Bone (corsetry)

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In corsetry, a bone is one of the rigid parts of a corset that forms its frame and gives it rigidity. The purpose of the boning in a corset varies slightly from era to era. Generally, the cinching/shaping properties of corsetry puts strain onto the fabric from which the corset is made. The boning supports the desired shape and prevents wrinkling of the corset fabric. Bones, and the substances used for the purpose, are generically called "boning"; however, the name likely arises from the use of whalebone in early corsets.

Modern corset boning comes in two different qualities: the more durable metal and less durable plastic. Since the turn of the 20th century, steel boning was the standard for a high quality corset, coming in two different types: flat spring steel and spiral steel. While spring steel is most preferred for being thin and flexible, it only has the ability to bend in a single direction. Spiral steel is able to bend both horizontally and vertically, its only drawbacks being the fact that it's not as stable and tends to not support larger figures.

Traditionally, plastic boning such as Rigilene has been considered low quality and unsupportive. New advances in plastic boning have brought about synthetic whalebone. It is used widely in historical reconstruction due to its similarities to traditional whalebone. It is lightweight and very supportive. It also molds better to the body, allowing for a much curvier shape.