CORDURA LIMITED

What CORDURA LIMITED does

CORDURA LIMITED is a UK-incorporated brand-management entity (8 employees, Stone, Staffordshire) that owns and licenses the CORDURA trademark for high-tenacity nylon 6,6 fiber technologies used in durable fabrics. Founded in 1967, the CORDURA brand spans 850+ certified fabric constructions — including Ballistic, Classic, re/cor, NYCO, Naturalle, TrueLock, UltraLite, Lite, HP, Denim, Combat Wool, and AFT variants — produced through a global network of authorized mills and sold into workwear, outdoor apparel, tactical/military, and footwear end markets.

The business operates as an "ingredient brand": CORDURA LIMITED licenses its trademark to certified mills and downstream brand customers, supplies specialty fiber inputs through its parent INVISTA (a Koch Industries subsidiary), and collects royalties through the CORDURA hangtag co-branding program. Core technology centers on high-tenacity nylon 6,6 multi-filament fiber engineered for abrasion, tear, and tensile performance; the more recent re/cor line extends the portfolio into recycled-content nylon 6,6 with Global Recycled Standard certification. Brand customers named in public materials include Carhartt, The North Face, Canada Goose, BlackYak, Ariat, Dickies, New Balance, Outdoor Research, REI Co-op, Kuiu, Filson, and Triple Aught Design.

CORDURA LIMITED functions primarily as a brand-licensing and ecosystem-coordination vehicle within INVISTA's broader specialty fibers portfolio; standalone revenue is not publicly disclosed and most economic activity flows through the parent entity's fiber manufacturing and supply contracts.

Name

CORDURA LIMITED

Legal name

INVISTA

Website

https://cordura.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CORDURA LIMITED licenses the CORDURA trademark for high-tenacity nylon 6,6 fiber fabrics through a global network of authorized mills, serving workwear, outdoor, tactical/military, and footwear brand customers under INVISTA ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Performance Fabrics

NAICS

Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Knit Fabric Mills (313240)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Knitting Mills (2250)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Technical Yarn Manufacturing (High-Tenacity/Aramid/Carbon/Glass) (IMAOAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tire Cord & Industrial Reinforcement Fabrics (IMAOABAK), Narrow Fabrics & Webbings (Tapes/Ribbons/Straps) (IMAOABAD)

Keywords

• Performance fabric technology
• Nylon fiber manufacturing
• Recycled textile materials
• Military textile fabrics
• Workwear fabric solutions

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fiber and Technology Licensing: CORDURA® operates as an ingredient brand, supplying high-tenacity nylon 6,6 fibers to authorized mill partners who weave fabrics to CORDURA® brand specifications. Revenue is generated through fiber sales to mills and trademark licensing fees from brands using the CORDURA® name and hangtags on their products.
2. Hangtag and Label Sales: Sale of CORDURA® hangtags and sew-in labels to certified product manufacturers. Brands purchase these certification markers to attach to products made with CORDURA® certified fabrics, providing brand identification and quality accreditation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CORDURA® operates as an ingredient brand owned by INVISTA, supplying high-tenacity nylon 6,6 fibers and licensing the CORDURA® trademark to a global network of authorized mill partners who manufacture fabrics certified to CORDURA® Brand Quality Standards (BQS). The company sells certified fabrics (15+ distinct technologies, 850+ certified fabrics) and hangtags/sew-in labels to brand manufacturers across workwear, outdoor, military, footwear, activewear, motorcycle, and bags & packs verticals, supported by a private B2B Fabric Finder platform.

