burlap

textile

Also known as: hessian

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Burlap is a coarse, plain-woven textile primarily made from jute fibers. Jute is a bast fiber, meaning it comes from the inner bark tissue of the Corchorus plant. This material is widely used for packaging agricultural and industrial goods in the form of bags, sacks, and wrappings due to its low cost and resistance to stretching. While burlap is the most common use for jute fabric, jute fibers are also utilized in carpets, rugs, and twines. The production of jute has a long history in the Bengal region of India and is now also grown in China and Brazil.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

jute
burlap

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

jute
…of finer quality being called burlap, or hessian. Burlap bags are used to ship and store grain, fruits and vegetables, flour, sugar, animal feeds, and other agricultural commodities. High-quality jute cloths are the principal fabrics used to provide backing for tufted carpets, as well as for hooked rugs (i.e., Oriental…
Read More
…of finer quality being called burlap, or hessian. Burlap bags are used to ship and store grain, fruits and vegetables, flour, sugar, animal feeds, and other agricultural commodities. High-quality jute cloths are the principal fabrics used to provide backing for tufted carpets, as well as for hooked rugs (i.e., Oriental…
Read More