EXHIBIT 5

                                              BURLINGTON INDUSTRIES, INC.
                                              Legal Department
                                              P.O. Box 21207
                                              Greensboro, North Carolina  27420

                                      August 1, 1996

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20005

        Re:    Registration Statement on Form S-8
               of Burlington Industries, Inc.

Dear Sir or Madam:

        I am Vice President and General Counsel of Burlington  Industries,  Inc.
(the  "Corporation").  In  that  capacity,  I have  acted  as  counsel  for  the
Corporation in connection  with the  preparation  and filing with the Securities
and  Exchange   Commission  of  a  Registration   Statement  on  Form  S-8  (the
"Registration  Statement")  relating to  3,255,284  shares of the  Corporation's
Common  Stock,  $0.01 par value per share (the  "Common  Stock"),  to be offered
pursuant to the  Burlington  Industries,  Inc. 1995 Equity  Incentive  Plan (the
"Plan").  This opinion is being  furnished  to you as a supporting  document for
such Registration Statement.

        I, or attorneys  under my  supervision,  have examined  such  documents,
legal opinions and  precedents,  corporate and other records of the  Corporation
and  certificates of public  officials and officers of the Corporation as I have
deemed  necessary or  appropriate  to provide a basis for the opinions set forth
below.  In this  examination,  I have assumed the genuineness of all signatures,
the  authenticity  of all  documents  submitted to me as original  documents and
conformity to original  documents of all documents  submitted to me as certified
or photostat copies.

        On the basis of the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:

        1. The Corporation has been duly  incorporated and is a validly existing
corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.

        2. Upon approval of the New York Stock Exchange listing application with
respect to, and  issuance  and delivery of shares of Common Stock of the Company
pursuant to the Plan,  and upon payment to the  Corporation  of the option price
for the  Common  Stock,  such  shares  will be  validly  issued,  fully paid and
nonassessable.

        I am qualified to practice law in the State of North Carolina.  I do not
express any opinion herein  concerning the laws of any  jurisdiction  other than
the laws of the State of North  Carolina,  the  General  Corporation  Law of the
State of  Delaware  and the  federal  laws of the  United  States of  America as
applied to public companies.

        I hereby  consent to the use of this  opinion and my name in  connection
with  the  Registration   Statement  filed  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission to register the shares of Common Stock as aforesaid.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   /s/ Robert A. Wicker
                                   Robert A. Wicker,
                                   Vice President and General Counsel