What is Cotton?

Cotton is a cellulose-based natural plant fiber that surrounds the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium). The EU textile fiber names regulation, which underlies labeling, likewise defines cotton as the fiber obtained from the bolls of the cotton plant (Gossypium) (Regulation 1007/2011, Annex I). Cotton is used in clothing and in home textiles, pure or blended with fibers such as polyester. In Turkish it is called pamuk.

How cotton fiber is obtained

Harvested cotton is called seed cotton (Turkish: kütlü pamuk) because the fibers are still attached to the seed. Ginning plants dry and clean the seed cotton, separate the fiber from the seed, clean the fiber and bale it (CottonWorks). The fiber separated from the seed is traded as lint cotton. In Turkey, the 2.2 million metric tons of seed cotton produced on 467 thousand hectares in the 2024/25 season corresponded to 830 thousand metric tons of lint cotton (TEPGE, July 2025).

Fiber properties and quality measures

Cotton is a short-staple fiber (6.35 cm / 2.5 in and below); most of the fibers are shorter than 3.8 cm (1.5 in). Short fibers are made into continuous yarn by spinning (Cotton Incorporated, Textile Yarns). CottonWorks describes fiber quality with these measures:

• Staple length: the average length of the longer half of the fibers; it affects yarn strength, evenness and spinning efficiency.
• Micronaire: a measure of fiber fineness and maturity. A low value means fine or immature fiber, a high value coarse or mature fiber. Micronaire says something about dyeing behavior; uneven micronaire can cause problems such as barre (crosswise bands) or streaks in the fabric.
• Strength: the force needed to break a bundle of fibers (g/tex); above 31 g/tex counts as very strong.

Main types

• Upland (Gossypium hirsutum): makes up about 90% of world cotton; fiber length is 1–1¼ in (about 2.5–3.2 cm) (CottonWorks).
• Pima, extra-long staple (ELS, Gossypium barbadense): fiber length is 1 3/8 in (about 3.5 cm) and above. “Egyptian cotton” is not always Pima; both types are grown in Egypt (CottonWorks).

Production and Turkey

According to the ICAC estimate reported by TEPGE, world cotton production rose 6.5% on the previous season to 25.9 million metric tons in 2024/25. In the same season 24.3% of production was in China, 19.8% in India and 12.2% in the United States.

In Turkey, 777 thousand metric tons of lint cotton were produced in the 2023/24 season and consumption was 1.81 million metric tons. In the same season 777 thousand metric tons of cotton were imported, and end-of-season stocks fell from 1.22 million metric tons to 655 thousand metric tons. In 2024 production, the largest shares were in Şanlıurfa (41.1%), Diyarbakır (17.3%) and Aydın (11.0%) (TEPGE, July 2025).

Behavior and care

Cotton is cellulose-based and hydrophilic: it absorbs moisture well, but is poor at transporting and releasing it (Cui et al., 2025). Pratt Institute describes cotton as a breathable, light and soft fiber. According to the same source, cotton that has not been pre-treated tends to shrink in washing, creases easily because of its cellulosic structure, and withstands high ironing temperatures.

Shrinkage is especially marked in knits: according to Cotton Incorporated, cotton fabrics tend towards dimensional instability, and knits are very sensitive to applied forces. When the fabric gets wet, fibers and yarns swell, the loops try to return to a round position and the fabric shortens (ISP 1009). Synthetic fibers do not show this swelling-shrinking behavior, while cellulosic fibers cannot be heat-set and so cannot be stabilized as easily as thermoplastic synthetics (ISP 1009). That is why shrinkage-resistance finishing (Turkish: çekmezlik) and measured dimensional change after washing are requested for cotton fabric. Cotton also biodegrades much faster than man-made fibers (CottonWorks).

Cotton, combed and carded: fiber or yarn?

Cotton is a fiber; combed (Turkish: penye) and carded (karde) are ways of preparing cotton yarn. Combed yarn is spun from cotton that has been through combing; carded yarn from cotton that has been through the carding machine but not combed (Cotton Incorporated, ISP 1006). For the effect of this distinction on T-shirt fabric choice, see the T-shirt fabric types guide. You can find raw cotton fiber suppliers in the Textile Fibers category and cotton yarn suppliers in the Cotton Yarn category.

Frequently asked questions

Is cotton the same as penye?

No. Cotton is a fiber type; penye says that the cotton yarn has been through combing. Although “penye” is also used in everyday Turkish as a fabric name, it describes a yarn process.

Why does cotton fabric shrink?

Wet cotton fibers and yarns swell; knit loops try to return to a round, low-energy shape and the fabric shortens (ISP 1009). Shrinkage-resistance finishing is applied to reduce this tendency.

Is organic cotton a separate fiber type?

No; “organic” describes how the cotton was grown and its certification status. For detail, see the organic cotton entry.