Jute

Jute is the great cheap fiber of the world, a long, soft, shiny bast fiber stripped from the stalks of plants grown chiefly in the Ganges delta of India and Bangladesh, where it is called the golden fiber for its color and its value to the economy. Strong, coarse, and biodegradable, it is spun and woven into the burlap and hessian of sacks and bags, into rope, twine, and carpet backing, and at its peak was second only to cotton among textile fibers in volume. Cheap to grow and kind to the soil, it is enjoying a revival as a sustainable packaging material.

Named for

From the Bengali jhuto or Sanskrit juta, a matted lock of hair, taken into English in the nineteenth century.

Common questions

What is Jute made of?: Jute is the great cheap fiber of the world, a long, soft, shiny bast fiber stripped from the stalks of plants grown chiefly in the Ganges delta of India and Bangladesh, where it is called the golden fiber for its color and its value to the economy.
What is Jute named after?: From the Bengali jhuto or Sanskrit juta, a matted lock of hair, taken into English in the nineteenth century.