What is Burlap used for?

Burlap is often used to make sacks and bags to ship goods like coffee beans; these can be described as gunny sacks. It is breathable and thus resists condensation and associated spoilage of the contents. Burlap is also durable enough to withstand rough handling in transit; these properties have also led to its use for temporary protection as wet covering to prevent rapid moisture loss in setting of cement and concrete by the construction industry. Burlap is also commonly used for making sandbags, empty burlap sacks that, when filled with sand, are used for flood mitigation when building temporary embankments against floodwaters or field fortifications.

Due to its coarse texture, burlap is not commonly used in modern apparel. However, this roughness gave it a use in a religious context for mortification of the flesh, where individuals may wear an abrasive shirt called a cilice or “hairshirt” and in the wearing of “sackcloth” on Ash Wednesday.

Owing to its durability, open weave, naturally non-shiny refraction, and fuzzy texture, Ghillie suits for 3D camouflage are often made of burlap. Burlap was also a popular material for camouflage scrim on combat helmets of World War II. Until the advent of the plastic “leafy” multi-color net system following the Vietnam War, burlap scrim was also woven onto shrimp and fish netting to create large-scale military camouflage netting.

Burlap is also used by fine artists as an alternative to canvas as a stretched painting surface.