| Main Category | Typical Products | Main Industry | |
| Natural Cellulose | Cotton, Wood Pulp, Hemp, Bamboo, Flax | Paper, Textile, Construction, Food | |
| Cellulose Derivatives | Cellulose Ether | HPMC, MHEC, HEC, CMC, MC, EC, HPC | Construction, Paint, Pharmaceutical |
| Cellulose Esters | Cellulose acetate,Cellulose acetate phthalate,Cellulose acetate butyrate | Enteric coating, Pharmaceuticals | |
| Processed Cellulose | Alpha Cellulose, Beta Cellulose, MCC | Chemical Raw Materials | |
| Cellulose Fiber | Wood Fiber, Powder Cellulose, Cotton Fiber | Construction | |
| Regenerated Cellulose | Rayon, Lyocell, Cellophane, Modal, Cupro | Textile, Packaging, Medical | |
| Specialty Cellulose | Nanocellulose, Bacterial Cellulose | Advanced Materials, Biomaterials | |
To help you better understand and identify these types, I will not classify them entirely according to chemical composition, but rather group them based on multiple dimensions such as source, process, and form. This will allow you to have a more intuitive understanding of the types of cellulose.
Natural cellulose mainly comes from plant resources such as wood, cotton, bamboo and flax. It is a rich, renewable and highly biodegradable natural polymer material.
Due to its stable chemical structure, excellent chemical properties and high durability, it is widely used in various fields such as papermaking, textile, food, pharmaceutical excipients and the production of cellulose ethers.
When you need to purchase natural cellulose, you should pay special attention to the purity of the product and the content of inorganic impurities. Impurities not only lead to unnecessary consumption of other raw materials, but also may affect the final quality of your product.
Processed cellulose refers to cellulose that has been purified, refined, or hydrolyzed to achieve specific industrial properties. Among them, Alpha cellulose is the high-purity fraction of cellulose.
Due to its extremely high purity, high degree of polymerization, high crystallinity and complete molecular chain, α-cellulose becomes an ideal raw material for the production of cellulose ethers (such as HPMC, MHEC, CMC, MC, etc.).
The impurities in α-cellulose, such as hemicellulose and lignin content, are relatively low. This significantly reduces the ineffective consumption of liquid alkali and etherization agents during the production process, making the etherification reaction in your production process more complete. The resulting cellulose ethers have uniform viscosity and other key indicators that meet the requirements.
Compared to Alpha-cellulose, Beta-cellulose has a lower molecular weight and degree of polymerization, making it more prone to partial degradation and thus less stable. Therefore, the application range of β-cellulose is relatively narrow, used only in a few cases in papermaking, and primarily in laboratory research. When you have purchasing needs, please be sure to distinguish between α-cellulose and β-cellulose to avoid buying the wrong product and incurring losses.
Among processed cellulose types, Gamma-cellulose has the lowest degree of polymerization, so it has virtually no industrial value and is often not used in actual production. You can think of it as a type of cellulose used only for scientific research and experimental exploration.
Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is typically produced by the partial acid hydrolysis of purified α-cellulose. Because it possesses both compressibility and disintegrant properties, MCC can be used as a binder, excipient, filler, and disintegrant in the production of pharmaceutical tablets.
The compressibility of microcrystalline cellulose gives your tablets a more compact form, making them less prone to breakage. Upon contact with water, MCC acts as a disintegrant, rapidly dispersing and allowing the tablets to dissolve more completely.
Cellulose ethers are the most common and diverse branch of cellulose derivatives. Different types of cellulose ethers possess properties such as water retention, thickening, emulsification, and lubrication, making them widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, construction, and textiles. Below, I will introduce seven of the most common cellulose ethers in detail to help you distinguish their differences and accurately select the product that best suits your needs.
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is a nonionic cellulose alkyl hydroxyalkyl ether mixture. It is used to produce a wide variety of industrial and non-industrial grade products.
Water retention is a core characteristic of HPMC. By locking in moisture and preventing it from being absorbed too quickly by the substrate, it allows cement to fully complete its hydration reaction and prevents mortar from setting too quickly and cracking. Therefore, if you need cellulose for producing building materials such as tile adhesives, plaster plaster, cement plaster, putty powder, self-leveling mortar, EIFS, and grouting materials, HPMC offers a wider viscosity range and a more significant improvement in workability, making it a good choice.
HPMC also possesses excellent thickening, dispersing, and emulsifying properties, making it important in applications requiring increased viscosity and improved suspension, such as cement adhesives, laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, tablets, cosmetics, and personal care products.
Modified HPMC
Modified HPMC refers to a type of cellulose ether obtained by modifying industrial-grade HPMC through a special production process. It is generally designed and produced for a specific niche application. For example, modified HPMC for tile adhesives can extend the open time of your tile adhesive to over 40 minutes and reduce slip by less than 0.5 mm after 20 minutes, meeting the requirements for producing C1TE standard products.
Also known as HEMC, it is short for hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose. HEMC has similar thickening, water retention, and dispersibility to HPMC. The main difference is that HEMC has a higher gel temperature than HPMC, reaching over 70°C.
