Tartan Fabrics by the Metre

Discover our quality wool tartan fabrics, woven by specialist suppliers here in Scotland. Whether you are creating your dream outfit, looking for some interior inspiration or you want to renovate your vintage car, there is guaranteed to be a tartan fabric to suit your needs. Fabric weights include light, medium and heavyweight as well as a variety of material types such as 100% pure wool fabric, polyviscose, sateen, chiffon and more.

There is a huge choice of tartan designs including traditional Clan, Dancer, Irish and Welsh or why not create your own with our tartan design service.

Check the colour & texture of the fabric before committing to your order with our tartan swatches. Alternatively, if you are ready to order your tartan fabric by the metre, you can do so from as little as 0.3 metres.

Man and woman in outdoor scene in brown and green tartan jackets

Fabric Guide for Clothing

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Selection of tartan cushions on window seat on sunny day

Fabric Guide for Interiors

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Two formal chairs upholstered in a green and blue tartan with a formal chest between them

Fabric Guide for Upholstery

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Two car seats upholstered in a green tartan

Fabric Guide for Car Upholstery

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Blue, yellow, orange and white Albany tartan, designed by ScotlandShop

Tartan Design Service

Create your unique piece of Scottish history with ScotlandShop. Whether it's personal, for family, a business or society, school, team or commemorative, our Tartan Design Service and in-house designer can help you bring your very own tartan to life. Once you have your design, this can then be woven in to cloth for whatever you wish to use it for.

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Tartan Fabric Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are your most frequently asked questions on our Tartan Fabric. If you can't find the answer to your question and it is about a specific product you might find it on the product page. If not then please use LiveChat, e-mail us or give us a call and we will answer your questions as quickly as we can.

What kind of fabric is tartan?

Tartan is traditionally made from woven wool, though it can also be made from other fabrics including polyviscose and cotton. Tartan is the pattern rather than the fabric. At ScotlandShop we have many different weights of wool tartan fabric, suitable for everything from clothing to soft furnishings and upholstery. There are 5 basic types of fabric or cloth: silk, cotton, linen, wool and worsted. All other fabrics are derived from these. There are then 3 types of woven fabric: plain weave, satin weave and twill weave. All of our tartan fabrics are twill weave, except the 8oz which is plain weave.

Is plaid fabric and tartan fabric the same?

The main difference between plaid and tartan designs lies in their association. Plaid refers to any woven design with crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lines where as Tartan refers to a unique pattern associated with a specific clan, organisation or location.

What is tartan cotton?

Unlike traditional tartans made from wool, tartan cotton is a lightweight, machine washable fabric made from 100% cotton.

What fabric is best for upholstery?

We recommend the 13oz, 14oz or 16oz wool for upholstery. These fabrics are hard wearing and can withstand commercial use. A cheaper option is the polyviscose fabric. Wool fabrics have the added bonus of being naturally fire retardant to domestic standards.

What is the best fabric to avoid pilling?

All natural materials, such as pure wool, are more resistant to pilling as they are made from long fibres. Pilling is completely normal and will go away once the excess loose fibres are removed, and it doesn't affect the durability of your fabric. To easily remove pills, use a fabric comb or battery-operated pill remover.