billion and a total VOC ceiling of 220 micrograms per cubic meter. These thresholds were designed for environments like schools, healthcare facilities, and nurseries where vulnerable populations spend extended time.
For context, many conventional upholstery fabrics never undergo VOC testing at all. The GREENGUARD Gold standard means Sunbrella has been chamber-tested to confirm that the actual emissions from the fabric, not just its ingredients list, fall below levels considered safe for continuous indoor exposure.
The PFAS Question
PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals,” have become a major concern in performance textiles because manufacturers have historically used fluorocarbon-based finishes to make fabrics water-repellent. Sunbrella fabrics did use fluorocarbon finishes in earlier formulations. Glen Raven began offering PFAS-free options for its contract fabric line in 2019, then started a rolling transition across the entire Sunbrella portfolio beginning in 2023.
If you purchased Sunbrella fabric before 2023, it may contain a fluorocarbon-based water repellent. Newer products are transitioning to non-fluorinated alternatives. The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 now bans PFAS entirely, so any current Sunbrella product carrying that certification has been tested and confirmed free of these compounds. If PFAS exposure is a specific concern for you, check whether the product you’re buying carries the current OEKO-TEX label rather than relying on the brand name alone.
Heavy Metals and Catalysts
Some synthetic fabrics contain trace heavy metals from the manufacturing process. Antimony trioxide, for instance, is a common additive in modacrylic fibers (a close relative of acrylic) used as a flame retardant. Standard Sunbrella fabric is acrylic, not modacrylic, and is not flame-retardant treated, so this particular chemical is not part of its formulation. The OEKO-TEX certification also screens for extractable heavy metals including chromium, nickel, lead, and cadmium, providing a secondary layer of assurance that any trace residues from production fall below harmful thresholds.
Microplastic Shedding
Toxicity isn’t limited to what you breathe or touch. Acrylic textiles, including Sunbrella, do shed microscopic plastic fibers, particularly during washing. Research published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research found that acrylic fabrics shed fibers at rates similar to polyester, roughly 9 fibers per 100 square centimeters of fabric in knit constructions. Washing with detergent significantly increased fiber release from the acrylic samples tested.
Sunbrella is typically a woven fabric rather than a knit, which generally sheds less. And most Sunbrella products are cleaned by spot-washing or hosing down rather than machine laundering, which further reduces shedding. Still, if you’re cleaning Sunbrella cushion covers in a washing machine, you’re releasing acrylic microfibers into the water system. A mesh laundry bag designed to capture microfibers can reduce this substantially.
Who Should Be Cautious
For the vast majority of uses, Sunbrella presents no meaningful toxicity risk. The combination of solution-dyed acrylic (minimal surface chemistry), no added flame retardants, OEKO-TEX screening, and GREENGUARD Gold emissions testing places it well ahead of most upholstery fabrics on the market. People with severe chemical sensitivities may still react to any synthetic textile, but that’s a general sensitivity rather than a Sunbrella-specific risk. If you’re buying older stock or discounted Sunbrella fabric without current certification labels, it may still carry the older fluorocarbon finish, so checking the product date or certification status is worth the effort.