In this article we discuss the best 100% cotton work pants for men. In today’s marketplace, many work pants are made with a stretch blend fabric. But if you prefer 100% cotton work pants, you do still have some options.
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These are our choices for the best 100 cotton work pants:
- Wrangler Riggs Workwear Men’s Ranger Pant (click here to view)
- Carhartt Men’s Canvas Dungaree Work Pants (click here to view)
- Filson Oil Finish Single Tin Cloth Work Pants (click here to view)
- Carhartt Firm Duck Double-Front Work Pants (click here to view)
- Carhartt Men’s Washed Duck Dungaree Work Pants (click here to view)
- Filson Dry Tin Cloth Utility Work Pants (click here to view)
- Carhartt Men’s Ripstop Cargo Work Pants (click here to view)
If you prefer cotton work pants, the good news is you really do have quite a few options to choose from. Yes, there’s been a movement in recent years by companies to produce more flex-blend work pants, but 100% cotton options still exist.
Many work pants will have a gusset to help improve comfort and freedom of movement.
Carhartt actually makes a lot of 100% cotton pants. Let’s start by discussing some of the most popular options they have.
Best 100 Cotton Work Pants
Carhartt 100% Cotton Work Pants
Carhartt is a trusted name in workwear, and a brand that many workers prefer to wear. The good news for you if you prefer 100% cotton work pants, is Carhartt has a wide selection of cotton work pants to choose from.
If you’ve ever worn Carhartt pants or jackets before, you probably know that they have a variety of cotton fabrics they use. Some are stiffer and more firm than others.
- Firm Duck Cotton – This is going to be a 12-ounce heavyweight cotton canvas. It will feel stiff and firm off the rack, and take time to loosen and break in. The firm material offers more protection on a work site, and from the elements.
- Washed Duck Cotton – This is also a 12-ounce heavyweight cotton, but it is pre-washed to give it more of a broken-in feeling off the rack. This type of cotton won’t feel as stiff. But it also won’t give you as much protection as the firm cotton.
There are other types of cotton fabrics that Carhartt will use, like a cotton ripstop fabric, and some lighter-weight cottons. You will need to consider which type of cotton would be best for you.
One of Carhartt’s most popular pants are the Firm Duck Double-Front Work Pants style B01. These pants are 100% cotton and are made in the USA (this is Carhartt’s only pair of USA made pants). ***To read more about USA made work pants, visit our article about the Best Work Pants Made in the USA.
This is what the Carhartt USA Firm Duck B01 pants look like:
This is the current price of these Carhartt B01 work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a reinforced double knee that can handle knee pad inserts.
Again, this is a firm cotton duck. It provides a heavy-duty toughness that can stand up to rough elements and job sites. But it will feel stiff at first, and take some time to break in. Here is a close up look at the firm duck fabric:
The B01 pants have a double-front for extra knee protection. This double-front version is also offered in a version that uses the washed cotton fabric (style B136). The B136 will be a bit more broken-in off the rack.
If you prefer the softer, washed cotton duck fabric, one of the most popular pairs of Carhartt work pants that uses the washed duck is the Carhartt B11 pants.
Here’s what the Carhartt B11 washed duck cotton work pants look like:
This is the current price of these Carhartt B11 Washed Duck 100% cotton work pants at Carhartt.com (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). This Carhartt B11 work pant does not have a double-knee front.
The washed duck fabric is 100% cotton, and although it is a duck cotton canvas, because it is pre-washed it won’t be as stiff as the firm duck fabric. The washed duck is more comfortable, but the firm duck gives you stronger protection.
If you are looking for 100 cotton work pants to wear during the hot summer months, Carhartt’s B151 pant is a great option. The B151 pants are made with 100% cotton, but it isn’t a heavyweight 12-ounce cotton. These pants use a lightweight 7.5-ounce cotton.
This lightweight cotton makes it easier for your legs to breathe in the summer heat. Here’s what the Carahartt B151 pants look like:
This is the current price of the Carhartt B151 lightweight 100% cotton work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These are loose fit work pants that won’t hug tight against your legs.
If you prefer to wear cargo work pants, Carhartt does have a pair of 100% cotton cargo pants that might work well for you. The B342 Carhartt Cotton Ripstop Cargo Pants use a 9.25-ounce cotton fabric. A ripstop fabric is woven in a way that helps prevent ripping and tearing.
Here is a look at the Carhartt Men’s Ripstop Cargo Work Pants:
This is the current price of the Carhartt B342 Cargo Pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a relaxed fit with a straight leg opening.
