Certain aspects of the handle of fabric laminates are related to properties of the component fabrics. Particular attention is paid to a theoretical prediction of the bending stiffness of a laminate from the bending and tensile properties of its components. This theoretical stiffness is a minimum value; if, in practice, the observed stiffness is much greater than this, it may generally be assumed that excess of adhesive or of melted foam is the cause. The paper also reports work on other features of the bending behaviour, such as the degree of recovery from bending, and on the shearing behaviour. The work is concluded by a brief study of some faulty laminates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]