Classification according to the fibre length
- Short fibre cottons (Gossypium herbaceum L,. Gossypium arboreum L.). Length of the fibre is shorter than 19.05 mm.
- Medium fibre (Upland) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Length of the fibre is 19.05–34.54 mm. Presently, the majority (99.5%) of cotton produced in Turkey is Upland cotton.
- Long fibre cottons (Gossypium barbadense L.). Fibre length is longer than 30.54 mm.
Classification according to colour range and percentage of foreign materials
- White class. Unspotted cottons containing the natural colour of the type. It is subdivided into different types, such as Standard Extra, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4 and Standard 5.
- Light spotted class. Light spotted (HB) because of rain, harvest and storage conditions. It is subdivided into different types, such as HB1, HB2, HB3, HB4 and HB 5.
- Coloured type. Cotton transformed to very light brown, light brown, brown and dark brown as a result of the ginning of the seed cotton which has been subjected to fermentation. It is subdivided into different types, such as colour 1, colour 2, colour 3 and colour 4.
- Outside any type category: Any cotton not fitting into any of above categories.
Colour grades of Turkish Upland cotton, as measured by HVI tests, together with foreign matter contents for roller-ginned and saw-ginned cotton, are shown in table 6.13.
Classification according to production area
For roller-ginned Upland cotton:
- Turkey–Aegean. This covers medium fibre (generally 1 3/32" and above) roller-ginned cottons produced in the Aegean production area. Traditionally, this is the best-known Turkish cotton type because of its very good fibre characteristics. Presently, the annual production of Aegean cotton is around 200 thousand tons, which is about a quarter of Turkey’s total crop.
- Turkey–Aegean Type. This covers medium fibre (1 3/32" and above) roller-ginned cottons produced in areas other than the Aegean production area, such as in Antalya (south-west), Hatay, K. Maras (south) and Diyarbakir, S.Urfa, Adiyaman (south-east.
- Turkey–Çukurova. This covers medium fibre (generally 1 1/16") rollerginned cottons produced generally in the provinces of Adana, Mersin and Osmaniye.
For saw-ginned Upland cotton, there exists only a single standard applicable to all saw-ginned cottons, irrespective of where they have been grown. Test results for cotton of various origins are given in table 6.14.