These cargo pants have a double-front, and are compatible with knee pad inserts. They feature both cargo and utility pockets.
Overall, Carhartt has a wide range of 100% cotton work pants for you to choose from. We have discussed above some of their most popular. Click here to browse through all Carhartt work pants at Carhartt.com to find cotton pants that work well for you (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com).
***To read more about how Carhartt work pants fit, visit our article How Do Carhartt Pants Fit? To read more about summer work pants, visit our article about the Best Summer Work Pants.
Wrangler 100% Cotton Work Pants
Wrangler is another well-known name in men’s clothing. Obviously Wrangler jeans can function well as work pants, but Wrangler has a couple of other lines of clothing that are specifically dedicated to creating high performance active and work-wear.
The Wrangler ATG line is their “All Terrain Gear” line. This type of clothing, in my experience, is a sort of hybrid between hiking/outdoor clothes, and work clothes. And then Wrangler also has their Wrangler Riggs Workwear line, which is dedicated fully to creating high performance workwear.
The Wrangler Riggs Men’s Ranger Pant is a very popular work pant made with 100% cotton. Here’s what it looks like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Wrangler Ranger 100% cotton work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a reinforced double knee with side cargo pockets.
Just like the Carhartt cargo pants we covered above, these Wrangler Ranger pants use a 100% cotton ripstop fabric that helps prevent tearing. These pants have a relaxed fit with a gusseted crotch to ensure you have freedom of movement while working.
***If you need a gusseted crotch, visit our article about the Best Gusseted Crotch Work Pants.
Wrangler offers a wide range of pants that function as quality work pants. Click here to view the entire selection Wrangler work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).
Filson 100% Cotton Work Pants
Filson is a clothing company based in Seattle WA that has a deep-rooted tradition in providing heavy-duty dependable workwear. Their founder, C.C. Filson, opened shop in 1897 and, at that time, specialized in making ultra-tough, ultra-dependable clothing for stampeders heading north for the Klondike Gold Rush.
The Stampeders who marched north towards the Klondike region put their lives at risk in search of gold. The conditions in the Yukon were brutal. Winters were dark and devastatingly long.
The stampeders faced blinding snow storms, avalanches, hypothermia, towering terrain, malnutrition, disease, and all the other perils of wilderness. It is estimated that out of the 100,000 people who set out to stampede for gold, only 30,000 actually made it to the Klondike region.
Making clothes that could hold up in the sub-freezing wilderness meant C.C. Filson couldn’t cut corners, and had to emphasize toughness and dependability. And although the Klondike Gold Rush has long since passed, that tradition of toughness and dependability has carried over to Filson’s current collection of workwear.
The Filson Dry Tin Cloth Work Pants are ultra-tough work pants that use 100% cotton. These are called “dry” pants because Filson also offers pants with an oil finish for toughness. These pants do not have that oil finish.
Dickies 100% Cotton Work Pants
Dickies is known for making workwear for a wide range of jobs. They do have a couple 100 cotton work pants that might interest you.
Dickies makes a cotton duck carpenter jean in both a heavyweight and a lightweight fabric. The lightweight version is another nice pair of summer work pants.
The Dickies Men’s Lightweight Duck Carpenter Pants use a 9-ounce cotton fabric, and is pre-washed so that it has a softer feeling off the rack. Here is what the lightweight Dickies Carpenter Pants look like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Dickies Lightweight 100% cotton pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have side utility pockets and a hammer loop. Expect a relaxed fit with a straight leg opening which will fit over the top of work boots.
If you prefer a heavyweight pair of work pants, Dickies makes this same Carpenter jean in a 12-ounce 100% cotton fabric. Here’s what the 12-ounce version looks like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Dickies 12-ounce cotton work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have side utility pockets and a hammer loop.
Just like the lightweight version we covered first, you can expect these 12-ounce cotton duck pants to have a relaxed fit with a straight leg opening which will fit over the top of work boots. These pants are pre-washed for softness.
Dickies has a wide range of work pants. Some, like the pants we covered above, do use 100% cotton, but many have a material blend (is cotton blend warm?).
Click here to view all of Dickies men’s work pants available at Amazon.com (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).
***In this article we discussed the best 100% cotton work pants for men. To read about the best work pants for knee pads, visit our article Best Work Pads with Knee Pads. If you prefer a slim fit, visit our article about the Best Slim Fit Work Pants.