Woodworking Workwear: The Best Pants for Woodworking

All-Day No-Chafe Comfort: What pants should you be wearing in the workshop?

Woodworking is not a pants-optional environment, and a good pair of pants is worth its weight in cotton in the workshop. Whether you’re working with rough lumber or putting the finishing touches on a finish, you need workwear that can handle dust, sharp edges, and long hours of squatting, bending, and kneeling. The best pants for woodworking combine durability, comfort, and smart functionality—offering features like reinforced knees, plenty of pockets, and fabric tough enough to withstand wear without sacrificing mobility. In this guide, we break down the top choices that stand up to the demands of the craft.

Welcome to the new Popular Woodworking Gear Guides, where we share with you the woodworking tools and gear we’re using in our shops. These articles are not sponsored content, but may include free samples provided from the manufacturer for testing and photography purposes.

What should I look for in work pants?

The two primary considerations here are durability and comfort. From a durability standpoint, the key features are heavy-duty fabric, reinforced seams and high-stress areas, and quality stitching. For comfort, look at flexibility, breathability, and mobility. Sacrifice too much into one category, and you’ll get pants you can’t bend down in, or ones that you’ll wear holes in right away. Any pants that didn’t include at least a small amount of flex were immediately taken out of the running. 

How much should I spend on pants for woodworking?

I spent a lot of years in the shop wearing inexpensive jeans. I also spent a lot of years wearing pants outside of the shop with various finishes and glues on them. I finally decided enough was enough and committed to buying a handful of work pants that would work for shop duty, but also for hunting or vigorous yard work like clearing brush. Honestly looking back it was a bit of a no-brainer to spend the money and get something that would last and be significantly more comfortable. This is a roundabout way of saying you’re probably going to spend at least $50 on a pair of pants. More if you’re looking for even more durability and flexibility.

What about shorts?

Your shop, your rules, but the first time you get epoxy in your leg hair will probably be the last time you wear shorts in the shop.

Editor’s pick for pants

Duluth Trading Co DuluthFlex Fire Hose Foreman Pants Shop Men Shop Women (Cargo Pants) $74.50-$79.50

These pants have become a core component of the de facto Popular Woodworking uniform. On more than one occasion, Logan and I have both worn them on the same day accidentally. Duluth Trading Co also makes DuluthFlex Fire Hose cargo pants.  

• Price: 9/10 – They’re not cheap, but dang do they hold up well. Mine look as good as the day I got them. 
• Comfort: 9/10 — The original Fire Hose pants had almost no flex, which the DuluthFlex variant almost completely solves with 3% spandex. 
• Durability: 9/10 – The seams are triple-stitched, and the fabric is reinforced at key points. Unless you’re running a sawmill all day, these pants will take everything you throw at them.

Alternate pick: Truewerk T2 Werkpant

Editor’s budget pick for work pants

Milwaukee Work Pants   Shop Men  Shop Women  $49.99

Milwaukee is a newer player in the workwear game, but they’ve clearly done their homework. While the fabric isn’t quite as nice as our top pick, it’s still high quality, and the pants feature thoughtful touches like reinforced pocket edges for tape measures and the like.  

• Price: 9/10 – These pants are well made for the price point, and should hold up well. 
• Comfort: 8/10 — There’s a good amount of flexiblity and stretch in the pants, but not quite as much freedom of movement. 
• Durability: 8/10 – Like the Duluth Trading Co pants, the seams are triple-stitched, and there are several reinforced points, including the kick plate. The fabric blends on the mens and women’s pants are different, but both are mostly cotton.

Alternate picks: Dickies FLEX Regular Fit Duck Pants • Carhartt 5-Pocket Pant

Editor’s pick for overalls

DuluthFlex Fire Hose HD Lined Bib Overalls  Shop Men  $129.50

I tend to wear work pants for usual shop tasks and activities. But if I know that I have a hard day of work ahead of me, I throw on a pair of overalls. My favorite pair from Dickies were unforunately discontinued, but these ones from DTC are extra comfortable and extra durable.   

• Price: 7/10 – They’re not cheap, but you also have to take into consideration that overalls use a lot more frabric than a standard pair of pants. 
• Comfort: 10/10 — The fleece lining makes them extra comfortable. I could use them as loungewear.  
• Durability: 10/10 – Duluth Trading Co claims the Fire Hose HD fabric has up to 350% greater rip resistance than the original DuluthFlex Fire Hose fabric. The overalls also feature reinforced knees with pockets that can accept knee pads.

Alternate picks: Truewerk T1 Overall • Dickies Bib Overall