What Is Down?

How is down made?

Down is not manufactured: it is the plumage that grows under the outer feathers of ducks and geese, collected from the birds and cleaned for use as filling. The industry definition calls it the undercoating of waterfowl, made of tufts of light, fluffy filaments. Feathers form the outer covering and are built from quills and barbs; down has no quill shaft.

What goes into a garment is a mix, and labs sort it into named parts:

• Down cluster: down, nestling down and plumules (feather-like structures with the character of down). This is the part that counts towards a down percentage on a US label.
• Down fibre: barbs that have broken away from down plumules or from the base of feather quills. It is not part of the down cluster.
• Feathers: waterfowl feathers come from ducks, geese or both. Quill feathers, over 100 mm long or with a quill point over 9.5 mm, are classed separately.
• Residue: quill pith, quill fragments, dirt and foreign matter.

Before it is used, the plumage has to pass cleanliness tests. Labs measure the oxygen number, which shows how much organic material coats the plumage, and turbidity, which shows how much dirt or dust is present. The US and European standards require an oxygen number under 20 and a turbidity reading of at least 300 mm. In an odour test, at least five people smell a soaked, warmed sample for a putrid condition. The cleaned fill goes into a jacket, duvet or sleeping bag, held in place by lines of quilting or sewn chambers.

What are the properties of down?

Down is valued for loft: a small weight of clusters fills a large volume, and that trapped air insulates. Fill power is the test that measures this loft.

Loft depends on condition. IDFL says moisture, heat and air circulation maintain and improve fill power, and that thorough drying after washing is critical. So the warmth of a down parka or gilet depends partly on how it is dried after washing.

How is down graded or measured?

Down is graded by fill power, which measures loft, and by down cluster content, which measures how much of the fill is true down rather than feather.

Fill power

Fill power measures the volume taken up by a set weight of down. A conditioned sample is placed in a measuring cylinder and loosened with air or stirring sticks before it is measured. Under the US standard, IDFL says extremely good down reaches a fill power of 700 or more, measured in cubic inches. Each international standard sets its own cylinder size, piston weight, sample weight and units, so a US figure cannot be compared directly with a European one.

The USA-2000 standard names steam conditioning as the official IDFB method and allows finished products a margin of ±5 per cent on a fill power claim.

Down cluster content

A content analysis separates a sample into down cluster, down fibre, feathers and residue and gives each as a percentage. Fill power shows how well the down lofts; down content shows how much of the filling is down at all.

How does down appear on a clothing label?

A down label states the type of filling, its minimum down content and, where claimed, the bird species; the rules come from labelling standards that differ between the US and Europe.

In the US

The USA-2000 labelling standard was developed by ABFLO and first enacted as regulation by the State of California; the American Down & Feather Council supports it. It applies to bedding and apparel made after 1 September 2000. Its main rules:

• A product may be labelled “down” only if it contains at least 75 per cent down cluster, and the minimum down cluster percentage must be listed.
• Blends are labelled by their minimum down cluster content, with no tolerance allowed.
• A product may name the species (goose or duck) only if 90 per cent of the plumage comes from that species.

In Europe

European standards count “down” as down cluster plus an allowance of down fibre of up to 5 per cent of the down cluster. Under EN 13186, a product with 60 per cent down or more may be sold as a down product; the minimum down cluster for a product labelled 60 per cent down is 52.38 per cent. Species claims follow bands: “pure goose” means at least 90 per cent goose, and “goose” 70 to 89.9 per cent.

The outer fabric appears on the label separately, as for any garment: a shell of nylon or polyester, and any lining, each with its own fibre content.

How do you tell good down from poor down?

Good down shows on the label first and in the hand second: a clearly stated down percentage, a fill power figure with its standard, and a fill that feels soft rather than spiky.

1. Read the down percentage. In the US, “down” alone must mean at least 75 per cent down cluster, with the figure printed. A higher stated minimum means less feather.
2. Check the species line. “Goose” or “duck” on a US label means at least 90 per cent of the plumage is that species; in Europe, “pure goose” means at least 90 per cent.
3. Look for fill power, and ask how it was measured. A US figure of 700 or more marks extremely good down; a number with no standard named cannot be compared.
4. Pinch the chambers. Feathers have quill shafts and down does not. Hard points you can feel through the shell, or quills working out through the seams, are feathers.
5. Ask about cleanliness testing. Labs test down for oxygen number, turbidity and odour against the limits above; ask whether the fill passed.
6. Check welfare claims precisely. A Responsible Down Standard logo is allowed only on products that meet the standard's minimum certification requirements.

Red flags: “down-filled” with no percentage; a fill power figure with no down percentage beside it; a “waterfowl feathers & down” label on a jacket sold as down, which under US rules means a stated minimum of 45 per cent down cluster or less.

How do you care for down?

Down can be washed: IDFL recommends warm water, a mild soap and tumble drying until the filling is completely dry. Heat and mild detergent do not harm the structure or performance of the down itself.

• Follow the shell. If the outer fabric can only be dry-cleaned, the whole product should be dry-cleaned.
• Dry it fully. IDFL calls proper drying critical for jackets and vests; moisture, heat and air circulation restore loft.
• Air it between washes. IDFL says regularly shaking and airing down duvets helps maintain loft.

The shell, not the down, sets the limit. Read the care label before washing a coat with a waterproof coating or leather trims.

Is down sustainable?

No single label makes down sustainable; its main ethical questions concern animal welfare, where live plucking (removing down from living birds), moult harvesting and force-feeding are the practices that standards such as the Responsible Down Standard prohibit.

The Responsible Down Standard

The Responsible Down Standard (RDS), run by Textile Exchange, prohibits removing down or feathers from live birds, including moult harvesting, and prohibits force-feeding. It covers the welfare of ducks and geese from hatching to slaughter. A third-party certification body audits each stage of the supply chain from the farm, and a chain of custody system tracks certified material to the final product. Textile Exchange released its revised version, RDS 3.0, on 1 July 2019.

As of 2026, Textile Exchange's newer Materials Matter Standard, launched in December 2025, does not include down in its first version, and brands can continue to use the RDS. Textile Exchange itself says its standards are not designed to provide full supply chain transparency. These welfare questions are part of the wider sustainable fashion debate.