Guide · 5 min · Updated September 2026

Choosing a Base Fabric for Rexine: PV Matty, China Raise or Tricot

The short answer

Use a woven PV matty base where the rexine must stay flat and stable, such as bags, file covers and panels. Use tricot warp knit where it must stretch over curves and flex without cracking, such as car seats, sofas and footwear. Use China raise where the reverse should feel soft and cloth-like, such as premium seating and garments. Match the base weight to the coating weight, and dye the base if the reverse will be seen.

Why the base matters

Rexine is a textile base coated with PVC or PU. The coating gives the look; the base gives almost everything else: tensile and tear strength, stretch, how it holds a stitch, how the back feels and whether the coating stays bonded. Two rexines with identical faces can behave completely differently because of what is underneath.

The three constructions compared

Base	Construction	Stretch	Reverse	Best for
PV Matty	Woven, basket weave	Low, stable	Plain woven	Bags, file covers, flat panels
Tricot	Warp knit	Moderate, strong recovery	Smooth, or brushed	Car seats, sofas, footwear
China Raise	Knitted, raised face	Moderate	Soft brushed pile	Premium seating, garments

Matching base weight to coating

A heavy coating on a light base puckers and can crack at folds; a heavy base under a thin coating makes a stiff, boardy rexine. As a working rule, the more coating the product carries and the more load it bears, the heavier the base. PV matty is regularly supplied from 90 to 180 GSM, and knitted bases are made to the weight your coating needs.