What Is Paraffin-Coated Canvas? Waterproofing and Ageing

Paraffin-coated canvas is heavy plain-weave cloth woven densely from thick yarn (canvas) with wax worked into it. Canvas is already slow to let water through, and the wax adds water resistance on top of that and makes it harder to mark. The wax comes off as the garment is worn, but it can be put back, so this is cloth made on the understanding that it will be looked after and kept.

Updated: August 27, 2026 / Written by the KURO editorial team (Blues Inc.)

What kind of fabric is canvas?

A heavy plain weave, densely woven from thick, plied yarn. In Japan it is also called hanpu, from its use in ships' sails.

It is the cloth you know from tote bags and aprons. Plain weave is resistant to abrasion to begin with, and thick plied yarn on top of that makes it tougher still. The Japanese name came from its use as sailcloth in the late Edo period.

What is canvas good at?

Four things: strength, breathability, keeping water out, and a hand that softens with use.

Densely woven as it is, there are still gaps between the yarns, so it breathes and takes up moisture. The same strength can be had from a synthetic such as nylon, but canvas is ahead of it on air. Woven that closely it is also slow to let water through, and the more it is used the softer the cloth becomes and the more the colour settles into the wearer.

What is paraffin treatment?

Wax worked into the cloth, a process used in making waterproofed canvas. It is also called waxing.

The wax fills the gaps between the fibres and adds the ability to shed water. Canvas is slow to let water through as it is, but waxing makes it easier to use in the rain, and marks that would need care on untreated cloth become less likely. The sheen and the firmness it leaves at the surface are part of its character.

How does it age?

The cloth softens and the colour settles wherever the wax has come away first. The change belongs to the person wearing it.

The waxed coating comes away little by little as the garment is worn. It goes where the body moves and where the cloth rubs, so on the same coat the elbows, the shoulders and the cuffs change first. Where and how something rubs differs from person to person, so the change is personal. If you want the water resistance kept up, the waxing can be done again.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the water resistance last?

It depends how often the garment is worn and where it rubs. The coating comes away with wear, so it cannot be put in terms of a period. When the water stops beading as it did, that is when to think about waxing.

Can the waxing be redone?

It can. Wax it periodically and the water resistance holds. It is not a treatment that is finished once it has gone, and being able to put it back by hand is what makes the cloth something to keep.

What happens if it gets marked?

Waxed cloth is harder to mark. It is a point to watch on untreated canvas, but the wax in the fibres reduces it. It does not prevent marking entirely, so take more care once the coating has started to come away.

Are canvas and hanpu the same thing?

They are the same cloth. Canvas is the English word and hanpu the Japanese one, the latter from its use in sails. Either way it is thick yarn woven densely, and that has not changed.