Workwear Materials and Fabric Types
When shopping for work clothes, you’ll find many different fabrics and fabric blends. You’ll want material that’s:
- Durable, so it can take some rough use
- Breathable, so air can pass through, helping to evaporate moisture and keep you cool
- Comfortable, so you can focus on your work
- Stretchy, so it moves with you
- Moisture wicking, to keep perspiration away from your skin
- Right for the weather, so you stay warm, cool or dry
- Easy to care for, so it can be ready for the next project
Also look for features like double or triple stitching and riveted stress points to resist rips and for a more durable, longer-lasting construction.
Common Workwear Fabrics
Some of the materials you’ll see include:
- Polyester is a lightweight, synthetic fabric that resists water, strains, tears and wrinkles. It dries quickly and stretches, but it doesn’t breathe very well.
- Cotton is a natural fabric that’s comfortable and breathable. It’s low maintenance, keeps its shape well and helps remove water from your skin, but it doesn’t allow moisture to evaporate easily. Cotton usually becomes softer and more comfortable with wear and washing.
- Polycotton is a durable blend of polyester and cotton. It lasts longer than cotton alone, doesn’t shrink as cotton would and dries faster. Plus, it’s more breathable than polyester alone.
- Denim is a heavyweight, strong cotton fabric that resists wrinkles, helps hide stains and keeps its shape well.
- Duck or canvas is another heavy-duty cotton fabric that’s similar to denim but has a different weave. It resists snags and tears and helps block wind.
Poplin is a weave, not an actual fabric type. It’s usually made from cotton or polycotton. Poplin is lightweight, breathable and resists creasing.
Helpful Features
You’ll also see fabrics with different properties that may make them suitable for your different projects:
- Moisture-wicking material pulls moisture from your skin to the surface of the fabric, where it can evaporate quickly. This helps you feel cool in warm weather and, when worn as a base layer, can help you stay warm in cool weather.
- Ultraviolet (UV) protection helps protect your skin from harmful UV rays from the sun. Fabrics with higher UV protection factor (UPF) numbers offer more UV protection.
- Reflective or high-visibility features make it easier for people to see you both in light and dark conditions.
- Polyurethane coatings offer water resistance. Clothes that keep you dry while remaining breathable are ideal.
- Stretchable fabrics often include small amounts of material such as spandex, giving you more freedom of motion and comfort in work that requires walking, bending, stooping or twisting.
Twill describes a particular weave of fabric rather than a material. Different fabrics can have a twill weave.
Work Shirts
If you’ll be working in hot weather, work shirts or construction shirts made with breathable, moisture-wicking fabrics are a good choice. If your projects are outdoors, choose a material with UV protection. Long sleeves don’t just help you keep warm in cool weather, but will also help protect your arms from insects, brush, debris and sunburn.
T-shirts offer a comfortable fit, and you can wear them in warm weather or as a base layer for extra comfort in cold temperatures. You’ll be most comfortable in moisture-wicking and breathable fabrics. A henley — a pullover that has a rounded neck with a small button-down section — offers a similar fit and feel but with a small button-up section under the collar.
Uniform shirts are typically collared, button-up shirts that are more durable than a T-shirt or henley. Most have a pocket or two for pens, pencils, glasses, etc. Short-sleeved, lightweight shirts keep you cool, while long-sleeved and insulated, uniform work shirts keep you comfortable in cold weather. For specialized work, some uniform shirts are flame-resistant.
Zippered pockets, pockets with hook-and-loop closures, and button-down pockets will help keep your belongings in place. These features are particularly helpful if you’ll be working under a vehicle or house, where you might need to crawl or work while lying on your back.
Work Pants
Durability is a key factor for work pants. Durable pants allow you to take on even the toughest projects and avoid rips and tears. Heavy-duty fabrics also protect your legs from insects, brush and debris. Choose pants with a lot of pockets to keep a phone, notebook, small tools, parts and materials in easy reach. Stretchy fabrics will make it easy to move. A large waist area works well with a tool belt, and large belt loops allow you to use heavy-duty belts that can comfortably support the extra weight of the items in your pockets.
Standard work pants — sometimes called construction pants — are typically made with medium-weight to heavyweight materials. If you’ll be doing a lot of kneeling, stooping or working on your knees, look for reinforced knees that provide extra durability and articulated knees that keep fabric from bunching behind you knees and restricting circulation. Some work pants have legs designed to fit over boots. For working in cold weather, opt for pants with a fleece lining to help keep you warm while you work.
Cargo pants are usually loose-fitting pants with several oversized pockets that close with buttons, zippers, or hook-and-loop closures. Carpenter pants are similar, featuring extra pockets designed for tools and a loop that can hold a hammer.
Jeans offer the comfort and durability of denim but can be uncomfortable in warm weather. A roomy fit is best, and if you’ll be moving a lot, you’ll find stretchable jeans more comfortable than full-denim jeans.
Overalls and coveralls provide extra protection from dirt. Overalls cover your midsection in addition to your legs, and there’s no need for a belt that can restrict your motion. Large pockets, including a pocket on the front and a hammer loop on the side, will be useful for many projects. Coveralls fit over nearly your entire body, and you can find them with long and short sleeves. They’re usually designed to fit over outer clothes, protecting them when you’re taking on dirty projects.
Shorts, while not suitable for all projects, may be an option for work without risk of debris or dirt. Work shorts will be cooler and more comfortable than long pants, and you don’t have to sacrifice durability.
Since most of the materials painters work with — paint and primer, for example — tend to be white, painters pants are often white to make spills and drips less obvious.
