Week 6: Testing Cotton Fiber Quality and Long Staple Cotton

 Testing Cotton Fiber Quality:


Once cotton is harvested it is sent to be tested for quality.  The cotton then goes through multiple tests to determine the quality of the fibers.  First, there are samples taken out of the bails and they are given a barcode.  This barcode stays with the sample through the whole process.  There are a series of standards that the sample has to pass such as: color and leaf grade standards, calibration cottons for length, strength, uniformity index and micronaire, and verification standards for instrument color and trash content.  During harvest season the facilities get busier.  It was really informational to watch a video on the quality tests done in Memphis, Tennessee.  You are able to see how much is done to a bail of cotton before it is even put into a yarn.  These quality tests will decide where the cotton will go and what it can be used for.

The barcode of the sample being scanned before the whiteness and the trash content is tested.


Long Staple Cotton:


Short staple cotton fibers are more common than long staple fibers.  Long staple fibers have more benefits to them though.  The quality of the fabric, the strength, and the softness are all better when long staple fibers are used.  Long staple fibers are different in the way that they are 1 ¼” - 2” long whereas short staple fibers are about 1 ⅛” long.  When creating yarn, the long staple fibers can last longer and can be spun to be more fine.  The finer the fiber the smoother the fabric will be.  There are fewer ends that are exposed in the fiber since they do not need as much of the cotton.  That is the difference between long staple cotton fibers and short staple cotton.


The difference in cotton fiber lengths.  The long staple cotton can also be called Egyptian cotton.


Long Staple Cotton Explained by Alan Laytner - YouTube

The Differences Between Short and Long Staple Cotton | Blog | HomeGrown Cotton

Testing cotton fiber quality - YouTube

Cotton Fiber Testing and Standardization | Agricultural Marketing Service (usda.gov)


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