Parts of a Diaper – Top Sheet, Core, Leg Cuffs and Tabs

All 10 parts on the diagram

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Inside 7

Fastening tabs (tapes) The tabs that stick or hook onto the front.
Waistband An elastic band that gathers the back edge.
Leg cuffs Elastic bands along the leg openings that stop leaks.
Absorbent core (pad) The pad that soaks up liquid and holds it.
Top sheet The inner sheet. Liquid passes through it to the core.
Side panels (ears) The wings at the back corners that carry the tabs.
Acquisition layer It takes in liquid and spreads it over the core.

Outside 3

Back sheet The outer sheet. It keeps liquid in.
Landing zone The strip across the front where the tabs fasten.
Wetness indicator A printed line that changes when the diaper is wet.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Diaper (absorbent core, distribution layer, leg cuffs, waistbands, resealable tapes, wetness indicators), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper. (2) How Products Are Made, Disposable Diaper (absorbent pad, permeable top sheet, non-permeable back sheet, elastic, strips of tape as closures), http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Disposable-Diaper.html. (3) Patent abstracts from several unrelated applicants, read through Europe PMC (topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, leg cuffs, side panels, waistband, landing zone, fastening tabs, acquisition layer, wetness indicator): US2008077112, US2010057032, US2011208149, US2008234644, EP1689339, WO2012000412, https://europepmc.org/search?query=ABSTRACT%3Adiaper%20AND%20ABSTRACT%3A%22landing%20zone%22. (4) Patent claims printed in the Official Gazette of the US Patent and Trademark Office, read as full-text search passages (liquid pervious topsheet, liquid impervious backsheet, absorbent core between them), https://archive.org/details/officialgazette1200aunit. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A disposable diaper is an absorbent pad held between two sheets, with elastic edges and tabs that fasten it. This drawing names seven parts on the inside, then three on the outside.

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Three layers and a way to close them

The top sheet is the inner surface, and liquid passes through it. Under it the acquisition layer spreads the liquid over the absorbent core, the pad that soaks it up and holds it. The back sheet is the outer surface and keeps liquid in. Leg cuffs gather the two leg openings, and a waistband gathers the back edge. A side panel at each back corner carries a fastening tab, which sticks to the landing zone on the front. A wetness indicator changes when the diaper is wet.

Top sheet or back sheet? The top sheet is inside and lets liquid through. The back sheet is outside and does not.
The tabs are at the back. The landing zone they fasten to is at the front.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a diaper called?

Three layers: the top sheet inside, the absorbent core in the middle and the back sheet outside. Round them are the leg cuffs, the waistband, the side panels with their fastening tabs, and the landing zone the tabs stick to.

What is the absorbent part of a diaper called?

The absorbent core, or absorbent pad. It lies between the top sheet and the back sheet. In present-day disposable diapers it holds a superabsorbent polymer, which takes up far more liquid than fiber alone.

What are the tabs on a diaper called?

Fastening tabs, or tapes. There is one on each side panel at the back, and they fasten on the landing zone, a strip across the front of the diaper.

What is the line on the outside of a diaper?

A wetness indicator. It is printed on the outside with an ink that reacts to moisture, so the line fades or changes when the diaper is wet.