What Is Tencel? The Brand Behind Lyocell

Short answer: Tencel is a brand name, not a material. It belongs to the Austrian producer Lenzing and is used for their lyocell and modal. If a label says Tencel, the material is lyocell from one particular factory, and nothing other than lyocell.

Who Lenzing are

Lenzing is an Austrian producer of cellulose fibres that has made viscose since 1938 and lyocell since the 1990s. Tencel is the name they sell their lyocell and modal under, and it is used by clothing brands all over the world.

Why a brand name matters

Lyocell can be made by many factories at widely varying quality. A brand name says who made the fibre and that it was made to one particular standard. That is the only information the name gives, and it is not nothing.

The two types

There is Tencel Lyocell and Tencel Modal. Lyocell is the stronger of the two and is used in everything from T-shirts to bedding. Modal is softer and is used mostly in underwear and in clothing meant to fall close to the body.

How it feels

It feels like lyocell, because it is lyocell. Smooth against the skin, cool for the first minutes and with a surface that does not pill. See bamboo clothing for women and bamboo for men for the same feel in bamboo viscose.

In bedding

Tencel is also used for bedding, where strength counts most, because a set is washed weekly for years. See bamboo bedding for the qualities we carry and how the different fibres are described on each item.

What the name does not promise

Tencel says nothing about how thick the fabric is, how it is woven, or how well the garment is sewn. A badly sewn garment in Tencel is still a badly sewn garment, and that is worth remembering at the point of purchase.

The price

A garment in Tencel costs more than the same one in ordinary viscose. Part of the difference is the fibre and part is the name. Whether it is worth the money depends on how often the garment will be worn and washed.

How it is washed

30 to 40 degrees without fabric softener, and let it air dry. Tencel takes slightly more than ordinary viscose, but not boil washes. The rules are the same as for all lyocell, whichever factory the fibre comes from.

Where you meet the name

The name is usually on a small hang tag beside the ordinary care label. If it appears only in the product text on a page and not in the garment's own label, it is worth checking what is actually in the blend.

What to look for

Check how large a share of the blend is Tencel. A garment with twenty per cent Tencel and eighty per cent polyester is using the name as a selling point, and it does not feel like one with ninety per cent. See also the whole truth about bamboo textiles and sleep better with bamboo.