We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. No products or services are displayed in any particular order. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
Let’s learn about the heaviest denim weights in the world! Specifically, an exquisite pair. There are exactly one pair of these jeans on Earth, and I was lucky enough to try them on for this article.
These jeans use the thickest, heaviest denim in the entire world. The leather patch on the back is 1/2 inch thick and is sewn onto the jeans using deer tendon, aka sinew. Today, we’ll climb a ladder – that ladder starts with some of the lightest weight jeans in the world and goes up to, of course, the heaviest jeans.
what’s up everyone? Big Mike is back with another article, and I hope you’re doing well. Let’s just cut to the chase here – I have five pairs of jeans, each one heavier, thicker and rougher than the last, until we get to basically the highest level. You can’t get anything heavier, thicker than that, no matter what, and 40 ounce jeans…
The History of Heavy Denim: From Levi to Today
Okay, so let me speed up the race for heavier denim weight because it didn’t exist, and then it became an all-out war as to who could make the heaviest denim weight jeans. Originally, Levi’s denim started with 9-ounce fabric because that was one of the limitations of the technology.
Technology got better, and Levi’s continually increased the weight of its jeans. They stopped at about 12 ounces, which is standard. The Wrangler, of course, acted as a disruptor in the industry, changing two things: The twill type, which we won’t discuss at all today – but I did write an article comparing Levi’s and Wranglers.
The other thing they changed was that they used 14.75 ounce fabric instead of 12 ounce fabric.
When we’re talking about fabric weight, we’re talking about how much a square yard of that fabric weighs.
So a square yard of Naked & Famous’s blue jean fabric weighs 8.25 ounces, and a square yard of the 40 ounce jeans weighs 40 ounces. Then I believe if the history I have is correct, Edwin made 16 ounce jeans, heavy weight jeans, and some Japanese mills were making 21 ounce fabrics. 21 ounces of fabric is considered incredibly heavy.
Full disclosure: Naked and Famous sent me some of these jeans for free. I have to send them back, but I wouldn’t be able to write this article if it weren’t for Naked & Famous and Redcast Heritage.
Great Denim Arms Race
Naked & Famous had a huge role in popularizing heavy denim. A race started where 21 ounces was the heaviest, then there was 22, then there was 25, then one day there was the heaviest denim in the world – 32 ounces denim, and now we have 40.
Okay, anyway, now that that’s all out of the way, we’ll move on to using the jeans strike gold sg 9903 As a basis. This is where things start to get crazy.
Quick comparison: from mild to legendary
| product | weight | features | break-in period | unique characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naked and Famous (8.25 oz) | 8.25 ounces | Light weight, ideal for hot climates | Minimum break-in | Same feel as shirt fabric; easy to wear |
| Wrangler (14.75 oz) | 14.75 ounces | classic weight; durable | mild break-in | The feeling of “standard jeans” |
| Unbranded 321 (21 oz) | 21 ounces | heavy loads; fades dramatically | manageable break-in | feels like heavy sweatpants |
| strike gold sg 9903 | 24.8 oz | rough, textured, heavy | extremely hard; Shrinks 10% when washed | “Not for the faint hearted”; becomes heavy over time |
| Naked and Famous (32 oz) | 32 ounces | wonderfully heavy, soft texture | took months to break | Final production run; The mill refused to produce more |
| Naked and Famous (40 oz) | 40 ounces | The Thickest, Heaviest Denim | breaks down into months; becomes soft | Screw buttons, double leather patches, “comfortable” fit |
Starting Light: The Baby Steps (8.25 oz)
Oki doki, so keep in mind these were obviously sent to me. I have to send them back, so they may not all fit me perfectly, but I have Naked and Famous’s Blue Jay Denim, 8.25 oz denim. If you live in a very hot climate, this will probably be what you want as it is very, very mild.
You’re probably more familiar with this kind of fabric in shirts – as such it won’t feel as obnoxiously light; You would just think it was made for shirts. There’s not a lot of break-in, in fact virtually no break-in, even though they do feel a little starchy, nothing too crazy.
Standard: Wrangler Sphere (14.75 ounces)
Big jump here because we’re almost doubling the weight – that’s 14.75 ounces of denim. this is just wrangler Denim, but these are the jeans you know you love. I dare say it’s exactly the way they feel. I would best define them this way.
Getting Serious: The 21 Oz Challenge
And now we find ourselves on the brink of war – 21 oz. Actually, even though they’re 21, like I said, they’re not the craziest thing. i would actually say unbranded 321s; One, they’re famous for a very specific reason, but two, I would probably classify them as a lightweight 21 ounce because although the fabric is heavy, it’s not incredibly thick.
There’s not really a ton of intense texture that you feel while moving around; It feels just like a heavy pair of regular flat jeans. The kind of analogy people always use is that they feel like heavy-weight sweatpants. They are famous because these jeans fade incredibly fast and dramatically.
