Dickies · Stain-Resistant Professional Workwear
Dickies Men's Relaxed Fit Straight Leg Cargo Work Pants
Lower risk since standard untreated cotton work pants carry minimal PFAS exposure.
Dickies cargo pants are plain cotton twill with no water-repellent or stain-resistant finish. No PFAS disclosures exist, but untreated cotton poses lower PFAS risk than treated textiles.
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Material
100% cotton twill, no water-resistant treatment
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
What Dickies Men's Relaxed Fit Straight Leg is made of, ingredients and materials
These pants are 100% cotton twill, a densely woven fabric that is inherently low-risk for chemical off-gassing or leaching. Unlike synthetic blends or water-resistant finishes, untreated cotton carries no Teflon-type coating coatings, antimony stabilizers (from polyester), or water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) treatments that often contain PFAS or other fluorochemicals. The tight weave makes twill durable for work use without requiring chemical reinforcement.
What’s concerning
Category baseline
The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
Azo dyes and residual finishing agents
Cotton twill work pants are typically dyed with azo or reactive dyes during manufacturing. No public recall or test result specific to Dickies cargo pants documents hazardous azo metabolites, but standard cotton dyeing can leave unreacted dye residues. Pre-wash mitigates this risk substantially.
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Many cotton work garments use formaldehyde-based resins for wrinkle resistance or dimensional stability. Dickies does not disclose finishing chemistry for this product line. Residual formaldehyde is typically low in untreated twill and decreases with laundering, but cannot be ruled out without manufacturer data.
Source, ATSDR ↗What’s reassuring
Base material not linked to PFAS
The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.
Heavy metals
No recalls or established test results document lead, cadmium, or other heavy metals in Dickies standard cotton work pants. Industrial cotton dyeing can theoretically introduce trace metals, but this is not a known issue for this product category or brand.
Source, FDA ↗Flame retardants
Untreated cotton twill work pants are not treated with flame retardant chemicals unless explicitly marketed as such. This product carries no flame-resistant claim and no evidence of flame retardant application.
Source, EPA ↗Antimony in thread or polyester hardware
These are 100% cotton with no polyester fiber content. If zipper and buttons include trace polyester or metal hardware, antimony stabilizers are theoretically possible but not documented as a concern in standard work apparel hardware.
The full breakdown
The brand's record and disclosure
Dickies does not publicly disclose detailed chemical or PFAS policies for work apparel lines, placing them in the 'silent' category on this issue. The brand has no known major chemical safety recalls or controversies specific to their cargo pants. Dickies targets industrial and utility markets where durability and price are primary concerns, not chemical transparency. No third-party certifications (OEKO-TEX, GOTS) are listed for this product.
How it compares in its category
Basic cotton work pants occupy the lower-risk end of apparel categories because they avoid synthetic fibers and water-resistant treatments. Competitors like Carhartt and Wrangler offer similar untreated cotton workwear with comparable hazard profiles. Any premium certification (organic cotton, dye standards) would require a higher price point; standard industrial twill is common across brands and carries routine manufacturing chemistry risks typical to the category.
If you buy it
Wash new pants before wearing to reduce loose dyes and finishing agents common in cotton manufacturing. Use standard laundry temperatures and detergent; cotton has no heat sensitivity below boiling. Inspect seams and zipper hardware periodically, as wear on fasteners is the primary durability failure mode in work pants, not fabric breakdown. Replace when seams fray or crotch degrades, typically after 12-18 months of regular use depending on frequency.
What we don’t know
- Basis
- Model estimate, 78% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- Dickies has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
More stain-resistant professional workwear grades
How we score, every product runs through the same public 0-100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.