Cotton duck (from , meaning "cloth"), also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, is a heavy, plain woven

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

. Duck canvas is more tightly woven than plain canvas. There is also

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

duck, which is less often used. Cotton duck is used in a wide range of applications, from

sneaker Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

s to painting canvases to

tent A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

s to

sandbag A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of Hessian (cloth), hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunke ...

s. Historically, white untwilled cotton or linen fabric uniforms of this name were worn by British and French soldiers serving in the tropics. Duck fabric is woven with two yarns together in the warp and a single yarn in the

weft In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...

. By treating with wax, duck fabric can be made waterproof (see

waxed cotton Waxed cotton is cotton impregnated with a paraffin or natural beeswax based wax, woven into or applied to the cloth. Popular from the 1920s to the mid-1950s, the product, which developed from the sailing industry in England and Scotland, became c ...

). Cotton duck strips were the origin of duck tape, recorded in the

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

as having been in use since 1899 (see

duct tape Duct tape or duck tape is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape, often coated with polyethylene. A variety of constructions exist using different backings and adhesives, and the term "duct tape" has been genericized to refer to all o ...

Classification

Duck is classified according to weight in a numerical system, with grade 1 the heaviest and grade 12 the lightest variety. Besides this, traditional names exist, which are rarely used today. The classification system used today dates from the 1920s. A numbered duck classification system was put into effect by the Cotton Duck Association and the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

when discrepancies came about with various specifications and qualities of material. In a technical paper titled "Development of the Standard Numbered Cotton Duck Specification", the Department's

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sc ...

established a set of specifications acceptable to manufacturer and consumer. According to the Department of Commerce, "The number of the duck is based on the following computation: Number of Duck = 19 − (Weight per linear yard 22 inches wide in ounces)." This numbering system is used to describe the various weights of duck cloth, based on the weight of a piece. Weights below 19 ounces are called numbered duck. Those above 19 ounces are called naught duck. The grade of numbered duck refers to the number of ounces subtracted from 19 for a 36-by-22-inch piece of fabric. For example, a piece of 8 numbered duck with dimensions of 36 by 22 inches weighs (19 − 8 = 11). ;Number duck classifications per linear yard, 22 inches wide Numbered duck is nominally made in weights from 1 to 12, but numbers 7, 9, and 11 are no longer used. Some typical uses of various grades (with weights in ounces) are: * 1 (18 oz): hammocks, cots, sandbags * 2 (17 oz): hatch paulins * 3 (16 oz): heavy-duty bags * 4 (15 oz): sea bags * 5 (14 oz): heavy work clothes * 6 (13 oz): large boat covers, heavy work clothes * 8 (11 oz): work clothes, clothes bags * 10 (9 oz): work clothes, shower curtains * 12 (7 oz): light clothes ;Number duck classifications per square yard There is often confusion when it comes to matching up weights and the correct number duck classification. The table below accurately represents the weight and number duck classification per square yard instead of linear yard 22 inches wide. * No. 1 (): floor & wall covering, sound absorption, equipment covers, heavy bags, horse packs, storage bins * No. 2 (): hatch paulins * No. 3 (): sea bags * No. 4 (): heavy-duty work clothes, hammocks, sand bags, director chairs, place mats, belting * No. 5 (): heavy work clothes * No. 6 (): utility bags, place mats, belting * No. 8 (): backpacks, painted floor cloths, tents, tarps, awnings, work clothes, clothes bags * No. 10 (): artist canvas, murals, shower curtains, painted floor cloths, hammocks, clothes * No. 12 (): stretched artist canvas, furniture slip covers, light clothes

References

{{fabric Woven fabrics de:Canvas (Gewebe)

Classification

See also

References