Twill vs Canvas Fabric

What is the difference between twill and canvas fabric?

The main difference between these two fabrics is the weave construction.  Canvas is made with a simple plainweave pattern of “over one, under one”. Double filled canvas uses two yarns in the over under instead of one, but it is still a plainweave.

Twill farics are made by going over one yarn and under two yarns or even under three yarns.  The weave is shifted over in each row creating a diagonal line in the pattern.  The diagonal line makes a twill easy to identify.

The diagonal line also makes twills harder to tear than canvas.  Have you ever done the easy hand tearing of canvas right down the middle? It makes a nice clean tear.  Just try and do a nice clean tear on a twill.  It doesn’t work to good.  The diagonal weave makes a clean tear pretty impossible.

Our lightweight 8oz Poly Cotton twill is going to be stronger than our 7oz cotton duck.  If you are looking for a really strong, but also lightweight material a twill could be better than a canvas if tearing is a concern in the application.

The Bull Denims we carry also are classified as twills.  They are also constructed with the twill weave.  Fabrics that are woven with the twill construction that are heavyweight, commonly 12oz or more, are often called Bull Denims to set them apart from a standard twill.

Twills are more frequently used in apparel than cotton canvas.  Most people are familiar with seeing the diagonal weave line in their pants and blue jeans.  The applications of twills in apparel are commonly seen in pants, skirts, jackets, uniforms and vests. Bull Denims and cotton canvas are used for more rugged type work apparel.

Both materials have endless uses in home decor applications.  Let us know if you would like to get some samples to check out the differences for yourself.