What Is Waxed Canvas?

How is waxed canvas made?

Waxed canvas is made by heating wax and working it into a tightly woven canvas, most often cotton, so that the cloth is impregnated with wax. Canvas is a plain weave, so unlike twill it has no diagonal rib.

Mills apply the wax on finishing lines. A 2022 Textile World report on the Dundee mill Halley Stevensons, based on material from the machinery maker Monforts, describes the waxes as "simply heated up for application". Its new line applies lighter coatings than the old one.

Wax can also be applied by hand. A 2019 study in Carbohydrate Polymers tested a retail wax bar of paraffin and beeswax that the user rubs onto a garment and melts in with an iron.

Where the sailcloth story comes from

The V&A's profile of Halley Stevensons, founded in 1864, says its fabrics were used by fishermen and seafarers for sails before becoming weatherproof garments such as the slicker jacket. The Monforts account goes further: Scottish herring fleets treating flax sailcloth with fish oils from the early 15th century, then linseed oil by the mid-1850s, before paraffin-waxed cotton proved most successful.

We found no museum or archival record for those early dates, so treat them as the industry's own account. What is documented independently is the word "oilskin", an oiled waterproof cloth for coverings and garments, recorded in English from about 1775. The mill's managing director told the V&A that the firm received its first waterproofing patent in 1910.

What are the properties of waxed canvas?

Waxed canvas is water repellent and wind resistant, and for the one wax bar tested in a 2019 study, more wax meant more repellency but less breathability. A thin layer kept the cotton breathable but repelled water least, while a thick layer gave a water contact angle of 130° but "deteriorated the breathability considerably". For that wax bar, the authors found that both cannot be had at once.

• Temperature: Halley Stevensons says its wax makes cloth softer and more breathable in warm weather and stiffer and more windproof in the cold.
• Feel: more wax gives a heavier, tackier handle. The mill's low-wax "hybrid aero" finish has "little wax", so it feels much drier.
• Durability: the V&A's profile of the mill says waxed cotton jackets can last over 50 years.
• Ageing: the UK Fashion & Textile Association's profile of the mill says the cloth gains character and a vintage look over time: a patina.

How is waxed canvas graded or measured?

We found no formal grade for waxed canvas; it is described by base-cloth weight and wax finish. Cloth weight is given in gsm: the Dundee mill's managing director gives the example of moving from a 100 gsm to a 600 gsm cloth on the same line. The wax load is usually described by finish, such as the mill's low-wax "hybrid aero".

How does waxed canvas appear on a clothing label?

Under US law, a waxed canvas garment's label gives the fibre content of the cloth, as percentages by weight in descending order, so "100% cotton" describes the canvas, not the wax. The label must also give the country of origin and the maker or seller, by name or registered identification number (RN).

• "100%" means 100%. The FTC allows no tolerance on a single-fibre claim apart from trim: 97% cotton cannot be called "100% cotton".
• Blends are named. Halley Stevensons has developed a 55% nettle, 45% cotton fabric, which a US label would list fibre by fibre.
• Coated fabrics are a separate case. The FTC exempts coated fabrics from fibre labelling unless fibre is mentioned, and defines them as fabrics impregnated or coated with a continuous-film-forming polymeric composition adding at least 35% to their weight. The guide is silent on wax.

Waxed canvas vs waxed cotton, oilskin and dry wax

Waxed canvas is one kind of waxed cotton: the heavy plain-weave version.

How do you tell good waxed canvas from poor waxed canvas?

Good waxed canvas has a dense base cloth, a clear label and a suitable wax load.

1. Read the label. Under US law, every fibre of 5% or more should be named with its percentage; smaller amounts are listed as "other fiber" unless they have a definite functional significance. Wool must be named at any amount.
2. Drip water on a hidden spot. High, round beads suggest a heavier wax layer; water that spreads suggests a light one. In the 2019 study, thin wax gave the lowest water contact angle.
3. Feel the surface. A tacky, heavy handle means more wax and less breathability; a dry handle usually means less wax, and in the 2019 study a thin wax layer repelled water least.
4. Allow for the weather. Wax stiffens in the cold, so judge stiffness indoors.

Red flag: "waterproof" used loosely. Wax repels water, and in the 2019 study the thicker the bar-wax layer, the less breathable the cotton.

How do you care for waxed canvas?

Care for waxed canvas by brushing and sponging it, never machine washing it, and re-waxing it when the finish wears thin. The outdoor website Advnture advises against the washing machine, tumble dryer, soap and detergent, warning that tumble drying strips the wax.

• Clean: brush off dried mud with a soft brush, then wipe with a sponge in cold water.
• Dry: hang it overnight somewhere well ventilated, away from heaters.
• Reproof: rub new wax into clean, dry cloth in small sections, using a hairdryer on a warm setting to keep it pliable. Advnture suggests doing this once a year; the UK Fashion & Textile Association's profile of the mill says only "as required".

Is waxed canvas sustainable?

Waxed canvas can last a long time, but its wax may be petroleum-based, so it is not automatically a low-impact choice. The 2019 study found a retail wax bar "mostly contains petroleum-based paraffin", even though it is marketed as a more sustainable approach. Textile World reports that Halley Stevensons, whose traditional waxes are petroleum- or paraffin-based, now also makes a 100% plant-based wax from olive, rapeseed and castor oils.

The case for it in sustainable fashion is durability: the cloth can be re-waxed rather than replaced. That longevity claim comes mainly from the industry.