DUCK CLOTH FABRIC

 

Duck Cloth or often simply “Duck” is often confused with canvas. Canvas is woven out of very heavy yarns and therefore has a course surface, while duck instead uses finer threads that have been spun into medium/heavyweight yarns and are then tightly woven together for a material with a smooth surface and a high thread count. Duck has come to be synonymous with a fabric that is tough enough for workwear or military-grade applications. The name originated from the word “doek”, which was the linen canvas that Dutch sailors in the Navy used for their pants and outerwear. Duck is a plain, tightly woven fabric with 2 thick yarns together in the warp and a single yarn in the weft, resulting in a thick cotton weave that is resistant to the penetration of wind and water. Because of its tight weave, duck is highly resistant to tearing and incredibly durable. So tough, that it was often used as sailcloth during more traditional times. The material is often categorized by weight – 7 ounces for light clothing, up to 14 oz (per square yard) for heavy work clothes. Because of the high thread count, it can be stiff at first but will soften up after several washes. Can sometimes be ‘peach finished’, which means that there is a final process whereby one side is machine sanded - resulting in a microscopically thin finishing layer of smooth fuzz on the surface. This gives the material a smooth, suede like feeling when handled.