Duck Hooding

Duck hooding is the industry name for high quality, tightly woven cotton canvas, which was used on convertible vehicles in the pre-war years, before shortages made it necessary for alternative materials to be sought.

It isn't used on modern cars, but duck hooding can still be sourced for restoration of vintage vehicles. 

What it means

Duck hooding is the traditional cotton canvas used for soft tops on early convertibles and tourers. It is a tightly woven, heavy cloth that forms the outer skin of the hood, stretched over a frame and stitched at seams. Before modern synthetic hooding materials became common, duck hooding was the standard choice for many pre-war and early post-war cars. Today it is rarely, if ever, used on new vehicles but is still produced so that restorers can retrim vintage cars in a material that matches the original look and feel.

Why it matters

Cotton behaves differently from acrylic, and that difference decides the care. Duck absorbs more moisture, fades sooner and wants proofing more often than modern mohair or PVC, so a maintenance routine built around contemporary materials will slowly ruin it. Identifying the material is also the first step in any leak diagnosis or roof restoration on a vintage soft top, because cleaning products, proofers and repair methods all branch from that answer.

Originality is the reason owners accept the extra work. Keeping a pre-war or classic car on duck holds it to its original specification, which counts for concours judging and for resale, and the material has a texture, drape and matte finish that modern hooding cannot imitate. That period-correct look is generally what the owner is paying for.

Where duck hooding is still specified

Classic and vintage work is where duck hooding still gets specified. Trimmers, restoration shops and parts catalogues list double duck or duck hooding by the metre, restoration invoices state hood retrim in duck hooding, and inspection reports on older convertibles note original duck hooding still fitted, duck hooding tired and faded, or new duck hood fitted in period-correct material.

Context

Duck hooding sits alongside other hood materials such as mohair hooding, acrylic canvas and vinyl/PVC hooding. It is cotton-based, whereas modern mohair hooding is usually acrylic-based and more dimensionally stable and water resistant. On a restoration, the choice between duck and modern materials is often a trade-off between originality and ease of long-term care. Duck hooding is part of a wider system that includes the hood frame, headlining, padding, tensioning straps, rear window and seals, all of which need to work together to keep the cabin dry and presentable.

Common mistakes

• Replacing original duck hooding with a modern material without considering the impact on originality and value for a historically important car.
• Cleaning duck hooding with harsh TFR, bleach or very stiff brushes, which can damage the cotton fibres and accelerate fading or rot.
• Assuming duck hooding is naturally fully waterproof and neglecting periodic proofing, leading to the fabric holding water and encouraging mould and mildew.
• Judging an old duck hood only by surface dirt and ignoring deeper issues such as perished stitching, weakened cloth at stress points and shrunken panels that no longer tension properly.

Authored by Danny Argent. Reviewed by Gary Wray. Last updated 16 May 2026.