Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that consists mainly of cellulose and lignin. The fibers are spun into coarse, strong threads. It comes from plants of the genus Corchorus, which mainly occur in warm, moist areas: India, Bangladesh and China. Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibers, and the second most used after cotton. It is processed in the same way as flax.

It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright.