What Is Burlap?

Everyone has at one time or another come across a burlap bag. It may have been used to hold the potatoes you bought from the market or it may have been full of apples. Burlap is a cloth that has been around for less than two centuries but it has been changed very little since its invention in Europe.

Identification

A woven cloth that is created from the fibers of the jute plant, burlap is a coarse fabric. It is beige in color and has a large weave pattern, allowing burlap to have the ability to "breathe." Burlap is very strong and does not tear easily. It can withstand being exposed to water repeatedly and can be produced in many sizes and and widths according to need.

Function

Burlap has been used for a variety of functions since its invention. Burlap bags are inexpensive, making them a cost effective answer for shipping needs. Coffee, potatoes, apples, and other products are shipped in burlap bags, which are able to stand up to the rough handling they receive on the way to their destination. It can be used to reinforce such products as linoleum and burlap is used in the making of carpets. Landscapers employ the use of burlap to prevent erosion on new lawns and hillsides. Young trees and other shrubs are packaged in burlap to protect them from gnawing rodents as they grow.

History

Burlap comes from the jute plant which was grown almost exclusively on the Indian sub-continent during the 1700s and right up through today. The English became interested in the properties of the plant and decided to bring some back to Britain where it eventually wound up in Dundee, Scotland around 1830. The Scots would find a process to weave the jute fibers into a coarse material and they refined the process to make a finer cloth called burlap. Burlap began to be manufactured right in India, cutting out the middle man since the jute plants were readily available. India dominated the burlap market for decades until Pakistan became independent, cutting off their jute supplies for a few years. But India rebounded and grew their own jute to recapture the burlap market in the 1950s.

Considerations

Burlap can be imprinted with logos or trademarks making them the perfect cloth to manufacture bags out of for shipping products. However, the coarseness of burlap makes it much less desirable as a fabric to make clothes out of.

Geography

The jute plants that burlap are made from are produced mostly in India. Bangladesh also is a major supplier of jute, and these two countries produce more jute than the rest of the world combined. Other nations that are prominent in jute production include Brazil, Russia, China and some African countries.