Classing Cover Final Spread.pdf 1 9/17/2013 5:28:32 PM

classing cover final spread.pdf 1 9/17/2013 5:28:32 PMCMYCMMYCYCMYK

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. cottonproducers and importers of cotton and cottontextile products, conducts worldwide research andpromotion activities to increase the demand for andprofitability of cotton.The Seal of Cotton is a registered trademark of Cotton Incorporated.AMERICA’s COTTON PRODUCERS AND IMPORTERS. ServiceMarks/Trademarks of Cotton Incorporated. 2018 CottonIncorporated.

TheClassificationof Cotton

AcknowledgmentsThe United States Department of Agriculture’sAgricultural Marketing Service administers programsthat facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S.agricultural products, including food, fiber, andspecialty crops. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is theprimary source of the information contained herein, based on “TheClassification of Cotton,” Agricultural Handbook 566. This version ofthe handbook is produced by Cotton Incorporated with permissionand assistance from USDA. The USDA Mark is a trademark of theUnited States Department of Agriculture.Cotton Council International’s mission promotesexports of U.S. cotton, cottonseed, and U.S.manufactured cotton products through activitiesthat affect every phase of the marketing chain. CCIoperates in 50 markets under the COTTON USAbanner. The COTTON USA banner is a registered trademark ofCotton Council International. This booklet is produced by CottonIncorporated with support from CCI.

ContentsI. Introduction.1II. Overview.1The Nature of 4Tracking.5Overview of the Cotton Classification Process.6III. Maintaining Official Standards for Classification.7Grade Standards.7Instrument Standards.8Establishing Values for Calibration Cotton.9IV. Classification of Upland Cotton. 10Fiber Length.10Length Uniformity.10Fiber Strength.11Micronaire.12Color Grade.13Trash.15Leaf Grade.15Extraneous Matter.16Module Averaging.16V. Classification of American Pima Cotton. 17VI. Quality and Reliability of Classification Data. 19Laboratory Conditioning.19Sample Conditioning.19Equipment Performance Specifications.20Calibration of Instruments.20Quality Management Program.21VII. Dissemination of Data. 22USDA Data Dissemination.22Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton Resource Management Tools.23

I. IntroductionIn 1907, an international group of cotton industry representatives metin Atlanta, Georgia, to address serious problems that had developed inthe marketing of cotton. A resolution was passed which recommendedthe establishment of uniform cotton standards to “eliminate pricedifferences between markets, provide a means of settling disputes, makethe farmer more cognizant of the value of his product, and, therefore,put him in a better bargaining position, and in general be of greatbenefit to the cotton trade.” In response to this and similar calls foraction over the next several years, laws were passed authorizing theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop cottongrade standards and offer cotton classification services. Under theauthority of the U.S. Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act of 1927, the U.S.Cotton Standards Act of 1923, and the U.S. Cotton Futures Act of 1914,USDA implemented a classification system. Thus began an industrygovernment relationship that remains strong and viable to this day. Thislong-standing partnership demonstrates how government and industrycan work together, each respectful of the other’s role, to producecontinuing beneficial results for the nation and for its customers abroad.II. OverviewThe Nature of CottonBotanically, three principal groups of cotton are of commercialimportance. The first, the species Gossypium hirsutum, is native toMexico and Central America and has been developed for extensive usein the United States, accounting for more than ninety-five percent ofU.S. production. This group is known in the United States as “AmericanUpland” cotton and has fibers that range in length from about 7/8 to 15/16inches. The second botanical group, the species G. barbadense, whichmakes up the balance of U.S. production, is of early South Americanorigin. With fibers ranging in length from 1¼ inches to 19/16 inches, it isknown in the United States as “American Pima” cotton, also commonlyreferred to as “Extra-Long Staple” cotton. A third group, G. herbaceumand G. arboreum, consists of cottons with shorter fiber lengths, ½ to1 inch, that are native to India and Eastern Asia. No cottons from thisgroup are grown in the United States.1

A single pound of cotton may contain 100 million or more individualfibers. Each fiber is an outgrowth of a single cell that develops in thesurface layer of the cotton seed. During early stages of its growth, thefiber elongates to its full length as a thin-walled tube. As it matures, thefiber wall is thickened by deposits of cellulose inside the tube, leaving ahollow area in the center. When the growth period ends and the livingmaterial dies, the fiber collapses and twists about its own axis.ClassificationThe term “cotton classification” in this publication refers to theapplication of official standards and standardized procedures developedby USDA for measuring those physical attributes of raw cotton thataffect the quality of the finished product and/or manufacturingefficiency. USDA’s classing methodology is based on both grade andinstrument standards used hand-in-hand with state-of-the-art methodsand equipment to provide the cotton industry with the best possibleinformation on cotton quality for marketing and processing. USDAclassification currently consists of determinations of fiber length, lengthuniformity, fiber strength, micronaire, color, trash, leaf, and extraneousmatter.USDA’s classing methodology is based on both grade and instrument standards usedhand-in-hand with state-of-the-art methods and equipment.2

