The Cotton

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The History Of Cotton
The Cotton Selection and understanding
What is Cotton Where is it Grown?
The Processing of Cotton
From the field to the towel
Textile Terms
Cotton Prices and the advent of blended products
Product Comparison and some quality testing
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you
A presentation to the UKHA London SE By
Stephen Broadhurst 13th March 2012
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The History Of Cotton.
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The History and Origins of Cotton
How old is cotton? Scientists searching caves
in Mexico identified cotton bolls and pieces of
cotton that proved to be at least 7,000 years
old. In the Indus River Valley in Pakistan,
cotton was being grown, spun and woven into cloth
as early as 3,000 BC. Cotton Merchants brought
cotton cloth to Europe about 800 AD. When
Columbus discovered America in 1492 he found
cotton growing in the Bahamas, by the Year 1500
cotton was known generally throughout the
World. Cotton was first spun by machinery in
England in 1730, the Industrial Revolution and
the invention of the cotton gin in the U.S.
paved the way for the importance cotton holds in
the World today. The cotton Gin (short for
engine) was patented by 1793 and enabled the
production of spun cotton 10 times faster than
the same process completed by hand.
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What is Cotton, Where is it Grown?
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fibre that grows
in a boll or protective capsule around the seeds
of the cotton plant. The fibre is pure
cellulose , a native shrub/plant of tropical and
sub-tropical regions around the World, including
the Americas, Africa and India. The fibre is
spun into yarn/thread and used to make a soft,
breathable textile fabric. Current estimates for
World production of Cotton are about 25 Million
Tonnes annually, this accounts for approximately
2.5 of the Worlds arable land.
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Where is cotton Grown?
Top ten cotton producers2011(480-pound bales) Top ten cotton producers2011(480-pound bales)
People's Republic of China 33.0 million bales
India 27.0 million bales
United States 18.0 million bales
Pakistan 10.3 million bales
Brazil 9.3 million bales
Uzbekistan 4.6 million bales
Australia 4.2 million bales
Turkey 2.8 million bales
Turkmenistan 1.6 million bales
Greece 1.4 million bales
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The Processing of Cotton
Cotton is the world's most important natural
fibre. There are five stages 1/ Cultivating
and Harvesting 2/ Preparatory Processes 3/
Spinning 4/ Weaving 5/ Finishing
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From the field to the towel.
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What is Warp and Weft?
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John Kays Flying Shuttle 1738
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James Hargreaves Spinning Jenny 1764
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Richard Arkwrights Water-Frame 1768
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Samuel Cromptons Spinning Mule 1779
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Edmund Cartwright Power Loom 1785
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Eli Whitneys Cotton Gin 1793
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Cultivation and Processing
Cotton requires a long frost free period, plenty
of sunshine and moderate rainfall. However areas
with less rainfall use irrigation
systems. Cotton is normally planted in the
Spring and harvested around a 100 days later-
subject to location. Once harvested the
following processes take place to produce yarn
ready for the production of a woven textile item
Gin to separate the fibre from the
boll. Carding, Combing, Drawing, Spinning,
Winding, Sizing/Dressing and Weaving! Lots of
processes all ending in ing to wash/clean,
condition and extrude the fibres to produce a
yarn.
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What is Thread Count?
Thread count is the number of horizontal and
vertical yarns WARP/WEFT in ONE SQUARE
INCH. Thread count in sheets and other products
can range from 80 to 1000. In general the higher
the thread count the softer the product should
feel. Generally Thread counts above 300 are
produced by doubling the yarn commonly known as
the ply i.e. A 400tc fabric is a 2 ply yarn with
200 threads in ONE SQUARE INCH. Thread Count is
NOT the key factor in the quality or feel of a
sheet, , the yarn coarseness and the ply of the
yarn SINGLE or TWO ply have an impact.
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Other Textile Terms
PERCALE a closely woven plain weave normally
180 thread count and above. PERCALE can be 100
cotton or 100 Polyester JERSEY a plain stitch
knitted cloth produced in a circular manner
with stretch/elastic qualities. SATEEN more
yarn on the face of the cloth giving a softer
feel and more lustrous look TERRY A fabric
that is looped by weaving/knitting to produce
loops to create an absorbent product (Towels)
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Other Textile Terms
YARN the higher the number (YARN COUNT) the
finer it is for instance a 20s yarn is not as
fine as a 40s yarn! The higher the thread count
the finer the yarns need to be to ensure they can
be tightly packed/woven into a square inch. A
140 THREAD COUNT is based on the number of
threads in the warp and weft. i.e. 70 in both
directions or 76 in the warp and 64 in the weft
the total must be 140! Ideally equal threads in
both directions produces the most stable
product. . GSM relates to Grams per Square
Metre the normal measure for TERRY towels and
bathrobes. The heavier the weight does not mean
the better the quality. YARN count is also
KEY. Towels above a certain weight become too
dense they end up looking like bath mats i.e.
750 850gsm.
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Cotton Prices and the advent of blended products.
Cotton prices over the last few years have been
volatile, driven by increased demand, lower
production and challenging weather/growing
conditions prices have fluctuated between 2.10
in March 2011 to the current price of 0.88
today. The market remains challenging and most
textile mills are now producing blended products.
Poly/Cotton sheets, duvet covers etc and the
introduction of polyester in towels. The benefits
are a stabilisation of costs, longer lasting/more
durable products, improved stability and life
cycle, and lower wash temperatures and
reduced/lower drying times reducing the carbon
footprint and helping the environment! Whilst
Polyester is an oil based product when woven as
a yarn it provides greater elasticity. This
reduces the element of creasing when washed, good
shape retention and less shrinkage. Polyester
table linen is easier to wash, has better stain
release properties and retains its shape for
longer.
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Product Comparison and some quality testing
Please can we have some audience participation
(HOUSEKEEPERS PLEASE) to review and test some of
our products to understand weight, construction,
thread count and quality. Winners get a small
gift from David losers get a week in their
local Sunlight factory! TEST ONE Bed Linen
400/200/130 120 TCs TEST TWO Towels 665 v
550 GSM TEST THREE Towels 3 towel test - Which
is best? TEST FOUR Table Linen - Cotton v
Polyester TEST FIVE Bathrobes touch test -
Which is best?
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Conclusion Summary
Cotton is a plant, grown for many years and
thrives on sunshine and rain. It has become very
expensive, and involves a highly involved
technical process to get from plant to yarn to
fabric to end user products. Yarn count, thread
count, construction and GSM need to be carefully
checked and considered when purchasing. Polyester
and other alternative fibres/yarns are available
and should be considered. Many thanks to Anne and
the UKHA for the opportunity to be involved this
evening. We welcome the chance to welcome you to
visit us at Mitre anytime, or allow us to visit
you to provide you with more products or more
technical information.
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THANKS FOR YOUR TIME
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