Cotton Fiber

Cotton is the most widely specified natural fibre in textile manufacturing, and for most apparel and home textile programmes it remains the reference point against which alternatives are judged. Ashelby International supplies cotton staple fibre to spinning mills and manufacturers internationally.

Our cotton is supplied in staple lengths of 20 to 45mm with micronaire values of 3.5 to 5.0 and fibre strength of 20 to 30 g/tex. These three figures matter more than any descriptive grade. Staple length sets the finest count the fibre can be spun to -- longer staple permits finer, smoother yarn. Micronaire indicates fibre fineness and maturity, and values outside the 3.5 to 5.0 band tend to dye unevenly. Strength at 20 to 30 g/tex governs how the fibre survives spinning and how the resulting yarn performs under tension.

Moisture regain of 7 to 8 per cent is the property that gives cotton its comfort against skin: the fibre absorbs perspiration rather than holding it at the surface. The same characteristic makes cotton well suited to towelling and to medical textiles, and it is why cotton remains preferred for next-to-skin and infant applications. Cotton is naturally hypoallergenic and biodegradable at end of life.

We supply cotton fibre for apparel fabrics, home textiles, medical textiles and as a blend component in poly-cotton and cotton-lycra yarns. Where cotton is being blended, the ratio and target count affect which staple length is appropriate -- include both in your enquiry and we will advise before quoting.