Carhartt’s heavyweight duck canvas has spent 130-plus years building a reputation for being nearly impossible to kill. It’s also earned a reputation for breaking in like a sheet of plywood, and as former mechanics ourselves, we can attest to that. The stuff’s great once it gets going, but it can be brutal in those early days, especially when dexterity matters. Rather than take the hint personally, the Dearborn outfit spent three years engineering an answer, and it arrives today as the all-new Steel Series.
Steel, Reforged
If the Steel name rings a bell, that’s because Carhartt has used it before on a handful of stretch ripstop pants. This time around, Steel has been rebuilt into a six-piece system spanning a jacket, a bib, a hoodie, and three pant weights, all sitting at the very top of the catalog.
The headliner is what Carhartt calls Ny-co infused canvas, a 9.5-ounce weave blending polyester, cotton, and nylon with a dash of spandex. The cotton keeps that familiar matte Carhartt hand while the synthetics do the heavy lifting.
Ten Times Tougher Than Its Own Canvas
Every Steel piece is benchmarked against Carhartt’s existing fabrics, and the multipliers are wild. The flagship Relaxed Straight Steel Braddock Pant claims 10 times the abrasion resistance and triple the tensile strength of stretch canvas, while the Braddock Jacket and Bib Overall promise 4x the abrasion resistance and double the stretch of stretch duck.
Even the Steel Bridgeport Sweatshirt, a hoodie packing Rain Defender DWR and ripstop-armored sleeves, doubles up on standard 10.5-ounce fleece. And in case you think this is all just marketing fluff (we don’t blame you), early independent Martindale testing already saw the Braddock’s base fabric outlast Carhartt’s own 12-ounce duck.
Double Knees That Actually Bend
The construction is just as considered here as well. The double knees swap the usual second layer of identical fabric for a stretch overlay that flexes when you kneel, and all three pants (the 6.4-ounce Buffalo, 8.3-ounce Baltimore, and 9.5-ounce Braddock) plus the bib accept Carhartt’s new knee pads.
Kick panels shield the hems from boot heels, the pocket bags are beefed up so tools can’t chew through, and the entire lineup gets a DWR finish for some extra wet weather protection.
Spec Sheet
Collection: Carhartt Steel Series
Lineup: Steel Braddock Jacket, Steel Braddock Bib Overall, Steel Bridgeport Sweatshirt, Steel Braddock Pant, Steel Baltimore Pant, Steel Buffalo Pant
Flagship Fabric: 9.5-oz Ny-co infused canvas (42% polyester, 41% cotton, 14% nylon, 3% spandex)
Pant Fabric Weights: 6.4 oz / 8.3 oz / 9.5 oz
Headline Claim: 10x abrasion resistance & 3x tensile strength vs. stretch canvas (Braddock Pant)
Jacket Insulation: 80g polyester (Level 3 warmth rating)
Water Resistance: DWR finish across the line (not waterproof)
Knee Pad Compatibility: All 3 pants + bib overall
Pricing: $89.99 to $209.99
Pricing & Availability
The full Steel Series launched today and is available now through Carhartt’s website and select retailers nationwide. Entry starts at $89.99 for the Buffalo Pant and tops out with the insulated Braddock Jacket from $189.99, which is premium territory for Carhartt but still well south of most technical outerwear. Head over to Carhartt’s website to check out the full collection.
Recap
Carhartt Steel Series
Carhartt rebuilds its Steel line into a six-piece workwear system built on an all-new Ny-co canvas that’s up to 10 times more abrasion-resistant than the brand’s own stretch fabrics.
