Plant

Abacá

Leaf-sheath fiber from Musa textilis, a relative of edible bananas.

Reviewed 2026-09-22. Evidence level: verified. Open the interactive profile.

Key figures

Philippine share of world supply: about 85 to 87%
Extracted strand length: about 1 to 3 m
Cellulose / lignin: about 56 to 68% / 9 to 15%
Elongation at break: about 2 to 4%
Density: about 1.5 g/cm3

Approximate values under the stated conditions.

Overview

Production: around 70,000 tonnes a year (world abaca fiber production, not stated in source (recent annual estimate in a 2026 review)). Main producers: Philippines, Ecuador, Costa Rica. [1]

Leaf-sheath fiber from Musa textilis, a relative of edible bananas. It is also called Manila hemp, although it is not hemp.

Feel and behavior

Strong, relatively coarse strands.

Where you find it

Cordage, specialty paper, woven craft textiles and composites.

Source and geography

Abaca is Musa textilis, a banana relative indigenous to the Philippines whose fiber is traded as Manila hemp even though it is unrelated to Cannabis. Philippine agencies report that the country supplies roughly 85 to 87 percent of world abaca fiber, with Ecuador supplying most of the remainder and Costa Rica a small share. Production is concentrated in smallholder farms in regions such as Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Mindanao, and a large part of the crop is pulped rather than spun.

Advantages

Abaca combines high tensile strength with good resistance to saltwater decay, the basis of its long use in marine rope.
Its long, low-lignin fibers make strong yet porous specialty papers, including tea bag and filter papers.
Like other Musa crops it is propagated from suckers and grown as a near-perennial plantation, so stands are harvested repeatedly without yearly replanting.
Paper yarns made from abaca pulp are light and low in shrinkage and, according to their producer, do not pill.

Drawbacks

Elongation at break of only about 2 to 4 percent makes abaca stiff and harsh against the skin.
Visual grading is subjective, and a 2012 study critically evaluated how well existing grades reflect measured fiber properties.
Abaca bunchy top virus damages plantations and makes supply volatile.
Apparel-grade abaca cloth is scarce and costly because most fiber goes to cordage, pulp and crafts.

Worth knowing

The Philippine abaca hybrid Dioscoro 1 carries roughly 87.5 percent Abuab alleles and 12.5 percent alleles from Pacol, a bunchy-top-resistant wild banana.
Abaca bunchy top virus was formally described in 2007 as a new babuvirus, serologically distinct from banana bunchy top virus.
Some Japanese washi yarns sold for knitting are made from abaca pulp rather than from traditional kozo.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Commercial abaca is sorted two ways: by plant variety and by fiber grade. Philippine breeders work with varieties such as Abuab, Inosa and Tangongon, and have developed Dioscoro 1, a backcross of the high-quality Abuab variety with Pacol, a wild Musa balbisiana that resists bunchy top virus. Fiber grades follow PNS/BAFS 180:2016 for hand-stripped and spindle-stripped fiber and PNS/BAFS 181:2016 for decorticated fiber. Letter grades such as S2, S3, I, G, H, JK and M1 reflect stripping cleanliness, color and texture. A machine-vision grading study describes I as pale yellow, G as dull and prone to bundling, H and M1 as dark brown to nearly black and used mainly for rope, and JK as going largely to pulp. Y1 is a residual grade for weak, stained or soiled fiber.

Fabrics and products

Most abaca never becomes cloth. Much of it is pulped for strong, porous specialty papers such as tea bags and filters, and much of the rest becomes marine and industrial cordage. In apparel, abaca yarns appear in Philippine handloom fabrics, and barong makers sell abaca and jusi fabrics, describing jusi as woven from abaca or silk, so the actual fiber should be confirmed. Abaca pulp is also the base of some Japanese paper yarns: Oji Fiber states that its OJO+ yarn is made from Manila hemp paper slit into narrow tapes and twisted. Abaca also reinforces composites and is plaited or woven into bags, mats and hats.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

For raw fiber, ask for the PNS grade code and the extraction route, because hand-stripped, spindle-stripped and decorticated fiber are graded under different standards. Good fiber is long, lustrous, evenly colored and free of pulp residue, stains and mustiness; dark, brittle or dusty strands point to lower grades or poor drying. On finished goods, the label should say abaca, with Manila hemp at most as a synonym; a label saying only hemp misidentifies the plant. In handwoven cloth, even weft packing and neat joins signal careful work. Rope sold as manila should be checked for polypropylene imitations, which melt instead of charring.

