Technical terms relating to cotton

Lint

Cotton fiber produced at the gin after the seed has been removed.

Linters

Very short fibers removed from the seeds after the ginning process. Short fibers remain on the seed when the normal fiber is removed. Linters are relatively clean but less than ¼” long. They are not normally used in the spinning plant but go into the production of cellulose, acetate and rayon.

Gin motes

Fibers reclaimed from the waste removed from the cotton at the gin. They are usually very dirty, discolored, neppy and high in short fiber content. They are used in non-woven and some “low end” coarse yarns

Hid

Bales compressed into a smaller “High Density” condition to reduce space for overseas transportation.

Rain grown cotton

Cotton produced under conditions of natural rainfall. Care has to be taken when using cotton from different regions because uncontrolled mixing can cause shade variations in the finished fabric.

Irrigated cotton

Cotton grown under irrigated conditions. Frequently rain does not fall on the cotton plant in its mature state. (USA in Arizona, California and other very dry regions)

Cotton color

Cotton color is influenced by:

- the growing conditions – rain, wind and dust,

- Contamination by undesirable vegetable matter grown in the cotton field,

- Storage conditions in the field or in the bale,

- Cotton is graded by its color from best to worst as: Good color – Tinged – Spotted - Yellow Stained – Gray

Moisture content

The amount water contained in the cotton fiber. The toughness of the fiber is greater when it contains more moisture. However excessive moisture will lead to mildew during storage or choking in processing. A commercial standard of 8.5% moisture content for cotton has been established.

Spindle picked

Cotton that has been mechanically harvested using rotating spindles to pluck the opened cotton bolls from the plant. Only a relatively small amount of plant material is removed with the cotton.

However, it is possible to create entangled fibers and neps if the spindles are not in good condition or are not operated correctly.

Stripped cotton

Cotton that has been mechanically harvested using the “stripping” technique, in which the complete plant, except for the main stem and a few branches, is removed with the cotton bolls.

The gin has then to first separate the plant material and sand from the seed cotton before the ginning process.

(Source: Rieter)