With few exceptions, cellular membranes - including plasma membranes and internal membranes - are made of glycerophospholipids, molecules composed of glycerol, a phosphate group, and two fatty acid chains. Glycerol is a three-carbon molecule that functions as the backbone of these membrane lipids.

Primary and secondary walls contain cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin, albeit in different proportions. Approximately equal amounts of pectin and hemicellulose are present in dicot primary walls whereas hemicellulose is more abundant in grasses (e.g., switchgrass). The secondary walls of woody tissue and grasses are composed predominantly of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose (xylan, glucuronoxylan, arabinoxylan, or glucomannan).