# Viscose fibre

A fibre regenerated from wood pulp with caustic soda, carbon disulphide and sulphuric acid; the largest man-made cellulosic, led by China and India's Birla Cellulose.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/

Pseudo-commodities · Resins & fibres · No. 64

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Crops and biomass
- about 6.7 Mt viscose (2024, derived: 80% of 8.4 Mt MMCF); MMCF grew 6.4% in 2024
- 3.4 t CO₂e per t
- HS 550410
 Pseudo-commodities · Resins & fibres · Foundation · Matter

Your soft viscose dress began as a eucalyptus or beech tree, dissolved in caustic soda and carbon disulphide.

Chart: Illustration: Viscose fibre

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Dissolving wood pulp is steeped in caustic soda, reacted with carbon disulphide and pushed through spinnerets into an acid bath, where the cellulose re-forms as fibre.

##### Three things to know

1. Man-made cellulosic fibres reached 8.4 Mt in 2024, 6% of all fibre, and viscose is about 80% of that.
2. Only about 1.1% of these fibres, roughly 90 kt, came from recycled textiles in 2024.
3. Viscose absorbs moisture like cotton, with a regain of about 11-13%, but its wet strength is only about 50-60% of its dry strength.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Forest**Eucalyptus, beech, pine or bamboo
2. 2 **Dissolving pulp**Cellulose purity above about 90%
3. 3 **Xanthation**Caustic soda, then carbon disulphide
4. 4 **Acid bath**Dope spun and regenerated as fibre
5. 5 **Staple or yarn**Cut, washed, baled for spinning mills

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/viscose/links/index.md)