What is Carhartt brown?
Carhartt brown is the brand's signature colour — a warm, reddish mid-brown duck that has been in the line for over a century. It is the most common vintage colourway and the one that fades most dramatically, moving through lighter browns to golden tan over years of wear. Faded Carhartt brown is the most sought-after look in vintage workwear.
How does black Carhartt fade?
Towards charcoal and dark grey, usually with a slightly warm or greenish cast on heavily worn pieces. Black stays versatile at every stage of fade and is the second most common vintage colour. Deeply faded black double knees with grey knees are a collector favourite.
What is moss green?
A muted olive-green duck that Carhartt has used for decades under a few names. It fades towards sage and grey-green and pairs well with brown, tan and black. It is less common than brown or black and sells strongly in Europe and Japan.
What about navy and the blues?
Navy duck fades towards slate and a dusty blue-grey, often with high contrast at the seams. Navy is scarcer than brown and black in vintage. Denim pieces — carpenter shorts and double-knee jeans — fade like any denim, from indigo through medium and light wash.
Which colours are rare?
Tan and stone duck as original colours (as opposed to faded brown), dark maroon, grey duck, and on tees the small-run shades like dark teal, dusty purple and steel blue. Rare colourways command a premium because few were made and fewer survived heavy work use.
How do I tell original tan from faded brown?
Look at the seams, pocket interiors and under the collar. Faded brown keeps traces of the original reddish-brown in protected areas; original tan is uniform tan everywhere, including inside pockets. Faded brown is generally more valuable because of the story it tells.
Which colours sell best wholesale?
Carhartt brown and black move fastest everywhere. Moss and navy sell well into Europe. Faded tan and stone are prized by Japanese and Korean buyers. For a mixed bundle we recommend roughly half brown and black, with the rest spread across moss, navy and the scarcer shades.
Every piece we sell is reworked by these standards
Everything written here comes from grading and reworking Carhartt every day. Browse what's in now, or message us and we'll send photos and measurements of anything.