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Objective: To determine the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin production in six Cenchrus purpureus cultivars, with and without fertilization, harvested every 21 days during 168 days. Design/methodology/approach: The evaluated cultivars were CT-115, elephant grass, king grass, Maralfalfa, Roxo, and Taiwan, with and without fertilization. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement and four replications. The fertilization dose was 141-43-20 of NPK. Forage was harvested every 21 days during six months in the rainy season. We tested the samples for dry matter (DM), ash, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. We performed a nonlinear regression analysis. We determined biomass production with the estimated values and the percentage of each component. The goodness-of-fit indicators were: R², the coefficient of determination (R), and the model selection criterion (MSC). The parameters and goodness-of-fit coefficients were analyzed in ANOVA with the SAS software using the GLM procedure. Means were compared with Tukey's test. Results: The Maralfalfa cultivar presented a higher cellulose production (3,786 kg ha-1), similar (p>0.05) to the elephant grass and Taiwan cultivars, which presented values of 3,451 kg ha-1 and 3,329 kg ha-1, respectively, and different (p<0.05) from CT-115 and king grass, which produced more than 1 t ha-1 of cellulose. Limitations/implications: Cellulose production increased by the effect of fertilization. Findings/conclusions: The fertilized Maralfalfa, elephant grass, and Taiwan cultivars produced more than 4,000 kg ha-1 of cellulose, 3,000 kg ha-1 of hemicellulose, and 1,000 kg ha-1 of lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]