The Beast: Strike Gold SG9903 (24.8 oz)
We’re officially in jeans war zone territory. These are peaceful pacifist genes who are not fighting for anything, and they are our soldiers. These are my blue friends strike gold sg 9903. The machine used to make them burst while making them.
These jeans were sent to me by Redcast Heritage, which is one of my favorite retailers of denim due to its extremely long and detailed descriptions. Of course, it starts with: “Please note that these jeans are not for the faint of heart. If you are not confident in your ability to handle the weight and stiffness of this extremely heavy denim, we recommend refraining from purchasing this.” For most people, buying these is a mistake.
Oh, and they have a trick up their sleeve as they come in at 24.8 ounces, but that’s not their ultimate weight – they get heavier the more you wear them. Oh man, even though they’re not the heaviest jeans on this list, they’re still incredibly rugged, even compared to the heavyweight jeans.
The yarn has knots in it and is heavy. I can rub my fingers on it. Oh, absolutely cruel on the lower male class. However, what I mean when I say these jeans is that they are the most beautifully constructed heavyweight jeans I have ever seen. This is, in a way, the specialty of Redcast.
Redcast has a lot more than just denim, but really, they take the craziest route with denim. Let me tell you, there were a lot of grunting and moaning sounds coming from these chicks.
On lightweight jeans, the pocket holes are usually tight, so buttoning is difficult. On heavyweight jeans, this is literally impossible.
The weirdest thing is that, actually, I said these jeans get heavy when you wear them, not technically when you wear them, but when you wash them for the first time.
These jeans will shrink up to 10%, which will add an additional 2 ounces to the weight of the jeans and make them significantly heavier and stiffer.
I will be completely honest. I had to insert a screwdriver into the button holes to put them on. How manly is he? Okay, okay, surprisingly, we have some functionality with these jeans, even if I can barely bend over to tighten them. These jeans are still very well made.
They still have hidden rivets in the back pockets, which I think is amazing because to make this denim work when you’re sewing, etc., you’re hammering at it, pushing at it, and sweating at it.
Side note: While I was writing this and wearing these jeans, my girlfriend Taylor hugged me goodbye while going out to get coffee and said, “Oh my God, why are you so drenched in sweat?”
Almost Last Boss: 32 Ounce Denim
Naked & Famous’s 32 oz denim – This denim is so difficult to create and produce that the mill refuses to produce another batch, which is why it is the last run. Okay, here we go. They’re probably a little tighter than I normally wear, but it fits quite well.
Although these strikes are heavier and thicker than golds, they are significantly softer. This is the Strike Gold craze. It kind of feels like a very luxurious carpet. And bonus points for not using a screwdriver to put them on.
If I wasn’t putting some extra effort into the way I walk so I wouldn’t look stupid wearing these jeans, well, I would look stupid. It’s bouncing my legs back and forth like a rag doll. It feels like there’s a hinge in my pants. I’m not kidding – I’m trying to describe it in ways we can understand across word barriers.
However, overall, I would say that if you have these sized correctly, they will be wearable. And Garrett of Naked & Famous, the beast who’s been wearing 40 ounce jeans for a long time—which is why they fade—has said that this break-in happens in a few months, and they’re like soft sweatpants, which is really an incredible thing to say. He is very manly.
The Final Boss: 40oz Legend
And now the heaviest jeans on planet Earth – 40 ounce jeans. 32 ounce jeans have one incredibly heavy leather patch, and 40 ounce jeans have two incredibly heavy leather patches.
The last thing I’ll say is that you’ll notice that the main button is not what you normally see – it’s a screw, it’s screwed into these jeans, and then you have a huge number 10 YKK zipper, I think. I don’t know which brand. They are surprisingly nice and huge! These are not bad!
Here is the conversation I had with Taylor while wearing these animals:
“Hey babe!”
“Hello, check these out. These are the heaviest jeans on planet Earth!”
“What do they mean? Oh my God, why is it so thick?”
“You never said that to me before!”
I boldly say that these jeans are actually enjoyable compared to 32 oz and 26 oz, depending on whether they are washed or not. They are a pleasure to wear.
That will do – the Mecca of fashion! 40 ounce denim jeans made exclusively by Naked & Famous. I can walk around in these all day and not get tired.
Anyway, that’s about it. Taylor liked these weird 40 ounce jeans so much we had to send them back, so now it’s time to try them on her own feet! Thanks again for reading! See you all soon!
Check out this review
This article was adapted from Michael Christie’s video on The Iron Snail with editing from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of its original content. Watch the full video here.
Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!), starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail larger than a quarter. The duo set out to take over the fashion world by creating the one clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about the best clothing, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets and sturdiest boots…Iron Snail has you covered.
