How jeans are made

The copper rivets on jeans were added in 1871 to stop miners' pockets from ripping.

stations: 7
things upstream: 51
raw sources: 18
steps from the ground: 9

The short version

Jeans start as bolts of indigo denim, cut into stacked panels by the dozen. Workers sew pockets and long seams, punch copper rivets into stress points, fit the zipper and button, then hem the legs. Most pairs are washed afterward to soften the cloth and cut shrinkage, then pressed and packed.

Stack and cut the panels

Bolts of denim are spread in many layers on a long table. A cutter follows a marked pattern to slice out the legs, pockets and waistbands of dozens of pairs at once.

Goes in
Denim
Stitch pockets and seams

Sewers attach the pockets to the front and back panels, then run the long inner and outer seams. Jeans have had the same five-pocket layout since a rear pocket was added in 1901.

Goes in
Sewing thread
Set the zipper

The fly gets a zipper before the long seams are closed. By the 1960s, jeans for men and women had a zipper down the front.

Goes in
Zipper Sewing thread
Hem the legs

The legs are folded, hemmed and finished with a final row of stitching. The waistband is closed over the zipper tape, and loops are added for a belt.

Goes in
Sewing thread
Punch in rivets and button

Copper rivets are pressed through the corners of the pockets, where the cloth gets the most strain, and the waistband button is set. Jacob Davis added rivets to work trousers in 1871.

Goes in
Copper Button
Wash them softer

Many denim garments are washed after sewing, which makes them softer and cuts shrinkage beyond what the cloth treatment already prevents. A worn look comes from abrading the cloth or treating it with chemicals.

Goes in
Water
Press and pack

The finished pairs are pressed, tagged and folded for shipping.

End of the lineJeans

Worth repeating

Davis and Levi Strauss received a patent for rivet-reinforced trousers on May 20, 1873.
A typical pair of blue jeans uses 3,479 liters of water over its life, counting the cotton crop, the factory and the washes at home.
Levi's introduced its own pre-shrunk jeans in 1962, and Lee and Wrangler had long done it already.