| S.N. | Primary cell wall | Secondary cell wall |
| 1. | It is formed in a growing cell. | It is formed in a mature cell. |
| 2. | It lies inner to the middle lamella. | It lies inner to the primary cell wall outside the cell membrane. |
| 3. | It is present in all the plant cells. | It is present in certain cells only. E.g. cells involved in mechanical support and water transportation. |
| 4. | It is elastic and capable of expansion in a growing cell. | It is rigid and incapable of expansion. |
| 5. | It grows in thickness by intussusception (growth by the deposition of cellulose). | It grows in thickness by accretion (growth or increase by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter). |
| 6. | It consists of a single layer of wall material. | It consists of 3 or more layers of wall material. |
| 7. | It is 1-3µm thick. | It is 5-10µm thick. |
| 8. | Its cellulose micro-fibrils are short, wavy and loosely arranged. | Its cellulose micro-fibrils are long, straight and compactly arranged. |
| 9. | It lacks pits. | It has pits at certain places. |
| 10. | It lacks additional materials. | It has additional materials like lignin, suberin etc. |
| 11. | Its water content is about 60%. | Its water content is about 30-40%. |
| 12. | It has relatively low cellulose content. | It has relatively high cellulose content. |
| 13. | It has relatively high hemicellulose, protein and lipid contents. | It has relatively low hemicellulose, protein and lipid contents. |
