Cotton Fiber Definition | Apparel Search

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. The fiber is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. Cotton is a valuable crop because only about 10 percent of the raw weight is lost in processing, and once traces of wax and protein are removed, the remainder is a natural polymer of pure cellulose. The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton unique properties of strength, durability and absorbency. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs.

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant . The fiber is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. Cotton is a valuable crop because only about 10% of the raw weight is lost in processing.

Once traces of wax, protein, etc. are removed, the remainder is a natural polymer of pure cellulose. This cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton unique properties of strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll (seed case) is opened the fibers dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn.

About cotton fiber

History

Cotton has been used to make very fine lightweight cloth in areas with tropical climates for millennia. Some authorities claim that it was likely that the Egyptians had cotton as early as 12,000 BC, and they have found evidence of cotton in Mexican caves (cotton cloth and fragments of fiber interwoven with feathers and fur) which dated back to approximately 7,000 years ago. There is archaeological evidence that people in South America and India domesticated independently different species of the cotton plant thousands of years ago.

The earliest written reference is to Indian cotton. Cotton has been grown in India for more than three thousand years, and it is referred to in the Rig-Veda, written in 1500 BC. A thousand years later the great Greek historian Herodotus wrote about Indian cotton: "There are trees which grow wild there, the fruit of which is a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep. The Indians make their clothes of this tree wool."

By the end of the 16th century BC, cotton had spread to warmer regions in Americas, Africa and Eurasia.

The Indian cotton industry was eclipsed during the British Industrial Revolution, when the invention of the Spinning Jenny (1764) and Arkwright's spinning frame (1769) enabled cheap mass-production in the UK. Production capacity was further improved by the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793.

Production

Today cotton is produced in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, using cotton plants that have been selectively bred so that each plant grows more fiber. In 2002, cotton was grown on 330,000 km of farmland. 47 billion pounds (21 million t) of raw cotton worth 20 billion dollars US was grown that year.

The cotton industry relies heavily on chemicals such as fertilisers and insecticides, although some farmers are moving towards an organic model of production, and chemical-free organic cotton products are now available. Historically, one of the most economically destructive pests in cotton production has been the boll weevil.

Most cotton is harvested mechanically, either by a cotton picker, a machine that removes the cotton from the boll without damaging the cotton plant, or by a cotton stripper which strips the entire boll off the plant. Cotton strippers are generally used in regions where it is too windy to grow picker varieties of cotton and generally used after application of a defoliant or natural defoliation occurring after a freeze. Cotton is a perennial crop in the tropics and without defoliation or freezing, the plant will continue to grow. Cotton is a close relative of okra and hibiscus.

The logistics of cotton harvesting and processing have been improved by the development of the cotton module builder, a machine that compresses harvested cotton into a large block, which is then covered with a tarp and temporarily stored at the edge of the field.

Uses

In addition to the textile industry, cotton is used in fishnets, coffee filters, tents and in bookbinding. The first Chinese paper was made of cotton fiber, as is the modern US dollar bill and federal stationery. Fire hoses were once made of cotton.

Denim, a type of durable cloth, is made mostly of cotton, as are T-shirts.

The cottonseed which remains after the cotton is ginned is used to produce cottonseed oil, which after refining can be consumed by humans like any other vegetable oil. The cottonseed meal that is left is generally fed to livestock.

Cotton in History and in the World Market

Cotton has been used to make very fine lightweight cloth in areas with tropical climates for millennia. Some authorities claim the Egyptians had cotton as early as 12,000 BC, and evidence of cotton has been found in Mexican caves, cloth and fragments of fiber interwoven with feathers and fur dating back approximately 7,000 years. People in South America and India domesticated different species of the cotton plant independently thousands of years ago, and cotton has been grown in India for more than three thousand years, referred to in the Rig-Veda, written in 1500 BC. A thousand years later Herodotus wrote about Indian cotton: trees whose fruit is a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep, from which the Indians make their clothes. The Indian cotton industry was eclipsed during the British Industrial Revolution when the Spinning Jenny of 1764 and Arkwright's spinning frame of 1769 enabled cheap mass-production in the UK, and production capacity was further improved by Eli Whitney's cotton gin of 1793. In 2002 cotton was grown on 330,000 kilometres of farmland, and 47 billion pounds, 21 million tonnes, of raw cotton worth 20 billion dollars was grown that year, in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, using plants selectively bred so each plant grows more fiber.

GM Cotton, Organic Cotton and Fair Trade

GM cotton was developed to reduce heavy reliance on pesticides and is widely used, with claims of requiring up to 80 percent less pesticide than ordinary cotton; the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications said worldwide GM cotton was planted on 67,000 square kilometres in 2002, 20 percent of the world total, and the US crop was 73 percent GM in 2003. Its introduction proved a commercial disaster in Australia, where yields were far lower than predicted and the plants cross-pollinated with other varieties, although a second variety led to 15 percent of Australian cotton being GM in 2003 with an expectation of 80 percent in 2004 when the original variety would be banned. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides or chemical additives to fertilizer, relying instead on methods with less ecological impact, and at a minimum the crop must be grown in soil chemical-free for at least three years. The cotton industry relies heavily on fertilisers and insecticides, although some farmers are moving towards an organic model. Cotton is also an enormously important commodity, and many farmers in developing countries receive a low price or find it difficult to compete with developed countries, which has led to fair trade cotton clothing being available in some countries. Beyond textiles, cotton is used in fishnets, coffee filters, tents and bookbinding, the first Chinese paper was made of cotton fiber, as is the modern US dollar bill, and cottonseed oil and cottonseed meal come from the seed left after ginning.

Common Questions

What makes cotton fibers good for spinning?

When the cotton boll, the seed case, opens, the fibers dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. That interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn, and the twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled like natural springs give the fiber its strength and absorbency.

How is cotton harvested?

Most cotton is harvested mechanically, either by a cotton picker, which removes the cotton from the boll without damaging the plant, or by a cotton stripper, which strips the entire boll off the plant and is used in regions too windy for picker varieties, generally after a defoliant or natural defoliation following a freeze. The cotton module builder then compresses the harvest into a large block, covered with a tarp and temporarily stored at the edge of the field.

What processing stages follow weaving?

After weaving, cotton fabric typically passes through singeing, desizing, scouring, bleaching, mercerizing, dyeing and finishing. After some stages the fabric can be used directly, for example unbleached cloth used in grain bags.

Cotton Fiber