What is solution-dyed acrylic and why does it not fade?

Carrot or radish

Cut a radish in half: red outside, white inside. That is a piece-dyed or printed fabric. The colour was applied to the finished fibre or cloth and sits on the surface. Cut a carrot: orange all the way through. That is solution-dyed. The pigment was mixed into the liquid polymer before it was extruded into fibre. Every cross-section of every thread is coloured.

Why surface colour fades

UV light breaks the chemical bonds in dye molecules. On a printed fabric the dye is a thin layer on top, fully exposed, and once it is gone there is white fibre underneath. On solution-dyed fibre the UV still attacks the surface, but there is more pigment directly underneath. The colour you see stays the same until the fibre itself wears away, which takes many years.

Why it tolerates bleach

Bleach works by oxidising colour molecules it can reach. On a print, that is the colour you paid for. In solution-dyed acrylic, the pigment is locked inside the polymer and bleach only reaches the stain on the surface. That is why Sunbrella® care instructions allow a 1:9 bleach solution. Details in can you use bleach on outdoor cushions.

Acrylic versus olefin

Both can be solution-dyed. Acrylic (Sunbrella®) has the better UV life and the softer, more cotton-like hand; olefin (polypropylene) is cheaper, lighter and more stain-resistant to oils, but has a lower melting point and shorter UV life. For a cushion in full British sun for ten summers we choose acrylic; the comparison is in Sunbrella vs olefin vs polyester.

What this means for your cushion

• The colour you choose from 158 options is the colour you will still have in five years.
• You can clean hard without worrying about the colour.
• Sun-facing and shaded cushions in the same set stay matched. Printed sets end up two different shades.
• The fabric costs more. Expect a quality 45×45 cushion around €30-45 versus €10-15 for printed polyester.