ForMatter/Materials/biomaterial/Mycelium Composite (Grown)
mat_mycelium_grown

Mycelium Composite (Grown)

fungal-grown composite, agricultural-substrate matrix · mycelium foam, Ecovative MycoComposite, mushroom packaging, MycoFlex
mediumlast updated 2026-04-26

A foam-like material grown — not manufactured — by feeding fungal mycelium agricultural waste (corn husks, hemp hurds), letting it bind the substrate into a solid mass, then heat-killing the fungus to stabilize the result. Compostable. Grows into the shape of its mold.

Fungal hyphae (Ganoderma, Pleurotus species) cultivated on lignocellulosic substrate in molds for 5–10 days, then dried at 70–90 °C to deactivate growth. Density adjustable through substrate / inoculum ratio. Comparable to expanded polystyrene (EPS) in compressive strength; flame-resistant per ASTM E84 Class A in some grades.

Mechanical

  • density · kg/m³80
  • compressive strength · kPa200
source: Ecovative MycoComposite technical bulletin; published research (Holt et al.)

Thermal

  • thermal conductivity · W/m·K0.05
  • service max · °C60

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon · kg CO₂e/kg0.45
  • recyclabilityvery high — fully home-compostable in 30–90 days; carbon-storing during cultivation
  • biodegradableTrue
  • certificationsTÜV OK Compost HOME, EN 13432
source: Editorial 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.
visual
off-white to tan, retains substrate texture under the surface skin
tactile
spongy, slightly fibrous, not smooth — recognizably grown
weight perception
very light
acoustic
absorbent, dampens sound similar to cork or wool felt

PBR starter values

finish · granular — open for table, JSON, host snippets, downloads

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere granular finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →

# finish:                   granular
albedo                      #c8b898
metallic                    0.00
roughness                   0.85
ior                         1.45
transmission                0.00
clearcoat                   0.00
sheen                       0.00
anisotropic                 0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c8b898",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.85,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Mycelium Composite (Grown) · finish: granular
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_mycelium_grown")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5776, 0.4793, 0.314, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.850
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       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Mycelium Composite (Grown) · finish: granular
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_mycelium_grown", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (200, 184, 152))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.850)
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": "Mycelium Composite (Grown) \u00b7 finish: granular",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5776,
    "g": 0.4793,
    "b": 0.314
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.85,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_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_mycelium_grown",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5776,
          0.4793,
          0.314,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.85
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Mycelium Composite (Grown) · finish: granular
def Material "mat_mycelium_grown" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_mycelium_grown/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5776, 0.4793, 0.314)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.850
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
Used inFood Packaging
Substitutes
Kraft Paperboard
Natural Cork

Second life

repairabilitylow — mycelium structures are typically grown to net shape; damage is hard to invisibly repair.
recyclabilityvery high — fully compostable (the engineered end-of-life for the entire mycelium-as-material category).
disposal pathindustrial composting; home composting where suitable.
typical longevity10 years (typical)
failure modes
  • biodegradation in damp environments (the design feature, the failure mode for outdoor service)
  • dimensional change with humidity
  • fungal regrowth in some formulations

Ecovative Design / Bolt Threads mycelium technical literature; ASTM D6400 industrial-compostable standard.

Citations