Fibre encyclopedia
Modal
Also called modal · CMD · modal rayon · TENCEL Modal
Regenerated cellulose made by a modified viscose process, defined by how much force it holds when wet.
Class
Regenerated
Comes from
From dissolved plant pulp
Where it comes from
Modal comes off the same family of processes as viscose, modified so the fibre keeps more of its strength while wet. The labelling rules define it by exactly that: a minimum breaking force in the wet state, stated as a formula rather than as a description.
How it feels to wear
Air
Air moves through the fibre easily
Water
Takes water into the fibre
Heat
Lets body heat go
Stretch
No stretch of its own
Wear
Holds up to ordinary rubbing
Modal absorbs as viscose does and keeps more of its strength while wet, which is why it survives machine washing where a viscose of the same weight would not. The fibre is fine and smooth, so cloth made from it stays flat and shows dye evenly.
Care
- Machine wash cool on a gentle cycle.
- Dry in shade; heat shrinks it.
- Iron on the reverse at a medium setting.
Modal is often blended with cotton in knitwear, and then the wash follows the cotton.
End of life
Recycling route
Chemical recycling
Modal is cellulose, so it belongs to the same dissolving route as viscose and cotton, running at small scale on sorted waste.
In a blend
Blended with elastane, which is common in knitwear, modal leaves the cellulose route.
Skin notes
Mechanical
Fine smooth fibre, with no mechanical prickle route.
Chemical
Dye and finish are the same open question as with viscose, and the label answers neither.
If your skin reacts to a garment, a dermatologist and patch testing are what can answer it. A label cannot, and neither can this page.
What the label cannot tell you
The label says modal. It does not say where the pulp came from, and it does not say what share of the knit is modal unless the composition line breaks it down.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling, Annex I. Checked 22 August 2026
- ISO 2076:2021, Textiles, man-made fibres, generic names. Checked 22 August 2026
Written from primary sources and in our own words. Where a figure could not be traced to a source anyone can open, it is not printed here.
Read the label you are holding
The scan surface reads one care label and names which questions it answers and which it leaves out. A passport says for one specific piece what a label cannot: the composition with its percentages, where the cloth came from, who worked on it, how to repair it and where it goes next.