Fabric drape is defined as the extent to which a fabric will deform when it is allowed to hang under its own weight. It is one of the subjective performance characteristics of fabric and contributes considerably to its aesthetic appeal. It is a complex characteristic involving both bending and shearing deformation.

One of the methods of determining the drape characteristic in which both the warp and weft way characteristics interact to produce a graceful fold uses a circular support over which a specimen of the fabric in form of a circular piece is placed with an annular section overhanging the support. The horizontal area covered by the shadow left by the overhanging portion of the fabric is determined and compared against its actual area to obtain the drape co-efficient.