COTTON (cellulose fiber) | Texhour

^{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:    

• J34 SG

• LRA-5166

• HYBRID – 4

• SHANKAR-6

• 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:

• short staple: fiber length less than 25 mm (< 1”)

• medium staple: 25 to 30 mm (1” – 1-3/16”)

• long staple: 30 to 37 mm (1-3/16” to 1-1/2”)

• 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.