Therefore, if your project is in a high-temperature region, or if you need a cellulose ether with better high-temperature resistance, HEMC is a better option. It can prevent your gypsum-based mortar, tile adhesive, cement-based mortar, and other materials from deteriorating in adhesion or losing water too quickly due to excessively high ambient temperatures.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is a water-soluble cellulose ether. A significant characteristic of HEC is its non-gelling property, making it widely used in the coatings, petroleum, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Its broad thickening properties (aqueous solution viscosity range from 100 to 100,000 mPa·s) and suspension properties effectively regulate the rheology of waterborne coatings, ensuring uniformity of components and preventing sedimentation. It also prevents gelation at higher temperatures, thus avoiding performance degradation in your products.
HEC does not ionize in aqueous media. Highly substituted HEC is also resistant to cellulase hydrolysis and exhibits good compatibility with most water-soluble polymers, allowing for compounding with other additives.
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is an ionic cellulose ether available in both salt and acid forms. The most common form on the market is sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), which has better water solubility. Due to its excellent thickening properties, it is commonly used as an industrial thickener in industries such as oil drilling, natural gas drilling, coatings, ceramics, papermaking, and textile printing and dyeing to adjust system viscosity. It also dissolves well in both cold and hot water, is non-toxic, and has good biocompatibility, making it suitable for use as a thickener in the food industry. Furthermore, CMC is typically inexpensive, allowing you to balance effectiveness and cost when purchasing additives.
Methylcellulose (MC) is one of the earliest industrially produced cellulose ethers. It can be formulated into high-viscosity solutions and forms gels in aqueous solutions, exhibiting good film-forming properties. MC can be used in products such as building materials, ceramics, coatings, daily chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
However, with advancements in cellulose ether technology, many MC products have been largely replaced by high-performance organic cellulose ethers (HPMC) due to their disadvantage in gelation temperature. You can consider the advantages and performance of HPMC as described above when making purchasing decisions and decide whether to replace MC with HPMC.
Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) is a typical thermoplastic nonionic ether. Due to its thermoplasticity and good flowability, it is suitable as an adhesive, thickener, and film-forming agent in building materials, pharmaceuticals, and daily chemical products. Furthermore, HPC has strong resistance to biodegradation, which can ensure the viscosity stability of your products during storage and use to a certain extent.
Ethyl cellulose (EC) is an oil-soluble cellulose ether primarily used as a plastic substrate for injection molding and extrusion molding in the production of sheets, films, and hot-melt and gel coatings. EC in high-concentration glacial acetic acid solutions exhibits unique liquid crystal properties; if you are exploring new functional materials, EC may be relevant to your research.
As mentioned above, there are many types of cellulose ethers, and their properties and characteristics overlap to some extent. If you need to purchase cellulose ethers, it is best to consult the manufacturer or supplier first, describe your needs and product type in detail, and after receiving a model recommendation, conduct small-batch sample testing before finally ordering in large quantities. Different cellulose ethers may sometimes be blended for specific formulations, but this should only be done after laboratory validation.
Cellulose esters are thermoplastic polymers obtained by reacting natural cellulose with organic acids. Representative products include:
Cellulose acetate
Cellulose phthalate acetate
Cellulose acetate butyrate
Different types of cellulose esters exhibit varying advantages in organic solvent resistance, hygroscopicity, acid-base responsiveness, weather resistance, and insulation due to differences in their molecular groups.
Therefore, you need to choose based on the key requirements of your current application. For example, cellulose acetate is suitable for cigarette filters, films, and textile yarns; cellulose acetate phthalate is mainly used as a pharmaceutical excipient; while cellulose acetate butyrate is more suitable for producing high-performance coatings. Understanding these differences will help you more accurately match material properties with process requirements.
Represented by wood fiber, it also includes powdered cellulose (used as a food/pharmaceutical excipient), bamboo pulp fiber (regenerated fiber made from bamboo), cotton fiber, etc.
Wood fiber is an organic flocculent fiber extracted from natural wood. It can effectively improve the crack resistance, tensile strength, and long-term durability of mortar or concrete. Therefore, you can use it as an additive when producing building materials such as thermal insulation mortar and self-leveling mortar to improve the overall performance of the materials during construction and use.
Powdered cellulose is a highly purified, finely ground cellulose that is colorless, odorless, non-toxic, and chemically stable. Because of its high dietary fiber content, it is used in the pharmaceutical industry as a filler and suspending agent for tablets and capsules. In the food industry, powdered cellulose can be used as an anti-caking agent to improve the texture of your products.
Regenerated cellulose (also known as regenerated cellulose fiber) is produced by dissolving cellulose from natural plants to create a spinning solution, which is then solidified back into fibers.
This type of cellulose has good moisture absorption, a soft feel, and excellent dyeing properties. Therefore, when choosing raw materials for textiles, decorative fabrics, or hygiene products, it can give your products a comfortable feel, good color performance, and moisture-wicking properties.
Lyocell combines high dry and wet strength, a soft feel, and excellent moisture absorption. If you are involved in high-end apparel manufacturing, medical products, and the production of filter materials, Lyocell will meet your needs for durability and humidity management.
