COTTON (cellulose fiber) | Texhour
Cotton is the natural fiber most widely used in apparel. It grows in a boll around the seeds of cotton plants. A single fiber is an elongated cell that is a flat, twisted, hollow, ribbon-like structure.

COTTON (cellulose fiber)
Cotton is the natural fiber most widely used in apparel. It grows in a boll around the seeds of cotton plants. A single fiber is an elongated cell that is a flat, twisted, hollow, ribbon-like structure.
Quality of cotton fiber is determined by color (whiteness), staple length, fineness, and strength.
Some commercially grown cotton varieties in India are:
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J34 SG
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LRA-5166
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HYBRID – 4
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SHANKAR-6
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SHANKAR-4
Suvin is the finest cotton quality grown in India. Spin-ability is up to 240s count & superior to Egyptian Giza 45, Sudan VS cotton, and the American Pima. All these qualities are ELS (extra long staple) and the fiber is fine, lustrous, silky, strong and creamy-brown-white in color.
Staple:
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short staple: fiber length less than 25 mm (< 1”)
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medium staple: 25 to 30 mm (1” – 1-3/16”)
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long staple: 30 to 37 mm (1-3/16” to 1-1/2”)
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extra long staple: 37mm and above (> 1-1/2”)
Ginning:
Harvested cotton contains dirt, leaves & cotton seeds. The seeds are removed through a process called ginning, and the resultant cotton fiber is then baled.
Bale:
A standard bale of cotton in India is 170 kilograms (375 lbs.), compared with 218 kilograms (480 lbs.) of US cotton. A 'statistical' bale weighs 480 lbs.