Where does Neoprene come from?

Neoprene comes from Wilmington, Delaware, the United States, first documented in 1930.

Plate No. 142fabric

The smooth, sealed, insulating face of foamed synthetic rubber.

First documented: 1930
Origin: Wilmington, Delaware, Delaware, United States
Fiber: polychloroprene
Weave: foamed synthetic rubber sheet, often fabric-faced
Family: manufactured

Plate No. 142 · fabric

Neoprene

Neoprene is a synthetic rubber, the first to be mass-produced, developed at DuPont in 1930 as an oil- and weather-resistant substitute for natural rubber. Foamed into a soft sheet full of tiny gas cells and bonded between thin fabric layers, it became the cloth of the wetsuit: the trapped cells insulate, and a thin film of water warmed by the body keeps a diver or surfer warm in cold seas. Beyond wetsuits it turns up in laptop sleeves, knee braces, and fashion, valued for its springy, sealed, insulating body.

Illustration: a surfer in a black wetsuit seen from behind walking into cold grey surf at dawn, board under one arm, a dark rocky headland beyond, spray and pale light — A surfer in a black wetsuit seen from behind walking into cold grey surf at dawn, board under one arm, a dark rocky headland beyond, spray and pale light.

Named for

A coined DuPont name from neo, new, and the -prene of its chemical family, for the new rubber.

Common questions

What is Neoprene made of?: Neoprene is a synthetic rubber, the first to be mass-produced, developed at DuPont in 1930 as an oil- and weather-resistant substitute for natural rubber. It is traditionally made of polychloroprene.
Where does Neoprene come from?: Neoprene comes from Wilmington, Delaware, the United States, first documented in 1930.
What is Neoprene named after?: A coined DuPont name from neo, new, and the -prene of its chemical family, for the new rubber.