Corduroy vs. Velvet

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Corduroy and Velvet is that the Corduroy is a durable woven fabric with warp-wise stripes of cut pile and Velvet is a type of pile fabric

  • Corduroy

    Corduroy is a textile with a distinct pattern, a “cord” or wale. Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between the tufts. Both velvet and corduroy derive from fustian fabric.The fabric looks as if it is made from multiple cords laid parallel to each other and then stitched together. The word corduroy is from cord and duroy, a coarse woollen cloth made in England in the 18th century. The interpretation of the word as corde du roi (from French, the cord of the King) is a false etymology.As a fabric, corduroy is considered a durable cloth. Corduroy is found in the construction of trousers, jackets and shirts. The width of the cord is commonly referred to as the size of the “wale” (i.e. the number of ridges per inch). The lower the “wale” number, the thicker the width of the wale (e.g., 4-wale is much thicker than 11-wale). Corduroy’s wale count per inch can vary from 1.5 to 21, although the traditional standard falls somewhere between 10 and 12. Wide wale is more commonly used in trousers and furniture upholstery (primarily couches); medium, narrow, and fine wale fabrics are usually found in garments worn above the waist.

    Corduroy is made by weaving extra sets of fibre into the base fabric to form vertical ridges called wales. The wales are built so that clear lines can be seen when they are cut into pile.

    The primary types of corduroy are

    Standard wale: 11 wales/inch, and available in many colours

    Pincord/pinwale/needlecord: Pincord is the finest cord around with a count at the upper end of the spectrum (above 16)

    Pigment dyed/printed corduroy: The process of colouring or printing corduroy with pigment dyes. The dye is applied to the surface of the fabric, then the garment is cut and sewn. When washed during the final phase of the manufacturing process, the pigment dye washes out in an irregular way, creating a vintage look. The colour of each garment becomes softer with each washing, and there is a subtle colour variation from one to the next. No two are alike.

  • Velvet

    Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word velvety means “smooth like velvet.” Velvet can be made from either synthetic or natural fibers.

Wikipedia
  • Corduroy (noun)

    A heavy fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs.

  • Corduroy (noun)

    Cheap and poor-quality whiskey.

  • Corduroy (verb)

    To make (a road) by laying down split logs or tree-trunks over a marsh, swamp etc.

  • Velvet (noun)

    A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side.

  • Velvet (noun)

    Very fine fur, including the skin and fur on a deer’s antlers.

  • Velvet (noun)

    A female chinchilla; a sow.

  • Velvet (noun)

    The drug dextromethorphan.

  • Velvet (noun)

    Money acquired by gambling.

  • Velvet (verb)

    To cover with velvet or with a covering of a similar texture.

  • Velvet (verb)

    To coat raw meat in starch, then in oil, preparatory to frying.

  • Velvet (verb)

    To remove the velvet from a deer’s antlers.

  • Velvet (verb)

    To soften; to mitigate.

  • Velvet (adjective)

    Made of velvet.

  • Velvet (adjective)

    Soft and delicate, like velvet; velvety.

  • Velvet (adjective)

    peaceful, carried out without violence; especially as pertaining to the peaceful breakup of Czechoslovakia.

Wiktionary
  • Corduroy (noun)

    a thick cotton fabric with velvety ribs.

  • Corduroy (noun)

    trousers made of corduroy.

  • Corduroy (verb)

    make (a road) out of tree trunks

    “where routes crossed or followed a creek, men would corduroy the road”

  • Velvet (noun)

    a closely woven fabric of silk, cotton, or nylon, that has a thick short pile on one side

    “an armchair covered in velvet”

    “red velvet curtains”

  • Velvet (noun)

    soft downy skin that covers a deer’s antler while it is growing

    “the bucks are still in velvet”

    “a moose was rubbing the velvet from his antlers”

Oxford Dictionary

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