# Why are some fabrics louder than others?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 22, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452 "2001-08-22T00:21:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452/1 "2001-08-22T00:21:53Z")

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Like some pants swish when you walk, while others don’t, and they might both be 100% cotton. Is it the weave, or what?

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452/2 "2001-08-22T03:08:02Z")

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Eh, it probably has to do with how baggy they are.

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**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452/3 "2001-08-22T03:28:31Z")

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Yes, it can be the weave causes this. Surface texture and tightness of weave can mean more noise when fabric contacts another portion of fabric. It can also be sizing or other additves to the fabric like starch that makes the fabric make more noise. Silk if treated with mettalic salts has a characteristic rustle, while un salted silk will not rustle. Taffeta is traditionally noisy and it has a plain but tight weave.

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**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-fabrics-louder-than-others/77452/4 "2001-08-22T03:41:18Z")

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I wore corduroy pants for eight years straight as part of a school uniform and learned to run bow-legged when sneaking up on someone so as not to reveal myself from 20 feet away. “Zip, Zip, zip, zip…”