01 · Direct answer.
Coir fibre is traded in five main classes. Brown fibre comes from mature husks and white fibre from green husks retted in water.[1] Brown fibre is then sold as bristle (long, combed), mattress (shorter, soft), mixed (unsorted) or twisted (spun into rope for curl).[1][2] Carve supplies mixed brown fibre of the mattress type, loose in bales.
| Grade | How it is made | Main uses | Carve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristle | Longest brown fibre, combed (hackled) and tied in bundles by length | Brushes, brooms | Not supplied |
| Mattress | Shorter, softer brown fibre left after bristle is drawn, or decorticated fibre | Mattress cores, needle-punched pads, rubberised coir | Supplied (mixed type) |
| Mixed | Brown fibre unsorted by length, straight from decortication and screening | Erosion-control blankets and logs, pads, geotextiles, substrates | Supplied |
| Twisted / curled | Mattress-type fibre spun into rope, set, then opened | Rubberised coir sheets and mattresses | Not supplied |
| White | Green husks retted in water for months, then beaten | Yarn, rope, fine mats | Not supplied |
Definitions: Wikipedia "Coir" and the grade names used by Sri Lanka's Coconut Development Authority.[1][2]
02 · Brown and white fibre.
Brown fibre is extracted from mature coconuts. It is thick, strong and abrasion-resistant, with more lignin than white fibre; Carve's data sheet gives 35–45 % lignin as the literature value.[1][3] White fibre is extracted from green husks after long retting in water; it is finer and is spun into yarn. Carve works only with mature dry husk, decorticated without retting, so its fibre is brown.
03 · How the market prices each grade.
Sri Lanka publishes export values by fibre grade, which makes the price gap between grades visible:
| Sri Lanka export, grade | 2025 tonnes | 2025 US$/t | H1 2026 US$/t |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristle fibre | 1,388 | 1,096 | 1,610 |
| Twisted fibre | 8,263 | 348 | 322 |
| Mattress fibre | 48,874 | 222 | 223 |
Source: Coconut Development Authority, Sri Lanka, CDA export performance 2025 and June 2026 comparison tables; US$ per tonne derived from the published values.[2] More benchmarks, including China CIF and Brazil export unit values, on Coir fibre price 2026.
04 · What Carve supplies.
- Class: mixed brown fibre of the mattress type, 10–40 cm, loose, not combed.
- Process: decorticated from mature dry husk, fibre retained on a ~4.1 mm rotary screen, no chemicals.
- Format: pressed bales; export bales of 100–130 kg, specification on request.
- Not supplied: bristle, twisted or curled, white fibre. Not suited to brushes, brooms or handicrafts.
Full sheet: Coir fibre specification. By use: mattress fibre · erosion control. Glossary: bristle fiber · mattress fiber · coir fiber.
05 · Frequently asked questions.
What is the difference between bristle and mattress coir fibre?
Bristle fibre is the longest, thickest fibre, combed and sorted by length for brushes and brooms. Mattress fibre is shorter and softer and goes into mattress cores, needle-punched pads and rubberised coir. In Sri Lanka's 2025 export statistics bristle fibre averaged about US$1,096 per tonne and mattress fibre about US$222 per tonne.
What is mixed coir fibre?
Brown fibre left unsorted by length, as it comes off the decorticator and screen. It is the class closest to mattress fibre and is sold loose in bales.
What is twisted or curled coir?
Mattress-type fibre spun into rope so that it sets with a curl. Rubberised-coir makers open the rope and bond the curled fibre with latex.
What is white coir fibre?
Fibre from green (unripe) husks retted in water for months, finer and lighter in colour, used mainly for yarn and rope. Brown fibre comes from mature husks.
Which grade does Carve supply?
Mixed brown fibre of the mattress type: decorticated from mature dry husk, 10 to 40 cm, loose, not combed, in pressed bales. Carve does not supply bristle, twisted or white fibre.
06 · Sources.
- Wikipedia, "Coir": brown and white fibre, bristle and mattress fibre, retting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir.
- Coconut Development Authority, Sri Lanka: export performance tables 2025 and June 2026 comparison (cda.gov.lk); daily price bulletin grade names (bristle 1 tie and 2 tie, mattress, omat, mix fibre).
- Carve public data sheet, Coir Fiber.