Modal exhibits excellent moisture absorption, while also feeling great against the skin. When used in the production of home textiles, it can make your products more human-friendly, leaving them dry and comfortable to use.
Cupro is a microfiber (0.5-0.7 dtex) that is soft, silky to the touch and highly absorbent. Using Cupro in your high-end clothing or sleepwear will make it more suitable for wearing close to the skin for extended periods.
Cellulose film, commonly known as cellophane, has a colorless, transparent, and high-gloss appearance. It can effectively block gases and oils, and is non-toxic and odorless. Therefore, when producing food packaging bags, liner paper, or decorative packaging, cellophane can clearly display the appearance of the product and provide reliable preservation and oil protection for your product.
CNC: Nanocrystals
CNF: Nanofibers
Both Nanocrystals (CNC) and Nanofibers (CNF) possess nanoscale dimensions and high strength, along with excellent mechanical properties, good thermal stability, outstanding hydrophilicity and water retention, and biodegradable environmental characteristics.
Regardless of whether you choose CNC or CNF, they can be used as reinforcing agents for polymer matrices, improving elastic modulus and tensile strength while maintaining the material’s lightweight nature. This property of nanocellulose allows for its application not only in conventional automotive fields but also in the research and development of aerospace materials.
BNC material is highly pure, non-cytotoxic, and has excellent water retention. Therefore, it can be used with confidence in the production of high-end medical products such as wound dressings, artificial blood vessels, cartilage scaffolds, and controlled drug release. You don’t need to worry about its safety and biostability.
Cellulose with similar molecular structures and chemical compositions can vary greatly in performance and application areas. Therefore, understanding the differences in cellulose is an important guarantee for you to choose the right product and ensure high-quality production activities.
In the construction industry, HPMC and MHEC are two representative types of cellulose that are often used for comparison, and they are also very easy to confuse. To help you understand the differences between the two more clearly, I have created a comparison table.
| Comparison Items | HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose) | MHEC (Methyl Hydroxyethyl Cellulose) |
| Gel Temperature (Thermal Gel Point) | 65~70℃ | 70~80℃ |
| Viscosity | 400-200,000 mPa·s | 45,000-200,000 mPa·s |
| Application | Tile adhesive, gypsum-based mortar, putty powder, cement mortar, self-leveling compound, etc., in general environments. | High-temperature construction environments, as well as gypsum-based mortar, tile adhesive, and thermal insulation system mortar in hot regions. |
Compared to HPMC, HEC is soluble in both cold and hot water, and it does not have gelling properties, resulting in better biostability. I have created a comparison table for the two to make it easy for you to quickly refer to it.
| Comparison Items | HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose) | HEC (Hydroxyethyl Cellulose) |
| Gel Temperature (Thermal Gel Point) | 65~70℃ | No gelling properties |
| Viscosity | 400-200,000 mPa·s | 30,000-100,000 mPa·s |
| Applicable Scenarios | Tile adhesive, plastering mortar, putty powder, bonding mortar, self-leveling compound | Interior and exterior wall latex paint, stone paint, oil drilling |
A key difference between HPMC and CMC is that CMC is an anionic cellulose ether. They differ significantly in performance and applications; please refer to the table for a detailed comparison.
| Comparison Items | HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose) | CMC (Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose) |
| Ion Type | non-ionic | Anionic |
| Viscosity Range (2% aqueous solution, 20℃) | 400~200,000 mPa·s | 300~12,000 mPa·s |
| Core Performance (Industrial Grade) | Water retention, thickening, dispersibility, film-forming properties, suspension properties | Biocompatibility, acid resistance, salt resistance, thixotropy, hygroscopicity |
| Application | General purpose: Various cement-based/gypsum-based dry-mix mortars, tile adhesives, putties, and insulation systems. | Oil extraction, ceramics, food, cosmetics, printing and dyeing, leather |
Choosing the wrong type of cellulose can lead to the scrapping of an entire batch of products or even damage your production line. Here I’ve summarized the most commonly used cellulose types in various applications, hoping to provide you with some reference experience. Of course, it’s best to repeatedly test samples before purchasing to ensure the correct selection.
| Application Scenarios | Recommended | Core Performance | |
| I. Textile and Packaging Sector | Cement-based dry-mix mortar | HPMC | Water retention, extended open time, anti-sagging |
| Gypsum-based mortar | HPMC or MHEC | Water retention and thickening, improved workability | |
| Self-leveling mortar / Grouting material | MHEC | High fluidity, good leveling properties, minimal impact on setting time | |
| Tile adhesive / Exterior wall insulation system | HPMC | High water retention, anti-slip, improved bond strength | |
| Cement-based putty / Interior and exterior wall putty powder | HPMC | Thickening, water retention, smooth application, reduced cracking | |
| Water-based coatings (emulsion paint, stone paint) | HEC | No gel points, stable thickening, resistant to enzyme degradation | |
| Oil-based coatings / Solvent-based systems | EC | Oil-soluble, good film-forming toughness, high insulation | |
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