How is Bamboo Textile Fibre made?

The bamboo forests in China have largely been cultivated there for many hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years. Every year, in spring and summer, new poles (called culms), grow from a shoot underground. One shoot of the larger timber varieties of bamboo weighs between 2-4 kg when it is less than 30cm high. At this stage it is quite soft and can easily be cut with a knife. It is also eminently edible, when prepared properly. If left to grow, this shoot reaches its full height of say 20 metres in an incredible 3 months, (height depending on variety). When mature, the timber is extraordinarily resilient and strong. It has a tensile strength quite similar to mild steel.

Bamboo textile fibre is made from bamboo timber which has matured in the forest for at least 4 years. In Australia, as elsewhere around the world, a fluff, which looks very much like cotton wool, is made via a fibrolator from pine timber chips. When coated with resins and compressed, it turns into MDF (medium density fibreboard), when slurried and rolled it is easily converted to paper.

Bamboo textile fibre is made in 3 stages in a similar manner to the fluff which is produced from pine chips, but with the aid of strong alkaline solutions which break down the lignins which join the fibres together in natural timber. At each subsequent stage the fibers are further refined ( become finer) and finally they are bleached. The resultant fluff is very long in staple and visibly finer than other fibre.

Spinning this into yarn is quite a simple matter for anyone who has ever seen spinning of wool or any other fibre. The longer staple and higher tensile strength is what makes a tough, soft yarn – which is not as susceptible to wearing and fraying as many other yarns. This is what gives bamboo fabrics excellent durability. The hollowness of the fibre contributes to its very high level of absorbency. But it also takes longer to dry on a clothesline. The hollowness of the fibre also enables it to hold dyes and pigments more readily and permanently, thus making it much more colourfast.