Upholsterers Pay Data UK — 2025

Upholsterers roles in the UK earn a median of £30,000 per year, equivalent to £14.59 per hour as of 2025. Pay increased 9.2% compared to the previous year. Regionally, pay ranges from £24,000 in South West to £34,500 in London. Pay has risen over the past 4 years. The ONS national median for this occupation is £27,909/yr (7% above our computed national average).

Labour Market

Employment figures from ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). Counts are estimates; suppressed cells (small samples) are excluded from totals.

Pay by Region

Annual pay for Upholsterers across UK regions. The bar shows the typical pay range (25th–75th percentile); the diamond marks the median.

Source: ONS ASHE. Based on broad UK regions (NUTS1).

How Pay Has Changed Over Time

Annual pay grew by +9.2% from 2024 to 2025.

National average (NUTS1 actuals) based on ONS ASHE April snapshot. Shaded band shows 25th–75th percentile range.

Year-on-Year Pay Change

Annual percentage change in median pay for Upholsterers.

Percentage change from the prior year's April figure.

About Upholsterers

Upholsterers upholster vehicle, aircraft and other seating, fix trimmings to the interiors of vehicles and aircraft, upholster furniture such as chairs and sofas, and make mattresses, curtains and other soft furnishings.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• measures frame to be covered or examines drawings or other specifications and cuts material with shears, knife or scissors
• tacks and staples or otherwise secures webbing to furniture frame
• pads springs and secures padding by stitching, stapling, tacking, etc.
• pins sections of coverings together, joins by sewing and inserts trims, braids and buttons as required and fits upholstery unit to frame
• operates machine to compress padded spring assemblies and inserts them into mattress covers
• encases bed springs and padding with selected covering material by hand or machine stitching and fits castors where required
• replaces covering, padding, webbing or springs to repair upholstered furniture
• measures, cuts, pins, sews and trims fabrics to make curtains, cushions, loose covers and similar soft furnishings

Entry Routes and Qualifications

There are no formal academic requirements although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. Relevant NVQs/ SVQs are available at level 2 and 3 and apprenticeships at level 2.

Related Occupations

Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.