Plant

Coir

Fiber separated from the husk of the coconut.

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

Key figures

Cellulose / lignin (brown coir): about 32 to 47% / 40 to 46%
Elongation at break: about 15 to 40%
Bundle tensile strength: about 95 to 343 MPa (method-dependent)
Microfibril angle: about 30 to 49 degrees
Technical fiber diameter: roughly 0.3 mm

Approximate values under the stated conditions.

Overview

Production: about 475,000 tonnes (India) and about 90,000 tonnes (Sri Lanka) of brown coir fiber (brown coir fiber from the two leading producers, not a world total, 2018). Main producers: India, Sri Lanka. [3]

Fiber separated from the husk of the coconut. Brown and white coir refer to different maturity and processing contexts.

Feel and behavior

Coarse, springy and durable.

Where you find it

Doormats, brushes, upholstery filling, erosion-control products and growing media.

Source and geography

Coir is the fiber of the mesocarp (the fibrous husk between the outer skin and the hard shell) of the coconut, Cocos nucifera. It is a byproduct of coconut production, so supply tracks the coconut industry of South and Southeast Asia, with India and Sri Lanka prominent in traded coir and coir products. The husk also yields coir pith, a spongy dust used in horticulture, which is a coproduct distinct from the fiber itself.

Advantages

Brown coir is tough and unusually extensible for a plant fiber, so it survives constant scraping in doormats and brushes.
It resists microbial decay and seawater better than most cellulosic fibers.
It is a byproduct of coconut production, so no land is farmed for the fiber alone.
Coir geotextiles hold soil while plants establish and then biodegrade in place.

Drawbacks

It is too coarse and stiff for apparel or for bedding in direct contact with skin.
Traditional long retting in lagoons and backwaters releases polyphenols and organic load into the water.
Its high lignin content makes it darken in light and hard to bleach or dye to pale shades.
Doormats shed fibers, and mats with PVC backing are not fully biodegradable.

Worth knowing

White coir from immature husks is traditionally retted in water for up to about ten months, while mature husks in crushing mills may need only 7 to 10 days.
Coir fibers at least about 20 cm long are classed as bristle fiber, while shorter, finer ones become mattress fiber.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Coir is first split by husk maturity. White coir comes from husks of coconuts harvested shortly before ripening; it is finer, softer and weaker, and is traditionally retted in water for months before being spun into yarn for mats, twine and rope. Brown coir comes from fully mature husks; it is thicker, stronger and more abrasion resistant, and goes into brushes, doormats, upholstery padding and rope. Both are further sorted by length: fibers about 20 cm or longer are bristle fiber, while shorter, finer fibers are mattress fiber. In India, hand-spun yarns carry regional names such as Anjengo, Aratory and Ashtamudi, the last a thick, shiny yarn used mostly for rope, and yarn and matting fineness is expressed in a unit called scorage.

Fabrics and products

Coir yarn is woven into matting, mats and runners; Coir Board specifications describe matting in scorages of roughly 12 to 20. Tufted and brush-cut doormats set stiff brown fiber on end, and rope and twine use thicker yarns. Curled mattress fiber is bonded with rubber latex into rubberized coir pads for mattresses and upholstery. Woven nets and needled blankets of coir serve as geotextiles for slope and riverbank erosion control while vegetation establishes. Coir pith, the spongy particles left after fiber extraction, is a separate product sold as a growing medium.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Doormats should feel dense and springy, with fiber packed tightly enough that the backing is hard to see; sparse tufts shed quickly. Brown coir should be evenly brown and stiff, while pale, soft white coir suits yarn goods but wears faster underfoot. Many mats have PVC backings, so check the label if you want an all-natural product. For geotextiles, specifications should state mass per square meter, open area and tensile strength. For growing media, ask whether the pith was washed or buffered, since growers use those steps to manage salt content. Dyed polypropylene bristle is a common look-alike and melts in a flame instead of charring.

Care in detail

Shake or beat coir doormats outdoors and vacuum them regularly, because embedded grit abrades the fibers. Brush out dried mud with a stiff brush rather than washing it in. Coir tolerates wetting better than most plant fibers, so a mat can be rinsed with plain water and a little mild detergent, but it must dry completely, standing on edge in airy shade; a mat left soggy on a hard floor can rot, stain the floor or grow mold. Avoid bleach, which weakens and blotches the fiber. Printed mats fade in direct sun. Rubberized coir mattress pads need ventilation and should not be soaked. Replace mats when the pile flattens and sheds heavily.

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

Because coir comes from husks, a byproduct of the coconut crop, its land and water footprint is largely attributed to coconut farming, but processing matters. Long retting of husks in Kerala's backwaters releases polyphenols and organic matter into the water, and researchers have studied cleaner routes such as mechanical defibering, steam explosion and microbial softening. Dry milling of green husks avoids months of retting but produces only mattress fiber, while mature husks in crushing mills need only about 7 to 10 days of retting. Many coir doormats are backed with PVC, which adds a fossil-based, hard-to-recycle layer. No comprehensive life cycle assessment covering the full coir supply chain was identified in this pass.

