Physical Properties of Cotton Fiber and Their Measurement

Cotton fiber is a highly variable natural product. The economic and industrial value of cotton is directly related to the physical properties of the fibers. In marketing cotton, the length, strength, color grade, and micronaire of the fiber are of paramount importance. Researchers need to understand the market impact of fiber properties as well as the performance impact of these and additional properties such as fineness, maturity, neps, length distribution, and fiber cohesion. Additionally, it is important to understand the variability of these properties within a cotton sample. The distribution of the fiber properties also has an important role in the performance of a cotton. There are many ways to measure each of the properties of cotton fiber ranging from tedious manual methods, which often serve as the references for other methods, to high-speed instrumental methods. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods must be understood to properly apply the test methods and to interpret the results.