The fact that these fibers are a product of nature is generally seen as an advantage. However, this also creates a downside. Synthetic fibers are created in a controlled environment and therefore, guarantees can be given about its properties and the consistency of these properties. Natural fibers grow under varying circumstances which affects the consistency of its properties.

This project aims to setup an affordable and effective procedure of measuring the ‘quality’ of natural fibers. This is done by measuring some key properties of the fiber itself to predict the properties of the natural fibers composite. This method would provide the insustry more control over their production process.

Various properties in natural fibers have been found to play a key factor in predicting the properties of its composites. Amongst these properties are the length-width ratio of the fibers which have a substantial influence on the strength of the composites. A method was developed to make use of a flatbed scanner and auto imageing software to determine the length-width ratio.

Additionally, some tests have been done to determine a few chemical properties like the degree of polymerization and the crystallinity of cellulose in the fibers. The assumption was that a relation could be found between the obtained data of the fibers and the physical properties of the composites. A clear corelation has not been found yet. Additional research is necessary to analyze the data.