Jute Fabric: The Complete Guide

Jute fabric is cloth woven from jute fibre: the long, golden strands stripped from the stem of the jute plant. After cotton, jute is the most produced natural fibre in the world. Almost all of it grows in the Ganga delta, in West Bengal and Bangladesh. For most of history it was used for sacks and rope. Today, mixed with cotton or silk, it is also used for sarees, kurtis and jackets, with a matte, textured look that nothing else has.

This guide covers what jute is, where it comes from, how it is made, its types, properties, uses and benefits, how it compares with cotton and linen, whether it is really eco-friendly, how to wash it, and how it is worn in India.

What is jute fabric?

Jute fabric is any cloth woven from jute yarn. The yarn is spun from jute fibre, which is a bast fibre. That means it comes from the inner bark of a plant stem, not from a seed (like cotton) or an animal (like silk or wool). The fibre is long, one to four metres, strong, and naturally pale gold. That is why Bengal calls jute "the golden fibre".

Jute fabric comes in many kinds. At one end is hessian, the rough, open cloth used for sacks. At the other end are fine jute blends woven for clothing. They all share the same fibre: slightly stiff, slightly shiny, with small bumps (slubs) and a dry feel.

What is jute made of?

Jute is made from the stem of the jute plant. There are two kinds of jute plant: white jute (Corchorus capsularis) and tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius), which is finer and more golden. Both need heat, heavy rain and standing water. That is why almost all the world's jute grows in the Ganga delta: West Bengal in India and Bangladesh next door, with smaller amounts in Assam, Bihar and Odisha. India grows the most jute; Bangladesh exports the most raw fibre.

The plant is sown when the pre-monsoon rain begins. It grows three to four metres tall in about four months and is cut when it flowers. Almost everything after that is done by hand in the villages where it grows.

How is jute fabric made?

The process has changed little in a hundred years:

1. Harvesting: the stems are cut close to the ground and tied in bundles. 2. Retting: the bundles are sunk in slow water for ten to twenty days, so bacteria soften the stem around the fibres. 3. Stripping: workers stand in the water and peel the fibres off the stem by hand, then wash them. 4. Drying: the fibres hang on bamboo frames in the sun until they turn from green to gold. 5. Grading: the fibres are sorted by length, colour and strength, then pressed into bales for the mills. 6. Softening and carding: the fibres get a little oil and water to make them soft, then are combed into a long rope (sliver). 7. Spinning: the sliver is twisted into jute yarn, from thick twine to fine yarn for blends. 8. Weaving: the yarn is woven on power looms in mills or on handlooms in villages, alone or with cotton or silk yarn.

Types of jute fabric

• Hessian (burlap): open, rough, plain weave. Used for sacks, bags, upholstery backing and gardens.
• Sacking cloth: heavier and thicker than hessian, for grain and sugar sacks.
• Carpet backing cloth: a firm, even weave used under carpets and rugs.
• Jute matting: thick woven jute for rugs and floor mats.
• Jute-cotton: jute woven with cotton. Softer and washable. Used for kurtis, sarees, jackets and home textiles.
• Jute-silk: jute woven with silk or art silk. It drapes and shines, and most "jute sarees" are this.
• Jute-linen: crisp and tailored, for jackets and structured pieces.
• Jute-tussar: jute woven with wild tussar silk, for a richer, more textured saree.
• Printed and dyed jute: any of the above, block-printed or hand-painted. Jute takes print well.

Properties of jute fabric

The good:

• Very strong when dry. That is why it carries sacks and rope.
• Hardly stretches, so it keeps its shape.
• Breathable. It takes in and lets out moisture easily, which keeps it cool.
• Keeps out heat and sound, so it is used for mats and backing.
• Natural protection from UV light, and a natural gold colour that takes dye easily.
• Biodegradable and recyclable. No microplastics.

The not so good:

• Pure jute feels rough and scratchy, so clothing uses blends.
• It creases sharply and the crease stays.
• It gets weaker when wet and can grow mildew if stored damp.
• Long hours in direct sun make it yellow and weak.

