Kapok also called “plant down”, is the hollow fibre of the Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). Kapok is the long fibres of the fruits of an tree growing in the tropics. The fibre itself is smooth, transparent with large lumen and thin cell wall. The average fibre length is 19mm with an average fibre width of 19 μm.
In contrast to many other natural fibres, the cellulose content of the Kapok fibre is relatively low with about 35%, other important components being Xylan (22%) and Lignin (21.5%). Also unusual is the high number of acetyl groups with 13%.
The most recent statistics on production are shown below. Additional information about Kapok would be welcome; please send information to: Secretariat[at]dnfi.org
- West Java – 510 metric tons (2012)
- East Java – 30 482 metric tons (2010)
- Central Java – 7 metric tons (2011)