Care in detail

Most abaca products are handled rather than laundered. Dry abaca rope and cordage fully before storage, coil it loosely off concrete floors and keep it out of prolonged sun, since UV and repeated damp storage weaken cellulose fibers. For abaca or jusi barong fabric and other sheer handwovens, the label governs; general practice is gentle hand washing in cool water with a mild, neutral detergent, no wringing, and drying flat or on a padded hanger in shade. Iron while slightly damp at a medium to hot setting, with a pressing cloth over embroidery, and lower the heat if the fabric contains silk. Abaca creases sharply, so hang or roll garments rather than folding them tightly. Mold is the main storage risk in humid climates.

Care at a glance

Follow the complete product’s care label. Blends, dyes, finishes and construction can change suitable washing, drying and storage.

Environmental and social footprint

No peer-reviewed cradle-to-gate footprint for abaca fiber was found in this pass, so carbon-benefit claims, including Oji Fiber's statement that abaca absorbs carbon dioxide well, should be read as producer statements. What is documented is agronomic. Abaca is a Philippine smallholder crop propagated vegetatively, which lets viruses accumulate in planting material, and abaca bunchy top virus, described in 2007 as its own babuvirus species, is a major disease pressure. Breeders at the University of the Philippines Los Banos have responded with resistant backcross hybrids such as Dioscoro 1. PhilFIDA's Abaca Sustainability Manual sets out farm practices and explains Rainforest Alliance certification criteria for growers who seek it. Hand stripping is heavy, repetitive labor, and because grades set prices, poor tools and low grades cut farm income.

Tradeoffs

Origin, processing inputs, labor, product construction and useful lifetime all need specific evidence. The name alone does not establish responsible production.

A useful question to ask: What exact material, product form and documented producer stand behind this name?

Science

Data sheet

Property	Value	Conditions	Source
Density	about 1.50 g/cm3	compiled literature value	[1]
Elongation at break	about 3.3 to 4.3 %	single fibers 180 to 280 microns across, untreated and 5% NaOH treated, 10 mm gauge	[2]
Tensile strength	about 400 to 1,400 MPa	fiber bundles; published values vary strongly with cross-section method	[2]

Cellulose-rich plant material

Seed, stem, leaf or other plant structure. Extraction and preparation vary.

Structure and chemistry

The commercial fiber comes from vascular fiber bundles in the overlapping leaf sheaths (petiole bases) that form the pseudostem. Bundles are composites of elementary cellulose cells cemented by hemicellulose and lignin, each cell with a central lumen. Reported composition is roughly 56 to 68 percent cellulose, about 20 to 25 percent hemicellulose and 7 to 15 percent lignin, a low lignin share compared with coir. Extracted strands are typically about 1 to 3 meters long. Their porous, irregular cross-sections mean that published bundle strengths vary widely with how cross-sectional area is measured, a point stressed in fiber-testing studies.

From source to yarn

At harvest the pseudostem is felled and separated into sheaths. In tuxying, an incision is made near the butt of each sheath with a tuxying knife and the outer fibrous layer (the tuxy) is pulled away in strips. Fiber is then freed from pulp by stripping: hand stripping draws the tuxy under a knife pressed against a wooden block, while spindle or machine stripping pulls it through a semi-mechanized stripper. Knife serration strongly affects cleanliness and grade. Separate decortication lines crush and scrape whole sheaths. Fiber is sun dried, graded and baled, then routed to cordage, specialty pulp or handloom weaving.

