Barbour
Thornproof® Dressing Wax
Barbour Thornproof Dressing Wax is a solid wax dressing for re-waxing waxed cotton garments and accessories, such as jackets, coats, hats, and bags. It is Barbour's original formula, designed to restore water repellency by supplying a transparent wax coating that shields fabric from weather. The product is supplied in a cylindrical metal tin and is applied via melting or softening, then worked into the material to maintain its traditional weather-resistant finish.
- Category
- Apparel & Accessories
Specifications
Transparent wax dressing for protecting clothing from weather conditions.
Protects clothes from weather, original Barbour formula.
- Material
- Wax
- Gender
- male
- Condition
- new
- Category
- Apparel & Accessories
Additional Attributes
- transparent wax
- protects clothes from weather
- original formula
Product Insights
Barbour's Thornproof Dressing Wax ($39 CAD) lets you rewax one coat at home in an afternoon, matching factory quality and saving the $55 fee, but it is strictly formulated for 6oz waxed cotton, requires careful heat-setting, and cannot be used on lightweight fabrics, while its PFAS-free claim lacks disclosed ingredients.
Verified claims
- Cautions
- Keep wax off the corduroy collar, inner lining, and pocket interiors; not intended for lightweight 4oz jackets; do not machine wash or dry clean the waxed garment.
- Value
- A 39 CAD 200ml tin typically covers one full-length coat or two shorter jackets, saves the 55 USD Barbour factory rewax fee, and careful home rewax can produce a finish experienced owners consider indistinguishable from factory.
- Ingredient transparency
- Barbour claims PFAS-free but has not disclosed ingredient list or safety data sheet.
- Fabric weight
- Formulated for Barbour's 6oz waxed cotton; not intended for lightweight 4oz jackets, where it risks an incorrect finish and a laborious process.
- Safety
- Non-toxic and solvent-free; PFAS-free per Barbour.
- Competitive positioning
- Identical to Centenary Wax and the water-repellency benchmark for Walker & Hawkes.
- Fabric suitability
- Formulated for 6oz sylkoil; not for lightweight 4oz jackets.
- Gloss
- Restores the original factory gloss and crisp hand-feel.
- Finish
- When heat-set, the wax cures to a non-tacky, even, water-repellent finish.
- Compatibility
- Formulated for Barbour 6oz waxed cotton; generally suitable for other waxed cotton jackets such as Filson and Belstaff, but results may vary, so test on a small area first.
- Cost
- A $39 tin rewaxes one coat in an afternoon, undercutting Barbour's $55 factory service that takes weeks.
- Application
- For best results, melt the wax by standing the tin in hot water until it becomes liquid, apply it with a sponge, then set it with a hairdryer on low heat kept moving; DIY works best on clean, 6oz waxed cotton jackets.
- Rewaxing interval
- Barbour recommends rewaxing once a year; heavy use may require two tins per rewax.
- Formula consistency
- Wax based on same 80/20 paraffin-beeswax formula as factory.
- Composition
- Commonly cited as 80% paraffin wax and 20% beeswax.
- Color transparency
- The dressing is a colorless, transparent wax that applies clear and dries without depositing any tint, so it is safe for any jacket color and will not alter the garment's hue or pattern.
- DIY time
- The home method using a sponge and hairdryer can be completed in an afternoon.
- Melt point
- Thornproof Dressing softens enough for even sponge application at just 40°C (104°F).
Product record
- Title
- Thornproof® Dressing Wax
- Brand
- Barbour
- Price
- 39 CAD
- Availability
- In stock
Image Analysis
1 images- 01
Product
Front-facing cylindrical metal tin with an open top, dark green printed label with water-droplet texture, large white brand text and gold product text on the front.
- Container shapeCylindrical metal tin shown upright with the lid removed so the dark interior is visible from above.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.18 · w 0.64 · h 0.62 (high) - Top rimNarrow silver metallic rim around the top edge of the tin with visible inner lip and glossy reflection.
1 region
x 0.22 · y 0.17 · w 0.58 · h 0.08 (high) - Label textureDark green label printed with a subtle water-droplet texture or pattern across the visible front surface.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.25 · w 0.64 · h 0.55 (high) - Brand wordmark“Large white 'Barbour' wordmark centered on the upper front of the label.”
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.30 · w 0.44 · h 0.14 (high) - Established lineGold horizontal rule above and below the centered gold text 'ESTABLISHED 1894' on the label.
1 region
x 0.30 · y 0.40 · w 0.40 · h 0.06 (high) - Product name block“Gold colored text block reading 'Wax Thornproof Dressing' printed on the lower half of the front label.”
