The manuscript is thought to have contained 600 parchment folios made from sheepskin, which was commonly used because of the thinness of the finished product. Due to the size and construction of the manuscript, the parchment would have required at least 150 sheep. The signature blue color of the parchment came from an indigo dye that was derived from an indigotin-bearing plant material, either Indian Indigo or woad. Due to the similar composition of all indigo dyes, modern analytic technology and art historians are unable to make a definitive conclusion on the source of the blue dye. However, research done by scholar Cheryl Porter, whose work focuses on the use and technical implementation of color in manuscripts, has determined that the dye was likely brushed onto the parchment before it was stretched and dried.
