A surface material for an absorbent article includes a fibrous web formed by thermally bondable component fibers bonded together under the effect of a hot blast and has a hot blast-exposed surface and a surface opposite to this hot blast-exposed surface. The fibrous web includes, in turn, a first layer lying on the side of the hot blast-exposed surface and having a buffering function to alleviate an influence of the hot blast upon the surface opposite to this hot blast-exposed surface, and a second layer lying on the side opposite to the hot blast-exposed surface.