Performance in use

Abaca is a stiff, low-extension fiber: single-fiber tests typically record elongation at break of only about 2 to 4 percent, and bundle tensile strength values reported in the literature range from about 400 to roughly 1,000 MPa depending on method. Its lignin and cellulose balance gives useful resistance to microbial attack and to prolonged saltwater exposure, the basis of its marine cordage and fishing-net use. Alkali treatment (for example 5 percent NaOH) can raise strength for composite use but over-treatment breaks bundles into elementary fibers. Like other bast and leaf fibers it takes direct and reactive dyes and degrades under prolonged UV.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only and should be done with care: abaca behaves like other cellulosics, burning readily with a paper-like smell and leaving light gray ash. Under the microscope it shows long, stiff bundles of lumened cells rather than the convoluted ribbons of cotton. FTIR confirms a cellulose and lignin spectrum but does not distinguish abaca from other Musa leaf fibers, so products described as banana fiber and abaca can be confused. Grade identity follows Philippine standards, and visual grading is considered reliable mainly for hand-stripped fiber.

History

Timeline

2007Abaca bunchy top virus was formally described as a new babuvirus, distinct from banana bunchy top virus. [4]
2016Philippine standard PNS/BAFS 180:2016 set grading and classification for hand-stripped and spindle-stripped abaca fiber. [5]
2018The Philippine Department of Agriculture abaca roadmap for 2018 to 2022 put the country at roughly 85 to 87% of world abaca fiber supply. [3]

Philippine abacá became an important maritime cordage material. Its later industrial story includes specialty papers and reinforcement rather than only rope.

The deeper record

Abaca cordage from the Philippines became an important nineteenth-century export for ship rigging, bought largely from smallholders by merchant houses. Under American rule after 1898 the trade expanded further, and from about 1903 to 1904 contract laborers from Japan began working abaca around Davao; the Ohta Development Company, founded in 1907, organized a Japanese-run plantation economy there, and by the late 1930s Davao had a Japanese community of roughly 20,000 people. Later demand shifted toward pulp: Japan's National Printing Bureau states that its banknote paper uses mitsumata and abaca pulp, and abaca is also used in tea bags and filters. Abaca bunchy top disease has since devastated plantations in Leyte and Samar.

Labeling and law

In the Philippines, grading follows Philippine National Standards PNS/BAFS 180:2016 (hand-stripped and spindle or machine-stripped fiber) and PNS/BAFS 181:2016 (decorticated fiber), administered with the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority. Top grades such as S2 and S3 are the whitest and cleanest, used for specialty paper, while darker grades go to cordage and packaging. In the EU, Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 lists abaca as a permitted fibre name (Annex I). In the US, textile products covered by the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (15 U.S.C. 70 et seq.; 16 CFR Part 303) disclose natural fibers by common name, and calling abaca simply hemp would be misleading.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

Is Manila hemp the same as hemp?

No. Manila hemp is a trade name for abaca, the leaf-sheath fiber of Musa textilis, a close relative of the banana. True hemp is the stem fiber of Cannabis sativa. The plants, fiber structures and uses differ, so labels should name abaca rather than hemp alone.

What do abaca grade codes like S2 or JK mean?

They are Philippine grade designations under PNS/BAFS 180:2016 and 181:2016 that encode stripping cleanliness, color and texture. Pale, clean grades command higher prices and suit specialty pulp; dark grades such as H and M1 go mainly to rope, JK largely to pulp, and residual grades such as Y1 cover weak or stained fiber.

Why is abaca used in tea bags?

Its long, strong, low-lignin fibers form thin paper that holds together when wet yet stays porous enough for water to pass through. Wet strength also depends on papermaking conditions and any bonding agents, so the fiber is one factor among several in tea bag performance.

Can abaca fabric be washed?

Usually, gently. Hand wash sheer abaca or jusi cloth in cool water with mild detergent, avoid wringing, and dry in shade. Heavy or embroidered formal pieces are often safer with a professional cleaner. The garment's care label takes priority over general advice.

Sources

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). Abacá. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/abaca/