The system is rapidly moving fromreliance on the human senses tothe use of high-volume, precisioninstruments that perform qualitymeasurements in a matter ofseconds. Only the classificationsfor extraneous matter and specialconditions are still performedmanually. Research and developmentcontinue for the technology andinstrumentation to rapidly measureextraneous matter, as well as otherimportant fiber characteristics, suchas maturity, stickiness, short-fiberUSDA classers identify whether anycontent, and neps. USDA willextraneous matter is present.complete the transition to an allinstrument classification as quickly as the technology can be developedand instruments are sufficiently refined to assure representative andreliable quality measurements.StructureUSDA provides cotton classification services under the direction of theAgricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Cotton and Tobacco Program.The Program has eight main areas of operation: the Grading Division,the Standardization and Engineering Division, the Quality AssuranceDivision, the Market News Division, the Information TechnologyDivision, the Research and Promotion Staff, the Administrative Staff,and the Program Appraisal Staff. Each area of operation plays an integralrole in maintaining a reliable, efficient, and effective classification systemand delivery of services.ScopePractically all cotton grown in the United States is classed by USDAat the request of producers. Although classification is not mandatory,growers generally find it essential to marketing their crop and forparticipation in the USDA price support program. The USDA AMSCotton and Tobacco Program operates ten cotton classing facilitiesacross the Cotton Belt (their locations are shown on the map on theinside back cover of this booklet). These facilities, which are part of the3

Grading Division, are designed specifically for cotton classification andare staffed exclusively with USDA personnel.USDA also classes all cotton tendered for delivery on futures contractson the Intercontinental Exchange and provides arbitration classing tothe industry. These services are performed by the Quality AssuranceDivision. Classification services are also provided to individual buyers,manufacturers, breeders, researchers, and others upon request. All usersof USDA classification services are charged fees to recover classificationcosts.ProcessAt the gin, cotton fibers are separated from the seed, cleaned to removeplant residue and other foreign material, and pressed into bales ofapproximately 500 pounds. A sample of at least 4 ounces (115 grams)is taken from each side of the bale by a licensed sampling agent andidentified with a Permanent Bale Identification (PBI) tag. The total8‑ounce (230‑gram) sample is delivered by the agent or a designatedhauler to the USDA classing facility serving the area. Gin and warehouseoperators serve as licensedsampling agents and performthis function under USDAsupervision.The gin stand separates the cotton fibers fromthe seed.4Upon arrival at the classingfacility, the samples areconditioned to bring themoisture content into aspecified range before theclassing process begins. Thesamples are then transportedto the instrument-testing andmanual-classing stations, whereclassification is performed.Remnants of the samplesused during the classificationprocess are baled and soldby USDA, with the proceedsapplied to offset classificationcosts.

A 4-ounce sample is taken from each sideof the bale by a licensed sampling agentand forwarded to USDA for classification.Once classification is complete,the fiber measurement resultsare immediately available tothe customer from the classingfacility’s database. Providingcotton quality results quickly givesproducers and buyers access tocrucial information at the timeof sale. At the peak of the season,USDA classes and provides dataon as many as two million balesper week nationwide.TrackingThe PBI system allows cotton tobe tracked from the field to theclassing office. On the field, eachcotton module is labeled withan identification number thatlinks it to the producer, field, andseed variety. At the gin, eachSamples are collected and delivered to theUSDA classing facility serving the area.module identification number islogged into a database, and eachbale is labeled with a PBI tag with a twelve-digit number and barcodeidentifying the classing office, gin, and bale.Samples taken at the gin for classing also arelabeled with PBI tags.At the classing office, the PBI tag follows thesample through testing. The results are linkedto the bale and stored in the USDA AMS Cottonand Tobacco Program’s National Databaseby PBI number. The classification data in theNational Database can be accessed by the ownerof the cotton or the owner’s authorized agent.Users of this system include grower marketingcooperatives, buyers, and textile manufacturers.PBI tag: The first two digits of the gin code identify the classing office, followedby three digits identifying the gin. The remaining seven digits identify the bale.5

OVERVIEWTHEClassificationCOTTON CLASSIFICATIONPROCESSOverviewof the OFCottonProcessSamples drawnfrom bale at ginSamples and balelabeled with PBISamples transportedto regionalclassing officeSamples areconditionedHigh Data stored in classingfacility’s database forgin/agent accessData stored inNational Database forowner/agent access6