Uses of jute fabric

• Packaging: sacks for grain, sugar, coffee and cocoa; food-safe bags; hessian wrapping.
• Home: rugs, mats, curtains, cushion covers, upholstery, lampshades, wall hangings.
• Fashion: sarees, kurtis, jackets, skirts and shirts in jute blends; tote bags and clutches; hats; espadrille soles.
• Industry and farming: rope and twine, carpet backing, geotextiles that hold soil on slopes, plant pots, and composites where jute replaces glass fibre.

Jute fabric for clothing is the newest use and the fastest growing, because people want natural fibres other than cotton. See all of them in 10 Uses of Jute Fabric.

Benefits of jute fabric

• Low cost: one of the cheapest natural fibres to grow and process.
• Eco-friendly: grows on rain, needs little else, absorbs carbon and breaks down naturally.
• Cool in summer: breathable when blended.
• Strong: lasts well in bags, rugs and upholstery.
• Looks handmade: the matte, bumpy texture and natural colour are hard to copy with synthetics.
• Easy to style: it takes dye, print and embroidery, and blends with almost any fibre.

Jute vs cotton vs linen

All three are plant fibres. They come from different parts of the plant and behave differently.

• Jute vs cotton (or cotton vs jute): cotton is a seed fibre. It is soft, absorbent and easy to wash, but needs a lot of water and pesticide to grow. Jute is a stem fibre. It is stronger, stiffer and rougher, much cheaper, and needs far less water. Cotton is for everyday clothes; jute, as a blend, adds texture. Full comparison: Jute vs Cotton: Which Fabric Is Better?
• Jute vs linen (or linen vs jute): linen is also a bast fibre, from the flax plant. It is finer, cooler and more expensive than jute, and gets softer with washing, while jute does not. Both crease. Linen is for a summer shirt; jute is for a bag, a rug or a textured saree. Full comparison: Jute vs Linen: Which Should You Choose?

Is jute fabric eco-friendly?

Yes, mostly. Jute grows in about 120 days on monsoon rain, with little fertiliser and very little pesticide. One hectare of jute absorbs several tonnes of carbon dioxide while it grows. The fibre breaks down in a few months, and the leaves and stems feed the soil after harvest.

The honest catches: retting in ponds and rivers can pollute the water if too much is done in one place. The oil used to soften jute in mills used to be mineral oil (food-grade jute now uses oil without hydrocarbons). And jute-silk or jute-polyester blends are only as eco-friendly as the other fibre. More in Is Jute Fabric Sustainable?

How to wash jute fabric

• Jute-cotton: hand-wash in cold water with a mild detergent. Do not soak for long.
• Jute-silk, printed or embroidered jute: dry-clean.
• Never wring. Press the water out between towels.
• Dry flat or on a hanger in the shade. Direct sun makes jute yellow.
• Iron on low, on the back, with a cloth in between, while the fabric is a little damp.
• Store it dry, in cotton or muslin cloth, never in plastic. Jute holds damp and can grow mildew.
• For bags and rugs, wipe stains with a damp cloth and let them dry fully.

Step by step: How to Wash and Care for Jute Fabric

Jute fabric in Indian fashion

Jute clothing in India started in Bengal. Handloom villages in West Bengal, such as Phulia, Shantipur and Dhaniakhali, began weaving jute-cotton and jute-silk sarees for people who wanted a handloom look at a cotton price. From there it spread across India to kurtis, jackets, palazzos and bags.

The jute silk saree is the classic: a plain or lightly striped body in natural gold or a dyed colour, a woven border, and a contrast blouse. It is a daytime saree, for office, a puja or a lunch, not for evening. Jute-cotton kurtis and jackets do the same for everyday wear, and jute-tussar sarees are for special occasions. Block prints and hand painting look great on jute's matte surface, and a printed jute-cotton dupatta over a plain chaniya is a light way to start a Navratri look.

More on the fabric: Jute Silk Fabric: What It Is and How It Is Made.