Compressional behaviour has been studied during tensile loading with respect to mass per unit area, needling density, depth of penetration, wetting of fabric etc. Empirical equations for compression and recovery curves of needle punched nonwoven fabrics from jute, jute-polypropylene blend and polypropylene have been suggested and behaviours are described with two dimensionless parameters ? and ?. A mathematical model has been developed relating the compressional behaviour and parameters, i.e. needling density, depth of penetration and mass per unit area of jute needle punched nonwoven. A good correlation has been observed between compressional parameter (?) or recovery parameter (?) and the properties i.e. tenacity, elongation-at-break, energy to break, air permeability and thermal insulation of jute needle punched nonwoven fabrics. Effect of repeated compression-recovery cycles, dynamic loading, rate of deformation, ultimate compressional load, duration of loading, duration after recovery and comparison between different testing principles have been studied and analysed.