A sheet material includes 30-70 wt. % of aramid pulp, 30-70 wt. % of a fire-retardant short fiber material selected from para-aramid, glass fibers, carbon fibers, and PEEK (polyether etherketone), and 0.5-15 wt. % of a polymer binder, wherein the sheet material is a non-woven sheet material having an areal weight of 10-70 g/m2. The sheet material is soft, pliable, and light weight. It can be applied as backing onto upholstery material without detrimentally affecting the properties thereof. At the same time, the sheet material has very good fire-retardant properties.