TS 12745

TS 12745 is a vocational standard for the automobile upholsterer occupation. It defines the profession, organizes the classification of the people who perform it, and frames how their suitability is to be measured and evaluated. The standard also addresses the tools and equipment used in the work, so it connects the job definition with the basic and professional qualities expected from the practitioner.

What automobile upholstery work generally involves

In general technical terms, automobile upholstery concerns the repair, renewal, and fitting of interior surfaces that affect comfort, durability, and finish inside road vehicles. Typical work areas include seat covers, foam and support layers, headliners, door trims, floor coverings, and related cabin materials. The trade depends on careful hand skills such as measuring, cutting, sewing, fitting, removal and reinstallation, and matching parts accurately to the vehicle interior.

The scope explicitly excludes upholstery for vehicles other than road vehicles. In practical terms, this means the standard is focused on automobiles and similar road transport applications, and it does not extend that same occupational framework to marine, rail, or other non-road vehicle types.

Assessment criteria and occupational capability

The standard’s focus on basic and vocational characteristics, measurement criteria, and evaluation reflects a common structure in occupational standards: it is not only the person’s knowledge that matters, but also workmanship, material awareness, precision, and proper use of tools. In a hands-on trade like upholstery, these elements are closely linked to quality and consistency in finished work.

By setting out the occupation in this way, the standard helps create a shared technical language for training, job performance, and competency evaluation in automotive interior work. The value of the document lies in connecting the role, the equipment, and the expected capability profile within one occupational framework.