Modal vs viscose
Modal and viscose are different Annex I fibre names, not two words for the same fibre
Direct answer. Under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, both “modal” and “viscose” are textile fibre names in Annex I, with different definitions. Modal is entry 22: a regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by a modified viscose process having a high breaking force and high wet modulus. Viscose is entry 25: regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by the viscose process for filament and discontinuous fibre. The rows below are from the original English Official Journal, OJ L 272, 18 October 2011, CELEX 32011R1007, read as the Publications Office HTML of that issue. The ELI page is the public citation. This page is not legal advice, and it does not say which fibre is softer, stronger in wear, or preferable.
FibreLedger Textile Labels (Shopify App Store · Write a review): “Check EU textile fibre names, record French origin and environmental-impact information, and retain EPR registration and audit records.” It does not certify fibre composition lab results.
Related: EU Food Info Guard — EU food information — allergens, origin, and nutrition before purchase.
Free check first: Textile fibre composition checker runs in your browser and sends nothing.
Checklist
- Use the Annex I name that matches the fibre description. Entry 22 is modal. Entry 25 is viscose.
- Do not swap in a brand name. Trade marks sit next to the composition description under Article 16(2), quoted below.
- Do not treat this page as a ranking of hand-feel, durability, or environmental impact. Annex I does not rank those.
- For a US label, read viscose vs rayon. This page does not apply a US generic name to the EU rows.
Article 5, then the two rows
Article 5(1): “Only the textile fibre names listed in Annex I shall be used for the description of fibre compositions on labels and markings of textile products.”
Article 5(2): “Use of the names listed in Annex I shall be reserved for textile fibres the nature of which corresponds to the description set out in that Annex.” The next sentence: “The names listed in Annex I shall not be used for other fibres, whether on their own or as a root or as an adjective.”
Annex I is headed “List of textile fibre names (referred to in Article 5).” Entries 22 and 25 are in Table 2. The words through “are:” and the closing “where T” sentence are HTML text. The two formulas are images in that HTML. Those images read BC (cN) ≥ 1,3 √T + 2T and BM (cN) ≥ 0,5 √T. Neither row has a footnote.
| No. | Name | Fibre description |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | modal | a regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by a modified viscose process having a high breaking force and high wet modulus. The breaking force (BC) in the conditioned state and the force (BM) required to produce an elongation of 5 % in the wet state are: BC (cN) ≥ 1,3 √T + 2T and BM (cN) ≥ 0,5 √T where T is the mean linear density in decitex |
| 25 | viscose | regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by the viscose process for filament and discontinuous fibre |
The consolidated text of 15 February 2018, CELEX 02011R1007-20180215, reproduces the same wording for these two rows. That consolidation’s amendment table runs through Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/122. It states that it is a documentation tool and has no legal effect. This page did not retrieve a consolidation later than 15 February 2018.
Which is better
Annex I states a legal fibre name and a fibre description. It does not rank softness, drape, durability, or environmental impact, and this page does not add a ranking. “Rayon” is not an Annex I name. The US comparison is viscose vs rayon. Fleece wool and virgin wool are Article 8 and Annex III, on virgin wool.
On a Shopify product page
Article 16(1): “When making a textile product available on the market, the textile fibre composition descriptions referred to in Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9 shall be indicated in catalogues and trade literature, on packaging, labels and markings in a manner that is easily legible, visible, clear and in print which is uniform as regards its size, style and font. This information shall be clearly visible to the consumer before the purchase, including in cases where the purchase is made by electronic means.”
Article 16(2): “Trade marks or the name of the undertaking may be given immediately before or after textile fibre composition descriptions referred to in Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9.” The next sentence: “However, where a trade mark or a name of an undertaking contains, on its own or as a root or as an adjective, one of the textile fibre names listed in Annex I or a name liable to be confused therewith, such trade mark or name shall be given immediately before or after the textile fibre composition descriptions referred to in Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9.”
A practical reading, not legal advice: when the Regulation requires the fibre composition, the product title or description uses the Annex I name, and a trade mark does not replace it. Flag trade names on Lycra and Tencel.
Related fibre-name pages
- Viscose vs rayon
- Virgin wool
- Elastane vs spandex
- EU textile fibre labels
- Lycra and Tencel trade names
- Bamboo on an EU textile label
- Fibre composition tolerance
What this page is not
- Not legal advice, a fibre test, or a claim that one fibre wears better.
- Not a US generic-name rule. That comparison is viscose vs rayon.
- Not a lab certificate. FibreLedger does not certify fibre composition lab results.
Related pages
- Textile fibre composition checker
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 — ELI
- FibreLedger Textile Labels — live App Store listing
- Shopify apps hub
- Tools
Not legal advice. Confirm the live Annex I text before you print a fibre name. The quotes above are the original Official Journal of 18 October 2011, checked against the consolidation of 15 February 2018 for these two rows only. The app checks EU textile fibre names and records the fields in its listing. It does not certify fibre composition lab results.