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What is a coir log?

Coir glossary · Updated 2026-09-25 · Also in Português →

Flexible cylinder of coconut fiber packed inside a netting and staked to the ground, used to slow runoff, trap sediment and protect the toe of slopes, streambanks and shorelines.

Coir log: construction and use.

The USDA NRCS engineering handbook describes coir fiber rolls as cylindrical structures of natural fibers bound together with twine woven from coconut, most often made 12 inches (about 30 cm) in diameter and 20 feet (about 6 m) long. Along shorelines they act as breakwaters, contain substrate and encourage wetland vegetation. The Vermont bioengineering manual gives 12–16 inch (30–40 cm) rolls, about 10 feet long, for slope and toe stabilization at low to moderate energy sites, not at sites with significant wave action.

On slopes, the EPA fact sheet on fiber rolls calls for rolls at least 8 inches (about 20 cm) in diameter, set in trenches at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep and staked every 4 feet (about 1.2 m). Row spacing ranges from 10 feet on a 1:1 slope to 40 feet on slopes of 4:1 or flatter.

Brazilian road standard DNIT 074/2006-ES (item 3.8) describes the same device as a sediment retainer or artificial berm: dried plant fibers, pressed and rolled into a flexible cylinder stapled to the soil. The Brazilian trade name for the natural-fiber version is biorretentor.

Coir log: equivalents.

PT: biorretentor · ES: rollo de fibra de coco, biorrollo

Sources: USDA NRCS · EPA · DNIT 074/2006-ES. Definition from the Carve coir glossary, where the full source list is given.

Related terms.

Sediment retainer: Device placed on slopes, in ditches or at the foot of embankments to slow runoff and hold back soil washed off by rain.

Erosion control blanket: Rolled mat of plant fibers (coir, straw or a blend) held together by stitching and netting, laid and stapled over…

Coir fiber: Fibers mechanically extracted from the mesocarp of mature coconut.

See also: Coir logs · Coir fibre for erosion-control blanket makers · back to the coir glossary.

Sources.

  1. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. National Engineering Handbook, Part 650, Chapter 16: Soil Bioengineering for Streambank and Shoreline Protection. Washington, DC: USDA, February 2021. directives.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files2/1712930924/31800.pdf
  2. Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Vermont Bioengineering Manual, section 5.2: Fiber Coir Rolls. Montpelier: VT DEC. dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/wsm/lakes/docs/Shoreland/BioEngineeringManual_coir%20rolls.pdf
  3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Stormwater Best Management Practice: Fiber Rolls. Washington, DC: EPA, 2021 (National Menu of BMPs, Construction). www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-fiber-rolls.pdf
  4. DNIT (Brazilian National Department of Transport Infrastructure). Standard DNIT 074/2006-ES: Environmental treatment of slopes by erosion-control devices — Service specification. Rio de Janeiro: IPR, 2006. Items 3.1, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9. www.gov.br/dnit/pt-br/assuntos/planejamento-e-pesquisa/ipr/coletanea-de-normas/coletanea-de-normas/especificacao-de-servico-es/dnit_074_2006_es.pdf
CARVE
About this page. Part of the coir glossary maintained by Carve Biorrefinaria Agroindustrial Ltda, a coir pith and fiber producer in Paraipaba, Ceará, Brazil. Corrections: comercial@carvebio.com.br.