You’ve most likely touched viscose fabric at some point in your life. Chances are, you even have a viscose garment in your closet right now. But what exactly is viscose? Is it a natural or synthetic material? Where does it come from?
And just to make things a little more complicated—did you know that viscose actually goes by several different names and comes in various types?
But don’t worry—I’ll explain everything step by step.
What is viscose made of and is it a natural material?
Soft and lightweight viscose has been used since the early 1800s, when it was introduced as artificial silk. Viscose drapes beautifully and is perfect for making flowy, elegant dresses. Depending on the weave and quality, viscose can feel very smooth and luxurious, but there are also types of viscose that wrinkle easily, feel a bit rougher, or are thicker.
Viscose is a very popular material because it’s inexpensive to produce and has a wide range of uses. Depending on the type of viscose, the source material, and the weave, you can get very different kinds of fabrics from it—suitable for blouses, dresses, skirts, or even home textiles.
Viscose is made from wood pulp, typically from different types of trees. Although the base material comes from nature, viscose is not considered a natural fabric. That’s because the production process involves a significant amount of chemical treatment.
Depending on the chemical process used, viscose goes by different names—like modal, cupro, Tencel, lyocell, and rayon. Viscose remains very popular due to its affordability and wide versatility (from clothing to home decor textiles).
How is viscose made?
First, you need pulp to create a spinning solution. Most commonly, wood pulp is used—typically from beech, eucalyptus, or bamboo. Whenever possible, fast-growing tree species are preferred.
- The tree is cut down, and wood pulp is produced from it.
- The wood pulp is then treated with sodium hydroxide (also known as lye) to create a solution from the pulp.
- This dissolved wood pulp is then washed, purified, and bleached.
- To extract fiber from the pulp, it is treated with carbon disulfide, then dissolved again using sodium hydroxide.
- This process results in a viscose spinning solution.
- From this solution or mass, a filament—a continuous cellulose fiber—is created.
- The filament is then spun into yarn, which can be used to produce various types of viscose fabrics.
Viscose at a Glance
Absorbs moisture without feeling wet
Doesn’t retain heat – feels cool against the skin
Has low resistance to friction and tension – depending on the weave and type of viscose, it can tear easily
Poor shape retention (but excellent drape)
Does not build up static electricity
Modal
Modal began to be produced in the 1950s, and today, most of the production takes place at the Lenzing AG factory in Austria. They have also developed extra-thin versions of Modal, such as MicroModal and Modal Air.
Modal is made from beech wood pulp. It is more durable than regular viscose and is often blended with other fibers—such as cotton and spandex—to add strength.
Modal is considered a premium fabric because of its soft properties, and it is more expensive than regular viscose.
Modal Production Process
- The beech tree is cut down to produce wood pulp, from which cellulose is extracted.
- The cellulose is made into sheets, which are then treated with sodium hydroxide.
- The cellulose sheets are crushed and soaked in carbon disulfide, resulting in the formation of sodium cellulose xanthate.
- The sodium cellulose xanthate is then treated with sodium hydroxide again, and the resulting spinning solution is used to spin the fibers into filaments.
- These filaments or spinning fibers are soaked in sulfuric acid, after which they are washed, bleached, dried, and spun onto spools.
- The filament has now become yarn, ready for fabric weaving.
Modal at a Glance
Higher tensile strength than regular viscose
Absorbs moisture well
Good shape retention
Minimal wrinkling
Cupro
Cupro is made from cotton production waste. The name Cupro is a shortened version of cuproammonium, meaning copper-ammonia fiber. Previously, Cupro was also known as Bemberg.
Although Cupro is made from waste materials, it is not considered highly environmentally friendly, as cotton production itself is very resource-intensive. Additionally, the chemical process used to turn the cotton waste into filaments adds to its environmental impact. It’s also worth noting that Cupro production is banned in the USA due to the toxic manufacturing process. While it poses no health risks to wearers, the process poses significant health risks to workers involved in its production.
Cupro Production Process
- Cellulose Extraction
- Cellulose is obtained from cotton production waste and is then thoroughly washed.
- Chemical Treatment
- The obtained mass is treated with a solution of copper hydroxide and ammonia to create cuprammonium hydroxide.
- Filtration
- The mass is filtered using asbestos and sand to remove undissolved particles.
- Fiber Formation
- The resulting mass is then transformed into fibers.
- Chemical Bath
- The fibers are passed through a solution of dissolved acid, alcohol, and cresol.
- Spinning the Fibers
- The fibers are spun into filaments or spinning fibers.
- Final Yarn Production
- The filament is then spun into yarn, which is ready for fabric weaving.
Cupro at a Glance
- Can produce very fine fibers with a beautiful shine.
- Soft, smooth, breathable fabric.
- Good drape.
- Does not static cling.
- Good moisture absorption.
Tencel™ Lyocell
Tencel is made using the most modern and sustainable production technology. It started being produced only in the 1970s. It is a trademark of Lenzing AG, made from lyocell fibers. Tencel is the strongest of all viscose fabrics (cheaper viscose fabrics can be brittle and tear easily).
Tenceli Production Process
The production process of Tencel differs from other fabrics due to its closed and more sustainable process. A significant portion of the chemicals used are recyclable, which results in less chemical waste.
- Wood Harvesting
The tree is felled, and wood pulp is obtained. - Dissolving the Pulp
The wood pulp is dissolved in heated amine oxide. - Filtration and Spinning
The solution is filtered and then spun through a diluted solvent to remove any remaining amine oxide residue from the fibers. - Washing and Drying
The fibers are then washed and dried. - Closed-loop System
Until the fibers are dried, all liquids in the process are contained in a closed-loop recycling system, ensuring minimal waste production. The remaining solvent is also recycled back into the production process.
Tenceli at a Glance
Strong fibers.
Does not wrinkle.
Absorbs moisture well and is breathable.
Good shape retention.
In conclusion,
Viscose is a very comfortable and affordable material for making dresses and blouses. In the “Sewing for Beginners” course, we use viscose fabric to make blouses—it’s available in many different colors, printed and woven patterns, and is also budget-friendly.
For example, from viscose fabric, you can sew a nice shirt, sweater, or even a dress, and it works well for both summer and cooler weather. Viscose is also great for making airy skirts and pants. I sewed a lovely skirt for my daughter a few years ago, and she had a lot of fun twirling in it.
I personally like wearing viscose mainly in the summer months because it’s a cooler material. It’s also great for packing in a suitcase since viscose garments can be folded into a very small space. When I used to go to my dance lessons, I had wide, comfortable viscose pants, and women were always amazed at how little space they took up in my bag.
If you were to ask whether viscose is a natural and environmentally friendly material, I would say probably not. But neither is cotton, and if you delve into the fabric production processes, you probably wouldn’t want to wear much of anything. The fact is, the most sustainable option is to wear your clothes for as long as possible, and clothes should be of good enough quality that they can be repaired or repurposed.
Happy Sewing!
Ruth