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	1.15 to 1.25 g/cm3	compiled literature range	[1]
Elongation at break	15 to 51 %	compiled literature range; one 2021 test on brown coir measured about 13 to 29%	[1]
Fiber diameter	100 to 450 microns	technical fiber, compiled literature range	[1]
Tensile strength	95 to 304 MPa	compiled literature range	[1]

Cellulose-rich plant material

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

Structure and chemistry

Coir technical fibers are thick, roughly 0.3 mm in diameter, and short, made of elementary cells with relatively large lumens and a high microfibril angle, reported around 30 to 49 degrees. Brown coir is unusual among cellulosic fibers for its very high lignin content, reported at about 40 to 46 percent, with cellulose only about 32 to 47 percent and little hemicellulose. The lignin-cellulose complex gives stiffness and thermal stability, and pores in the fiber can be plugged by tyloses. Polyphenols leach from the husk during wet processing.

From source to yarn

Traditional extraction soaks husks in water so that microbes degrade the soft tissue and pectin; in Kerala, retting in backwater lagoons has long been practiced, and studies there have measured polyphenols in the retting liquor and isolated phenol-tolerant bacteria. After retting, husks are beaten to release fiber, which is washed, dried, cleaned and spun into yarn by hand or machine. Mechanical defibering of husks without long retting is also used, particularly for mature husks and for bristle and filling grades. Alternatives studied to reduce pollution include steam explosion and microbial softening with organisms such as Pseudomonas putida and Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Performance in use

The high lignin content and large microfibril angle make coir tough and extensible: reported elongation at break is about 15 to 40 percent, much higher than abaca or sisal, while bundle tensile strength is modest, generally about 95 to 343 MPa. Coir is stiff and springy, resists abrasion and microbial decay better than most plant fibers, and tolerates wetting, which suits doormats, brushes, geotextiles and erosion control mats. Alkali treatment removes surface lignin and roughens the fiber for composites but changes strength little. Its lignin causes yellowing and darkening in light, and bleaching is difficult.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only: coir chars and smolders with a woody smell, reflecting its lignin content. It is easily recognized by its thickness, reddish-brown color, stiffness and coarse texture. Microscopy shows hollow cells with thick lignified walls, and FTIR shows strong aromatic lignin bands. Confusions arise with other hard fibers such as sisal, with dyed polypropylene bristle, and between coir fiber and coir pith products in horticulture.

History

Timeline

2005Selected microorganisms were tested for biosoftening coir fiber. [4]
2012An environmentally friendlier method for extracting coir fiber was reported. [5]
2018FAO statistics recorded about 475,000 tonnes of brown coir fiber from India and about 90,000 tonnes from Sri Lanka. [3]
2021Alkali treatment tests showed that 5% NaOH barely changed coir tensile strength over 48 hours, while it weakened abaca after about 12 hours. [2]
2025Drying at 90 C, mercerizing and epoxy coating raised the stiffness of Colombian coir fibers for polylactic acid composites. [6]

Coconut-fiber rope and matting have a long history around the Indian Ocean. Modern uses broadened into horticulture and geotextiles.

The deeper record

Coir rope and matting have a long history around the Indian Ocean, where husk fiber was valued for marine cordage because it withstands seawater. Kerala's backwaters became a center of retting and hand spinning, and the practice also created water-quality problems from organic load and polyphenols released into lagoons. Research institutes in India have since investigated cleaner extraction, enzyme and microbial softening, and uses for coir pith, while geotextiles and growing media broadened the market beyond mats and rope.

Labeling and law

Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 lists coir (coconut) in Annex I, defined as fibre obtained from the fruit of Cocos nucifera, so EU fibre-composition labels can use that name. In the US, textile products covered by the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (15 U.S.C. 70 et seq.) and 16 CFR Part 303 disclose natural fibers by common name. Many coir goods are industrial or horticultural rather than apparel or household textiles, so different product rules may apply, and claims about retting method or chemical treatment should be documented by the supplier.

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

Frequently asked

What is the difference between brown and white coir?

Brown coir comes from mature coconut husks and is thick, strong and abrasion resistant, used for brushes, doormats and padding. White coir comes from husks harvested shortly before ripening; it is finer, softer and weaker, and is traditionally retted for months, then spun into yarn for mats, twine and rope.

Is coir the same as coco peat?

No. Coir fiber is the long strand from the husk, used for mats, rope, brushes and geotextiles. Coco peat, or coir pith, is the spongy dust and short particles left after the fiber is removed; it is used in potting mixes and should be washed or buffered by the supplier.

Can a coir doormat get wet?

Yes, more than most natural fiber mats, since coir resists rot and seawater comparatively well. The problem is drying: a mat that stays wet on a hard floor can mold or stain the floor. Stand it on edge in shade until fully dry before putting it back.

Why does my coir mat shed?

Brush-cut and tufted coir mats are made of short, stiff fibers set on end, and some loose ends work free with foot traffic, especially in the first weeks. Heavy, continuing shedding usually means low fiber density or worn tufts, and the mat is due for replacement.

Sources

Cite this page

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