Where does Duck come from?

Duck comes from the Netherlands, first documented in the 1700s.

Plate No. 075fabric

The chore-coat standard.

First documented: 1700s
Origin: Netherlands and England, Netherlands
Fiber: cotton
Weave: tight plain weave, plied yarns
Family: plain

Plate No. 075 · fabric

Duck

Cotton duck is canvas at its most disciplined: a tight plain weave of plied yarns, graded by a numbered system in which lower numbers mean heavier cloth, from number 1 duck that stands up by itself down to light awning grades. The name is the Dutch word for cloth, carried into English through the sailcloth trade. Duck is the surface of work: sails, tents, sneakers, artist canvas, fire hoses, and the chore coats whose ducks brown has become a workwear color in its own right.

Illustration: a ship chandlery on a wharf, heavy bolts of pale sailcloth, coiled rope and block tackle, masts beyond the open door — A ship chandlery on a wharf, heavy bolts of pale sailcloth, coiled rope and block tackle, masts beyond the open door.

Named for

From the Dutch doek, cloth: nothing to do with the bird.

Also known as

cotton duck

Common questions

What is Duck made of?: Cotton duck is canvas at its most disciplined: a tight plain weave of plied yarns, graded by a numbered system in which lower numbers mean heavier cloth, from number 1 duck that stands up by itself down to light awning grades.
Where does Duck come from?: Duck comes from the Netherlands, first documented in the 1700s.
What is Duck named after?: From the Dutch doek, cloth: nothing to do with the bird.