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.48 · w 0.44 · h 0.22 (high) - Tagline“Small gold tagline near the bottom of the label reading 'Keeps your Barbour weather resistant'.”
1 region
x 0.34 · y 0.68 · w 0.32 · h 0.06 (high) - Bottom rimThin silver metallic rim at the base of the tin matching the top rim.
1 region
x 0.20 · y 0.76 · w 0.60 · h 0.06 (high)
Packaging
A retail metal tin packaging for a wax dressing product, shown without its lid and with printed branding and product text on the front label.
- Packaging formatRound metal can packaged as a cylindrical tin with printed paper or wrapped label covering the curved side.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.18 · w 0.64 · h 0.62 (high) - Label printingFront label contains multiple printed lines of text in white and gold, aligned center on the curved surface.
1 region
x 0.26 · y 0.28 · w 0.48 · h 0.48 (high) - Label text - top“ESTABLISHED 1894”
1 region
x 0.34 · y 0.38 · w 0.32 · h 0.04 (high) - Label text - formula“ORIGINAL FORMULA”
1 region
x 0.38 · y 0.46 · w 0.24 · h 0.03 (high)
Other
Studio product shot with neutral light gray background, soft shadow under the tin, even lighting, and the tin centered in frame.
- Shot compositionCentered, straight-on front view photographing the tin from slightly above so the open interior is visible.
- Background and surfaceUniform light gray background and flat surface with a subtle soft shadow beneath the tin to the lower right.
- LightingEven studio lighting with soft highlights visible on the metallic rims and a mild gloss on the label surface.
Colors
dark forest green· label backgroundwhite· brand textwarm gold· product and accent textsilver metallic· metal rims- Container shapeCylindrical metal tin shown upright with the lid removed so the dark interior is visible from above.
Brand PDP Lookup
- Brand
- Barbour
Thornproof Dressing
Documents & Data
Customer Reviews
1 total1 reviews · out of 5
It is what it is!
Exactly what it says it is. Does what it is supposed to do.
Reddit Insights
6 threads · r/BarbourReddit users generally find Barbour Thornproof Dressing Wax effective for rewaxing jackets and achieving desired finishes, though concerns about ingredient transparency and application difficulties temper the overall sentiment.
While many users praise the wax for its results and ease of use in rewaxing, there are notable concerns about PFAS presence and a lack of transparency from Barbour, as well as reports of application issues like wetness and leaking, resulting in a mixed but slightly positive overall view.
Themes
Use Cases
- Rewaxing traditional Barbour jackets
- Waxing canvas bags for enhanced oilskin finish
- Waxing unwaxed cotton jackets or other garments
- Waxing hats for waterproofing
Watch Out For
Compared To
vs Barbour Centenary Wax
Identical product in different packaging; same size, price, and ingredients.
vs Fjällräven Greenland Wax
Greenland Wax yields a more matte finish, while Thornproof is shinier; some users mix both to achieve desired properties.
Source Threads
PFAS and Thornproof Wax: Barbour's Response
From Barbour to me regarding the thornproof wax from 2024 “We are working towards being a PFAS free company. We have stopped production of PFAS as of this year but we cannot guarantee if earlier made products have this in.” “Unfortunately we do not have a list of ingredients but it has been confirmed that the PFAS was in production in the fabric not the wax, so our Thornproof wax coating should be PFAS free.“
u/skeletronicar/BarbourView thread →
Basic waxing steps with Barbour Thornproof
I use barbour thornproof. Just melt it with boiling hot water. Take a sponge, wax it. And melt it into the jacket with a hair dryer.
u/StandardRevolution68r/BarbourView thread →
Thornproof and Centenary Wax Identical
They're exactly the same thing, just a different label. Same size same price same ingredients.
u/f0rf0rr/BarbourView thread →
Achieving oilskin aesthetic with Thornproof wax on bag
Applied one coat and threw the bag in a commercial blanket warmer to allow it to liquefy and capillary action to do its thing. After cooling, applied a second coat in front of a space heater and "buffed" off the excess with an old sock.
u/CinnabarPekoer/BarbourView thread →
Experimenting with Barbour's thornproof and curing issues
I just waxed a cotton jacket with Barbour's thornproof, it did a great job but left the jacket very wet. I let it cure for a week but there were still some patches. So I tossed it into the dryer in a pillow case - but left it in there for way too long and It completely seeped into the material. This was good and bad: it impregnated the material, but it lost its top coat.
u/JremingtonTr/BarbourView thread →
Barbour wax composition and standard nature
There’s nothing really special about the Barbour wax. Thornproof is just a finishing of the jacket, same with sylkoil. Barbour wax is a standard 80/20 Paraffin Wax to Bees Wax.
u/BrassButtonFoxr/BarbourView thread →