Viscose vs rayon
In the US, viscose is a form of rayon and either name may be used. In the EU, viscose is its own fibre name
Direct answer. In the United States, viscose is a form of rayon, and either name may be used. 16 CFR § 303.7(d) (2025 annual Code, title 16) is headed “Rayon” and does not use the word viscose. The FTC’s Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts says the ISO standard uses the name viscose for the predominant form of rayon, and “You may use either name.” In the EU, “viscose” is its own fibre name in Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. The consolidated English text used here is CELEX 02011R1007-20180215 (EN, 15.02.2018; reference line 02011R1007 — EN — 15.02.2018 — 004.001). This page is not legal advice.
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.”
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. Paste a composition line and see which fibre names it finds.
Checklist before you print viscose or rayon
- For a US label under the Textile Rules, read 16 CFR § 303.7(d) on govinfo. The generic name in that paragraph is rayon. Lyocell is an optional term inside the same paragraph, not a synonym for every rayon.
- Read the FTC sentence before you treat viscose as a forbidden US word. The business-guidance page says you may use either name.
- For an EU composition line, use the Annex I name. Entry 25 is “viscose.” Cupro, modal, and lyocell are separate entries.
- Do not replace the fibre name with Tencel. That job is Flag Lycra and Tencel trade names.
- “Bamboo” is not an Annex I name. The fibre-name page is Bamboo on an EU textile label.
United States: 16 CFR § 303.7(d)
Section 303.7 of the 2025 annual Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, is “Generic names and definitions for manufactured fibers.” Paragraph (d) says: “Rayon. A manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose, as well as manufactured fibers composed of regenerated cellulose in which substituents have replaced not more than 15% of the hydrogens of the hydroxyl groups. Where the fiber is composed of cellulose precipitated from an organic solution in which no substitution of the hydroxyl groups takes place and no chemical intermediates are formed, the term lyocell may be used as a generic description of the fiber.”
That paragraph does not define modal, cupro, or viscose. The same section’s PDF is CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec303-7.pdf.
The FTC’s Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts says: “A few common fibers recognized by the Commission have different names in the ISO standard. For example, the ISO standard uses the name viscose for the predominant form of rayon, and elastane for spandex. You may use either name.” Elastane and spandex are a separate name pair.
EU: Annex I entries for cupro, modal, viscose, and lyocell
The rows below are copied from Annex I of the consolidated English text of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, CELEX 02011R1007-20180215, reference line 02011R1007 — EN — 15.02.2018 — 004.001. That is the same consolidation used on the elastane page. How a composition line is written is EU textile fibre composition labels. The manufacturing tolerance is Article 20. Great Britain’s fibre-content rules are UK clothing label requirements.
| No. | Name | Fibre description |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | cupro | regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by the cuprammonium process |
| 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 |
| 33 | lyocell | a regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by dissolution, and an organic solvent (mixture of organic chemicals and water) spinning process, without formation of derivatives |
The words of entry 22 through “are:” are HTML text in the consolidation. The two formulas are images in that HTML. Those images read BC (cN) ≥ 1,3 √T + 2T and BM (cN) ≥ 0,5 √T. The sentence “where T is the mean linear density in decitex” is HTML text after the images. This table does not compare softness, durability, sustainability, or health.
Bamboo, and the trade name Tencel
“Bamboo” is not an Annex I fibre name. When the fibre is viscose, the name on an EU composition line is viscose: Bamboo on an EU textile label. Tencel is a trade name, not entry 33. Flag it on Lycra and Tencel.
What this page is not
- Not legal advice, a fibre test, or a comparison of how the fibres feel, wear, or are made beyond the legal descriptions quoted above.
- Not a substitute for the live Annex I text or the live 16 CFR § 303.7.
- Not the trade-name page. That URL is Lycra and Tencel.
- Not the elastane page. That URL is Elastane vs spandex.
Related pages
- Textile fibre composition checker — paste a composition line in the browser
- EU textile fibre composition labels — Annex I names, not trade names
- Bamboo on an EU textile label
- Flag Lycra and Tencel trade names
- EU textile fibre composition tolerance — Article 20
- Elastane vs spandex
- UK clothing label requirements
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, consolidated to 15 February 2018
- 16 CFR § 303.7 (2025) — govinfo XML
- FibreLedger Textile Labels — live App Store listing
- Shopify apps hub
- Tools
Not legal advice. Confirm Annex I entries 21, 22, 25, and 33 on the live consolidated text, and 16 CFR § 303.7(d) on govinfo, before you print viscose or rayon. The app checks fibre names you enter. It does not test a fabric.