What Is Modal? Fabric Guide from Beech Wood

Modal is a cellulose fibre made from beech wood: lighter and softer than cotton. We use exclusively TENCEL™ Modal from Lenzing in Austria. The beech wood comes from over 99% FSC- and PEFC-certified European forestry, produced with the oxygen-based Eco Clean technology. In this guide you get an honest assessment: what Modal actually is, how it is made, how it compares with cotton and Lyocell, how to care for it properly and when it best suits your wardrobe.

Modal is a regenerated fibre made from 100% natural cellulose, obtained from beech wood. It belongs to the same fibre family as viscose and Lyocell. Unlike synthetic fibres such as polyester, Modal is not made from petroleum but from wood. Unlike cotton, which comes directly from the plant fibre, the cellulose in Modal goes through a chemical spinning process. That is why Modal is technically semi-synthetic: natural raw material, technical spinning process.

Modal fibres are extremely fine. On average 10 kilometres of fibre weigh only 1.3 grams, the even finer variant Micromodal comes to 1 gram per 10 kilometres. For comparison: a human hair is many times thicker.

TENCEL™ Modal vs. generic Modal

This is where it gets interesting: not every Modal is the same. Some Modal processes are chemical and resource-intensive. That is why we decided on TENCEL™ Modal from Lenzing in Austria, with the Eco Clean technology. Here the bleaching process is built on oxygen-based chemistry instead of the conventional process. The beech wood comes from over 99% FSC- and PEFC-certified European forestry, mainly from Austria.

If a care label only says "Modal", you still know nothing about the wood source or the bleaching process. If it says "TENCEL™ Modal" or "Lenzing Modal", you have the additional information: certified wood and Eco Clean process.

What is Micromodal?

Micromodal, also called Modal x Micro, is a finer variant of the Modal fibre: the individual fibre is even thinner than with classic Modal. The result is an even lighter, more silky handle with the same raw material and the same production principle. We use the fine variant in our Light Touch collection, there as TENCEL™ Modal x Micro from Lenzing.

Production runs in several steps. Explained simply:

Wood sourcing: Beech logs from FSC- and PEFC-certified forests are debarked and processed into small chips. Important: Lenzing uses wood that is not suitable for higher-value processing (e.g. furniture making).
Pulp extraction: Pure cellulose is extracted from the wood chips by chemical pulping.
Spinning process: The cellulose is prepared in a spinning solution and spun through fine nozzles into continuous filaments. This is where Lenzing uses the Eco Clean technology.
Processing: The fibres are spun into yarn, dyed and knitted into jersey.

At Lenzing, care is taken to recover process chemicals at high rates and to minimise waste water and emission loads. By-products such as sodium sulphate or soda are not disposed of but passed on to the detergent, glass and food industries, according to Lenzing an approach that breaks the linearity of classic textile production.

The Modal fibre under the microscope

The individual Modal fibre has a particularly smooth surface. That is exactly what explains the silky handle: smooth surfaces reflect light more evenly and rub less on the skin. That makes Modal particularly soft and smooth to wear, finer than many cotton qualities.

Modal is a fibre with clearly defined strengths. Here is what you feel on the skin and how you recognise Modal fabrics in your drawer:

Silky smooth handle, thanks to the smooth fibre surface and the high fineness
Easy to care for, creases considerably less than cotton and is easy to iron
Smooth fibre surface, and therefore little friction on the skin

Modal is not the ultimate sports material: under extreme strain with a lot of sweat, Lyocell or performance-fibre blends are often the better choice. In everyday life, in the office, when sleeping and when travelling, though, Modal plays to its strengths.

When does Modal suit you better than cotton?

That is the question we hear most often. Clear situations in which Modal is the better choice:

Cotton becomes too firm for you after many washes. Modal feels silky smooth. Cotton jersey often becomes somewhat stiffer over time.
You are looking for an extremely light feel. Modal wears as if there were hardly anything there. If you want clothing to be as invisible as possible under your shirt, your blouse or your dress, Modal is your material.