Product overview

CORDURA® Advanced Fabrics is an ingredient brand owned by INVISTA that offers a comprehensive portfolio of performance fabric technologies. The core offering consists of 15+ distinct fabric technologies including Ballistic, Classic, re/cor™ (recycled), Naturalle, NYCO, UltraLite, Lite, HP, Denim, Combat Wool, AFT, TrueLock™, and Hi-Vis fabrics. These are sold to certified mill partners who weave them into fabrics for use in apparel, footwear, bags, packs, military gear, and accessories. The company operates through a MyCORDURA portal for accessing their Fabric Finder (850+ certified fabrics), ordering hangtags, and fabric certification. The re/cor™ collection represents their sustainable offerings using recycled materials (GRS Certified).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• re/cor™: A collection of recycled fabric technologies including RN66, RN6, and RPET, made from reclaimed post-industrial materials.
• TrueLock™ Fabric

Products and services

• CORDURA® Ballistic Fabric
• CORDURA® Classic Fabric
• CORDURA® re/cor™ Fabric
• CORDURA® Naturalle Fabric
• CORDURA® Naturalle Knit
• CORDURA® NYCO Fabric
• CORDURA® NYCO Knit
• CORDURA® UltraLite Fabric
• CORDURA® Lite Fabric
• CORDURA® HP Fabric
• CORDURA® Denim Fabric
• CORDURA® Combat Wool Fabric
• CORDURA® AFT Fabric
• CORDURA® TrueLock™ Fabric
• CORDURA® Hi-Vis T485 Fabric
• CORDURA® Hangtags & Sew-In Labels

Quantifiable outcome

• Fabrics designed to last for a lifetime, reducing replacement frequency
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• INVISTAcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerINVISTA is the parent company and owner of the CORDURA® brand and trademark. CORDURA® Advanced Fabrics are a product line under INVISTA, which supplies the high-tenacity nylon 6,6 fibers used in CORDURA® certified fabrics worldwide.
• Authorized Mill PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of certified manufacturing mills who produce fabrics using INVISTA fibers to CORDURA® brand quality standards. Mills must meet CORDURA® Brand Quality Standards (BQS) and sign trademark licensing agreements to become authorized partners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Toray Industries: Global integrated chemicals and textiles group producing nylon, polyester, and carbon fibers for apparel, industrial, and aerospace applications. A broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in synthetic fiber and technical fabric manufacturing.
• Hyosung TNC: Major nylon and spandex fiber producer serving global apparel and industrial textile markets. A relevant peer at the upstream fiber-manufacturing layer where CORDURA's high-tenacity nylon 6,6 technology is produced.
• DuPont (DuPont de Nemours): Specialty materials company producing Kevlar (aramid), Tyvek, and Nomex — high-performance fibers and fabrics serving protective, industrial, and apparel end-uses. Overlaps with CORDURA Ballistic in defense and reinforcement markets.
• INVISTA: CORDURA's parent company and sole supplier of the proprietary nylon 6,6 fiber. INVISTA also owns competing performance brands (e.g., Coolmax, Thermolite, Lycra), making it both parent and broader-portfolio peer in the specialty fiber/textile space.
• Teijin Aramid: Manufacturer of high-tenacity aramid fibers (Twaron, Technora) serving ballistic protection, automotive, and industrial reinforcement end-uses. Operates in the same high-tenacity specialty-fiber category that underpins CORDURA Ballistic.

Direct peers

• Schoeller Textil: Swiss technical-textile manufacturer producing high-performance fabrics for outdoor, sports, and workwear. Competes head-to-head with CORDURA in certified performance fabric categories and shares a similar B2B licensing model.
• Sympatex Technologies: German manufacturer of technical membranes and functional fabrics for outdoor, sports, and workwear. Uses a comparable B2B ingredient-brand model and competes for the same brand customers as CORDURA.
• Polartec: Performance knit and fleece fabric brand supplying outdoor, military, and workwear end-uses. Closest direct competitor to CORDURA in the technical-fabric ingredient-brand model, with overlapping customer base in outdoor apparel.
• W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore-Tex): The archetypal ingredient brand in performance fabrics (Gore-Tex membranes). Operates a comparable licensing-and-certification model where third-party mills and apparel brands apply the trademark to finished products, mirroring CORDURA's structure.
• Pertex: Technical-fabric brand specializing in lightweight, high-performance woven fabrics used by outdoor and apparel brands. Directly comparable to CORDURA Classic, UltraLite, and Lite lines in the lightweight durable-fabric niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CORDURABrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/CORDURABrand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cordura-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/cordurabrand

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CORDURA LIMITED