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OaSIS 2025 Version 1.0
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63221.00 – Upholsterers

Upholsterers cover furniture, fixtures and similar items with fabric, leather or other upholstery materials.

Overview

Example job titles

  • Automobile upholsterer
  • Custom upholsterer
  • Furniture upholsterer
  • Upholsterer
  • Upholstery repairer

Core competencies

  • Quality Control Testing to ensure finished products meet customer expectations and industry standards
  • Equipment and Tool Selection to select the appropriate needles, threads and machines to achieve precise, clean finishes on upholstery work
  • Colour Perception to lay out, measure and cut materials according to sketches, colours and design specifications
  • Manual Dexterity to correctly operate sewing machines or sew by hand in order to seam cushions and join sections of covering
  • Attention to Detail to verify measurements and align components in upholstery applications, such as those found in aircraft, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats or ships
  • Knowledge in Client Service to ask the right questions, clarify the necessary details in order to understand customer needs and offer custom products that meet current standards and trends

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Discuss upholstery fabric, colour, and style with customers and provide cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items
  • Lay out, measure and cut upholstery materials according to sketches or design specifications
  • Replace worn-out webbing, springs and other furniture parts using hand and power tools
  • Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and join sections of covering materials
  • Install padding and underlays and fasten covering materials to furniture frames
  • Tack, glue or sew ornamental trim, braids or buttons on upholstered items
  • Lay out, cut, fabricate and install upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
  • May repair furniture frames and refinish wood surfaces
  • May make upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
  • May install, fabricate, maintain and repair interior components of aircraft, such as seats, coverings, drapes, cargo nets, flooring, closets, bins and panels.

Additional information

  • Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Furniture and fixture assemblers, finishers, refinishers and inspectors (94210)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

6 – Sales and service occupations

TEER

3 – Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training

Major group

63 – Occupations in sales and services

Sub-major group

632 – Occupations in services

Minor group

6322 – Shoe repairers, shoemakers and upholsterers

Unit group

63221 – Upholsterers

Occupational profile

63221.00 – Upholsterers

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.