Cotton: Overview
From jeans and towels to cottonseed oil
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel yarn and fabric (denim, knits, shirting) | 57% | about 15 Mtbasis | Cotton absorbs moisture, breathes and feels soft, which buyers pay for in tees, denim and shirts. It spins well on ring and open-end machines that the industry already owns. Polyester is cheaper, so cotton keeps share where comfort and natural-fibre labels matter. National Cotton Council, Cotton's Major Uses (US mill consumption, undated); USDA WASDE Oct 2026 | Polyester and cotton-polyester blends Viscose and lyocell Linen |
| Home textiles (towels, bed linen, curtains) | 35% | about 9 Mtbasis | Towels and sheets need absorbency and washability at high temperatures, where cotton beats synthetics. India and Pakistan are large exporters of cotton home textiles, using their own fibre and spinning capacity. National Cotton Council, Cotton's Major Uses (US mill consumption, undated); USDA WASDE Oct 2026 | Polyester microfibre Linen Bamboo-derived viscose |
| Medical, hygiene and technical textiles | 8% | about 2 Mtbasis | Absorbent cotton, gauze, bandages and swabs rely on cotton's absorbency, softness and ability to be sterilised. Some industrial uses, such as canvas and threads, value its strength when wet. National Cotton Council, Cotton's Major Uses (US mill consumption, undated); USDA WASDE Oct 2026 | Viscose nonwovens Polypropylene nonwovens Polyester |
| Cottonseed oil and meal (co-products of ginning) | n/a | about 41.0 Mt of cottonseed and 4.17 Mt of cottonseed oilbasis | Every tonne of lint comes with about 1.7 t of seed. Crushers press it for cooking oil and sell the cake as cattle feed, which adds to farm income. In India, cottonseed cake is a major dairy feed. FAOSTAT, 2023 | Soybean and palm oil Soybean and rapeseed meal |
From field to user
- Planting and growing Farmers harvested 30.8 Mha of cotton in 2024, producing 72.8 Mt of seed cotton (FAOSTAT). India has the largest area, 11.4 Mha.
- Picking Machine-picked in the US, Australia, Brazil and Xinjiang; hand-picked in several passes across most of India, Pakistan and West Africa.
- Ginning Gins separate lint from seed. World lint was 24.7 Mt against 73.7 Mt of seed cotton in 2023, a turnout of about 34% (FAOSTAT).
- Baling and classing Lint is pressed into bales (480 lb in US statistics, 170 kg in India) and graded for staple length, strength, micronaire and colour.
- Merchandising and shipping Merchants buy from gins and sell to spinners worldwide. World exports were 45.8 million bales in 2025/26, 38% of output (USDA WASDE, Oct 2026).
- Spinning Mills turn lint into yarn. China used 41.6 million bales, India 26.25 million and Pakistan 9.9 million in 2025/26 (USDA WASDE).
- Weaving, knitting and processing Yarn becomes greige fabric, then is dyed and finished; Bangladesh, Vietnam and Turkey import lint for this stage.
- Garments and home textiles Cut-and-sew factories make clothing and household goods for retailers in the US, EU and Asia.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
ICE cotton No. 2 futures 80.2 US cents/lb Close 2026-10-23 · Yahoo Finance 1 week +0.2% 6 months +3.7% World production 24.7 m tonnes, 2023 Largest producer China 22.74% of worldThree things to know
- China held about 48% of world cotton stocks in 2025/26: 36.24 of 75.7 million bales (USDA WASDE).
- World cotton ending stocks equal 62.7% of a year's use in 2025/26, about seven and a half months of consumption.
- In real 2010 dollars, the 2025 cotton price ($1.47/kg) was the lowest of the past fifteen years.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Multiple factors to determine cotton crop for 2026-27The Hindu · 2026-10-02
- Brazil cotton prices fall but stay above export parityFibre2Fashion · 2026-10-22
- Easing global prices, rising arrivals and muted demand likely to weigh on Indian cotton pricesBusinessLine · 2026-09-29
- USDA: 2025 cotton crop slightly below 2024Brownfield Ag News · 2026-10-19
- | North India's cotton yarn stable despite rising cotton pricesFibre2Fashion · 2026-10-19