Caps and Hats
Keep the sun off your head and glare out of your eyes with lightweight headgear. Caps shade your head and also allow you to use hearing protection, so they’re great for using outdoor equipment, such as mowers and blowers, or power tools, like circular saws and grinders.
If you’ll be spending a lot of time in the sun, consider either a cap with a neck shade to protect your neck from sunburn and insects or a wide-brimmed hat to shade not just your head but also your neck and ears. In hot weather, you’ll want headgear with cooling features like mesh ventilation panels and moisture-wicking fabric. For cold weather work, fleece or knitted caps are good choices. For work in extremely cold weather, get a balaclava or ski mask that covers most of your head.
Work Boots and Work Shoes
The right footwear protects your feet and gives you good traction. You also want it to be comfortable to wear for several hours, flexible to make kneeling and stooping easy, breathable so your feet don’t get sweaty, and as lightweight as possible so walking doesn’t tire you out. Depending on the work you’re doing, you may also want extra toe protection, water resistance and insulation. Work boots provide the most protection, but work shoes have similar features to protect your feet and are lighter and easier to put on and take off than work boots. Learn how to find the footwear with the protection, comfort and features you need with our work boot and shoe guide.
Other Workwear
Depending on the weather, there may be other pieces of workwear you should consider to protect yourself and make your work more comfortable:
- Work Jackets and Coats: You’ll want a durable outer shell, a lot of pockets, a hood and a sturdy zipper on a construction jacket or work coat. For very cold weather, get a winter work jacket or coat with an insulated lining. If you’ll be working in wet weather, you’ll appreciate water resistance.
- Thermal Undergarments: If you’re working in the cold for long periods of time, you may want to invest in undergarments that’ll keep you warm. Moisture-wicking fabric is a must, but you’ll also appreciate comfort features like tagless tops and bottoms and flat seams.
- Warming and Cooling Gear: Cold-weather gear offers insulation or even battery-powered heating. Moisture-wicking hot-weather gear draws moisture away from your body for quick evaporation. Some other hot-weather gear may hold moisture to provide extra cooling or have cooling packs that you chill in ice water then insert into the gear before putting it on.
- Rain Gear: Sometimes a light rain jacket is enough to keep you dry, but if you’ll be outside for more than a few minutes, consider a rain suit to keep your entire body dry.
- Gaiter: This versatile accessory offers a measure of protection from dust and wind and can help keep the sun off your neck and head. Quick-drying, moisture-wicking fabrics will help you stay cool and comfortable.
Read our guide to working in hot weather for tips to avoid getting overheated while you work.
Safety Gear
Most work will require some sort of safety equipment. Wear the equipment specified by the instructions for tools or materials you’re using. Find the right equipment for the hazard and gear that fits well for the best protection. Also find gear that’s comfortable so you’ll be more likely to wear it regularly and stay protected.
- Safety glasses provide impact protection from debris, while nonvented goggles give you splash protection from liquids. See our eye protection guide to find the right equipment for your projects.
- Work gloves protect your hands from abrasions, cuts and punctures. Chemical-resistant gloves and cleaning gloves protect you when working with liquids that are hazardous, could irritate your skin or are simply messy. Our glove guide takes you through the different types of protective gloves available.
- Wear a respirator when working in a dusty area or anywhere there might be airborne hazards. See our respirator guide to learn which types of respirators protect you from different hazards.
- You need hearing protection if you’re working with loud tools or equipment. Learn the benefits of different hearing protection with our guide.
- Steel-toe or composite-toe work footwear helps protect you from foot injuries.
- A hardhat or bump cap is a must if there’s danger of falling equipment, materials or debris. Just make sure you get one suitable for the work and potential hazards.
- Knee pads protect your knees from cuts and abrasions and make tasks that require you to work on your knees much more comfortable.
- A back brace can help reduce the chances of injury when lifting heavy items.
How to Measure Yourself for Workwear
Shirts, jackets and coats, as well as some overalls and coveralls, may simply be labeled using a scale running from extra small to extra large or larger. Packaging often has a chart to help you match your actual chest size, arm length, etc., to the general sizes. For some measurements, such as collar, waist and inseam, you can measure these areas on a shirt and pair of pants that fit you comfortably. For other measurements, you can collect them yourself to find the most comfortable fit.
When taking a measurement around your body, make sure to keep the measuring tape level. Don’t pull the tape too tight. You’ll need someone to help you collect some of these measurements accurately. Here are some measurement tips:
- Waist: Measure around your body at the top of your hips or wherever you usually wear your pants. For best results, measure over a shirt, not pants.
- Inseam: The measurement should run from the crotch down to the top portion of your shoe or boot or to just below the base of your ankle.
- Neck: Measure at the base of your neck and insert a finger under the tape to keep the collar from being too tight.
- Sleeves: With your arms by your side and bent slightly at the elbow, measure from the center of your back at the bottom of your collar down and across your elbow to the base of your wrist.
- Chest: Stand naturally and measure around the broadest part of your chest. The tape should run under your armpits and across your shoulder blades. If you’re measuring for a coat or jacket, measure over the clothes you’ll be wearing.
- Midsection: Measure around the broadest part of your abdomen. If you’re measuring for coveralls or overalls, it’s best to measure over the clothing you’ll be wearing. Keep the measuring tape level.
- Hips: Measure around the broadest part of your hips while standing straight with your heels pressed together.
Always keep in mind your personal preferences for sleeve length, pants length, etc. If your measurements fall between two sizes — for example, between a medium and a large — you’ll usually want to choose the larger size to avoid restricting your movement.