If you are now looking for a specific style: take a look at our Modal underwear for women: all styles in TENCEL™ Modal from Lenzing, in sizes XS-XXL.

Modal has clear strengths, but also a few points you should know before you buy. Here is the honest list:

Higher price: The more elaborate spinning process makes Modal more expensive to produce than conventional cotton. You notice that on the price tag.
More sensitive to washing at high temperatures: Even though the fibre can take more, we recommend 30-40 °C on a gentle cycle. Always check the care label of your specific style for this.
Lower wet strength than Lyocell: Wet Modal is more sensitive. Treat it gently when washing so it keeps its shape: laundry bag, low spin speed, dry flat.
Warms less in winter: The fine, light fibre insulates less than thicker cotton or wool qualities. For cold days there are warmer options.
Industrial man-made fibre process: Modal is a regenerated cellulose fibre: plant-based raw material, chemical spinning process. By its own account Lenzing works with the oxygen-based Eco Clean bleach, but the fibre is still not a purely mechanically obtained natural product.
Elastane usually needed: For Modal underwear to sit and keep its shape, it usually needs a share of elastane. You will rarely find 100% Modal in close-fitting underwear.

How Modal fares in a direct duel with cotton, you can read in our comparison Modal vs. Cotton.

Modal, Lyocell and cotton are all three cellulose-based, and are often positioned in the range as alternatives to one another. Where are the real differences?

Criterion	TENCEL™ Modal	TENCEL™ Lyocell	organically grown cotton
Raw material	Beech wood	Eucalyptus / beech	Cotton plant
Process	Eco Clean (oxygen-based)	Closed loop (>99% solvent recovery)	controlled organic cultivation (kbA)
Feel	silky, fluid	silky, somewhat more stable	classic cotton-like, more robust
Care	up to 60 °C, rec. 40 °C	up to 60 °C	up to 60 °C+
Tendency to crease	low	low	higher
Ideal for	everyday wear, summer, bra/briefs/bodysuit	active days, robust basics	sensitive skin, classic basics

All three cellulose fibres go back to wood as a raw material and need little water in fibre production, but they have different sensory profiles. If the direct comparison of Lyocell with cotton interests you, we have broken it down in detail in our magazine article Lyocell vs Cotton.

Which one do you choose when?

Modal: When wearing comfort, a soft drape and a silky handle matter to you. Classic use: bra, bralette, briefs, bodysuit, loungewear for the warmer season.
Lyocell: When you want underwear that stays stable when wet, sweat a lot or want underwear to be especially robust.
Cotton (kbA): When you have sensitive skin, love the classic cotton feel or want particularly robust basics. Our cotton underwear for women is made, depending on the item, from organically grown cotton (kbA), Cotton in Conversion (CiC) or conventionally grown cotton.

Modal is easy to care for, but a few rules extend its life considerably.

Washing. Modal tolerates 30 to 60 °C, but we recommend a maximum of 40 °C on a gentle cycle with a delicates detergent. Spin at a low speed, 600 revolutions per minute is enough. Put bras, bralettes and lace styles into a laundry bag to avoid friction with other textiles. You do not need bleach or fabric softener; both weaken the fibre.

Drying. Modal may go in the tumble dryer, provided the care label does not rule it out. We still recommend the washing line, gentler on the fibre and on your electricity consumption. Larger pieces are best dried flat, because wet Modal is heavy and can stretch lengthways.

Ironing. Modal hardly creases. If you do iron: low to medium setting, ideally with steam.

What you should avoid: bleach, very hot dryer cycles, harsh spin programmes, aggressive heavy-duty detergents. That way your Modal piece keeps its shape considerably longer and retains its silky handle.

Here is our attempt to answer the sustainability question honestly, without sliding into greenwashing.

What we can state as fact:

Beech wood is a renewable raw material, unlike petroleum-based synthetic fibres such as polyester.
Lenzing beech wood comes from over 99% FSC®- and PEFC™-certified European forestry.
The Eco Clean technology reduces the use of chemicals in the bleaching process.
Lenzing recovers process chemicals at high rates and feeds by-products (sodium sulphate, soda) back into other industries.
According to Lenzing, fibre production uses less water and energy than the cultivation and processing of cotton.

