Flax shives

It refers to flax fiber that still contains remnants of the woody part of the stem—known as shives. During flax processing, the stems are first retted and broken, which separates the woody shives from the fine bast fibers. If the shives are not completely removed, they remain in the flax fiber and influence both its properties and appearance. The presence of shives in the material increases bending strength, which is also supported by construction studies—boards with added shives show higher flexural strength than unmodified particle boards. The addition of shives has a positive effect on bending strength, although at very high proportions the strength may slightly decrease due to the greater flexibility of the shives. It is suitable for the production of carpets, mats, technical fabrics, insulation materials, and traditional craft products.