Dickies · Stain-Resistant Professional Workwear
Dickies Men's Relaxed Fit Duck Canvas Utility Work Pants
Duck canvas work pants with lower concern if left untreated; check the label.
Dickies duck canvas pants are plain cotton weave with no documented water-repellent coating or stain treatments applied by the brand. Untreated cotton naturally carries lower PFAS risk.
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Material
100% cotton duck canvas
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
What Dickies Men's Relaxed Fit Duck Canvas is made of, ingredients and materials
These pants are constructed from 100% cotton duck canvas, a heavyweight plain-weave fabric with no synthetic fibers. Cotton duck is inherently resistant to abrasion and tear without requiring chemical coatings, meaning the fibers themselves pose minimal leaching risk under normal wear. The main processing concern is residual dyes and finishing agents applied during manufacturing, but duck canvas typically receives minimal chemical treatment compared to performance fabrics.
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 reactive dyes (residual)
Cotton duck canvas is typically dyed to khaki or brown using conventional textile dyes. Azo dyes are still used in low-cost workwear; no independent testing of this specific Dickies line is publicly available. Pre-washing reduces loose dye migration.
Heavy metals
Buttons and zipper hardware may contain low levels of nickel or cadmium; this is category-standard and poses negligible dermal exposure risk except for individuals with severe nickel sensitivity. Canvas dyes themselves are unlikely to concentrate problematic metals.
Source, FDA ↗What’s reassuring
Base material not linked to PFAS
The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Heavy plain-weave cotton duck does not typically require formaldehyde-based shrink-control or wrinkle-resist finishes because it is naturally stable and washed before use. No formaldehyde finish is standard for utility duck pants of this type.
Source, ATSDR ↗Antimony in polyester (not applicable here)
This product is 100% cotton; no polyester fibers are present, so antimony is not a concern.
PFAS
Dickies' marketing does not claim water-repellent, stain-resistant, or durable water-resistant finishes on this relaxed-fit utility line. Standard duck canvas without added finish avoids legacy PFOA and newer PFAS-based water-repellent coating treatments. Verify product label confirms no 'stain guard' or 'water shield' claims.
Source, ATSDR ↗The full breakdown
The brand's record and disclosure
Williamson-Dickie (Dickies) does not publish detailed chemical composition or restricted substance testing reports for individual garments on their website. The brand has not faced major public recalls or documented chemical contamination issues in recent years. As a workwear manufacturer, Dickies is not known for aggressive marketing around safety certifications, and specifics on formaldehyde-free or azo-dye compliance are not transparently available for this line.
How it compares in its category
Plain cotton workwear like this sits at the lower-risk end of the apparel spectrum compared to performance synthetics, water-resistant finishes, or deeply dyed casual pants. Competitors offering similar unfinished cotton duck (Carhartt, Walls) have comparable hazard profiles. The lack of water-repellent or antimicrobial finish actually works in safety's favor here, eliminating two common sources of persistent chemicals.
If you buy it
Wash before first wear to remove residual processing dust and dyes; use warm water and mild detergent. Cotton duck tolerates standard machine washing and moderate heat drying without degradation. Replace when seams fray or fabric tears, not for chemical degradation (cotton is stable over years). Store in a dry space; cotton absorbs moisture and can mildew if damp for extended periods.
What we don’t know
- Basis
- Model estimate, 72% 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.