What we explicitly do not claim:

Modal is not climate-neutral. A blanket CO₂ balance cannot be claimed credibly.
Modal is not GOTS-certified. GOTS applies to natural fibres such as cotton, not to regenerated cellulose fibres.
We avoid claims such as "PFAS-free" or "microplastic-free". Modal behaves differently from synthetic fibres when it breaks down, but without a clear body of studies we do not commit ourselves.

Our position: Modal is a sensible cellulose alternative with clear, demonstrable strengths. It is not the ecological miracle cure that some marketing slogans suggest, but unlike polyester underwear it is a fibre made from wood instead of from petroleum.

We use Modal in our women's range: in bras, bralettes, briefs, thongs, bodysuits, tops, loungewear and nightwear. In the men's range we specifically do not carry Modal, there we cover the silky smooth direction with TENCEL™ Lyocell.

If you are now looking for a style: you will find all current pieces in TENCEL™ Modal in our Modal underwear for women. If you want to go deeper into the material story, read our background on Modal.

Common questions

What is Modal and what is it made from?

Modal is a cellulose fibre made from beech wood that belongs to the family of regenerated fibres. We use exclusively TENCEL™ Modal from Lenzing, produced in Austria, with over 99% FSC- and PEFC-certified wood and the oxygen-based Eco Clean technology. The fibre drapes silky smooth.

Is modal a natural fibre?

No. Modal is made from beech wood, so it comes from a plant-based raw material, but it is not a natural fibre. The wood is first broken down into pulp and then spun into a new fibre. Technically, modal is a man-made fibre made from natural polymers, more precisely a regenerated cellulose fibre, like viscose and lyocell. Natural fibres such as cotton or linen, by contrast, come straight from the plant as fibres. Modal still has little in common with polyester, which is made from petroleum.

What is the difference between Modal and cotton?

Modal is a technically produced cellulose fibre made from beech wood; cotton is a natural fibre obtained directly from the plant. Modal is lighter, smoother. Cotton absorbs more moisture, but stays wet for longer. For a silky light wearing comfort choose Modal; for a classic cotton handle and robust basics, organically grown cotton.

Modal or Lyocell: which is better?

Both are excellent cellulose fibres made from wood. Lyocell is produced in the closed loop process with over 99% solvent recovery and keeps its shape even when wet. Modal uses the Eco Clean technology and feels particularly silky. At erlich textil we use Modal in the women's range and Lyocell above all in men's products. Both have their place.

Is Modal like polyester?

No. Polyester is a synthetic fibre on a petroleum basis, Modal a regenerated cellulose fibre made from beech wood. The only thing they have in common is the smooth handle. The origin of the raw material and the recycling paths of the two fibres also differ considerably.

At what temperature do you wash Modal?

Modal tolerates 30 to 60 °C, we recommend a maximum of 40 °C on a gentle cycle with a delicates detergent. Spin at a low speed (max. 600 rpm), use a laundry bag, no bleach. That way the silky handle is preserved for a long time.

Is Modal sustainable?

That depends on your criteria. The facts: TENCEL™ Modal is obtained from over 99% FSC- and PEFC-certified wood, the Eco Clean technology reduces chemicals, process chemicals are recovered at high rates. What Modal is not: GOTS-certified (that applies to natural fibres) or climate-neutral. We do not make such blanket claims.

Which Modal products does erlich textil carry?

Briefs, thongs, bodysuits, bras, bralettes, tops, loungewear and nightwear in the women's range. You will find an overview in our Modal underwear for women. We use Modal specifically for women only; in the men's range we cover the silky smooth direction with TENCEL™ Lyocell.

Sources

Lenzing, TENCEL™ Modal & Lyocell: production process, FSC/PEFC sources, Eco Clean
FSC: Forest Stewardship Council forest certification
PEFC: Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification