ForMatter/Materials/biomaterial/Bacterial Cellulose
mat_bacterial_cellulose

Bacterial Cellulose

fermented bacterial-grown cellulose, sheet form · BC, kombucha leather, nata de coco (food form), microbial cellulose
mediumlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

Cellulose grown by bacteria — most often *Komagataeibacter xylinus* in a sweet-tea fermentation that's the same chemistry as a kombucha SCOBY. The bacteria secrete a thick mat of pure-cellulose nanofibers across the surface of the broth; the mat dries down into a leather-like sheet. Designers and biofabrication labs have been using this since the early 2010s for everything from textile alternatives to wound dressings to acoustic diaphragms.

Highly-pure cellulose I (≥99% by dry mass) secreted as a hydrogel pellicle by *Komagataeibacter* species fermented on glucose / sucrose / fruit-juice substrate. Native pellicle is ~99% water. Dried sheet density 0.6–1.0 g/cm³ depending on processing. Tensile strength of dried sheet 60–200 MPa, modulus 5–15 GPa — comparable to wood, much stronger than cotton. Biodegradable. Variable color depending on substrate / dye; natural color is tan to brown after drying.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_dried130
  • elastic_modulus_gpa_dried10
  • density_kg_m3_dried800
source: Klemm et al., *Bacterial nanocellulose review*, Polymer Reviews 2018

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg0.6
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilityhigh — biodegradable in standard composting (~30 days)
  • biodegradableTrue
  • certificationsTÜV OK Compost HOME (per producer, varies)
visual
tan to brown leather-like sheet, often with grain or wrinkle pattern from fermentation
tactile
leather-like dry, gel-like wet, texture variable with substrate

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere fibrous finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      fibrous
albedo        #a08868
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.70
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.70
anisotropic   0.50
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#a08868",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.7,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.7,
  "anisotropic": 0.5
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Bacterial Cellulose · finish: fibrous
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_bacterial_cellulose")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.3515, 0.2462, 0.1384, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.700
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.700
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.500
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Bacterial Cellulose · finish: fibrous
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_bacterial_cellulose", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (160, 136, 104))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.700)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Bacterial Cellulose \u00b7 finish: fibrous",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.3515,
    "g": 0.2462,
    "b": 0.1384
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.7,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.5,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_bacterial_cellulose",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.3515,
          0.2462,
          0.1384,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.7
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        },
        "KHR_materials_sheen": {
          "sheenColorFactor": [
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0
          ],
          "sheenRoughnessFactor": 0.7
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Bacterial Cellulose · finish: fibrous
def Material "mat_bacterial_cellulose" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_bacterial_cellulose/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.3515, 0.2462, 0.1384)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.700
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessLaser Cutting · Adhesive Bonding
Substitutes
Mushroom Leather (Mylo / Reishi)
Piñatex (Pineapple Leaf Fiber)

Citations