Sourcing & Manufacturing

U.S. Cotton Suppliers
Get connected with U.S. cotton yarn spinners, knit and woven fabric mills, dyers and finishers, printers, and cut & sew manufacturers.

Cotton Traceability Basics
Understand cotton, cotton trade, and manufacturing practices that can affect sourcing and traceability.

Weaving Basics
Get a high-level look at the basics of weaving, including its history and the basic actions of interlacing yarn to form a woven textile.

Preparation for Weaving
Take a look at what goes into designing woven textiles, from conception to creation, including technical design and design implications.

U.S. Cotton Traceability
Learn what makes U.S. cotton stand out from the rest with 100% traceability.

Trade Patterns for Sourcing Cotton
Where is cotton grown? Learn about the global import and export of cotton.

Knit Basics
What are the basics of knitting? Learn the different elements of the knit structure and about the two systems of knitting: weft and warp.

Basic Woven Fabric Designs
The plain weave is the oldest, simplest, and most often used woven structure. Learn more about plain weaves and plain weave variations.

Complex Woven Fabric Designs
Jacquard is a patterned fabric produced on a weaving loom. Learn more about the jacquard weave.

Fiber Preparation for Spinning
Explore the first steps in yarn spinning: opening and cleaning.

Cotton Creates Sustainable Denim that Consumers Love
What happens when your favorite cotton shirt finally reaches the end of its functional life? Explore this natural fiber's afterlife.

Natural vs. Synthetic Fibers
Whether you work in agriculture, fashion or manufacturing, knowing cotton fiber is the right choice isn’t always enough. Get the science.

Cotton Traceability Technology
Learn how to evaluate technological solutions that are beneficial to the manufacturing and sourcing of cotton.

E-Book: Classification & Tariff Engineering
Download the full e-book, Customs and International Trade Strategy: Classification & Tariff Engineering.

E-Book: Free Trade Agreement Programs
Download the full e-book, Free Trade Agreement Programs.

Cotton Fiber Classification
The United States classes 100% of its cotton bales. Learn more about USDA cotton classification.

Fiber Growth & Development, Harvesting & Ginning
Cotton plant development occurs in specific stages of reproductive growth and cotton plant development must be optimized for ideal fiber production.

Cotton Fiber Quality
Learn about the combination of instrument evaluations and skilled cotton classer assessments used to determine cotton fiber properties.

Engineered Fiber Selection® Software
Cotton buyers and sellers improve cotton logistics, evaluation, optimization, and profitability with the EFS® System Suite of software.

Mechanical Finishing
The final appearance and serviceability of fabric may be achieved through mechanical means, such as drying, sanding, napping, shearing, and more.

Chemical Finishing
Chemical finishing can affect many qualities of a fabric or garment, through the use of softeners, hand builders, fluorochemicals, resin, and enzymes.

Dyeing Basics
Dyes are highly colored substances that can be applied to a substrate to impart color with some degree of permanence.

Dyeing Preparation
Proper preparation of cotton fibers, yarns, and fabrics to undergo dyeing is critical and can prevent issues that may occur later on.

Technical & Performance Guide
This technical guide on cotton for nonwovens covers agricultural production, cotton properties and preparation, and cotton morphology and chemistry.

Category Marketing & Insights
Discover why cotton is the right choice for various nonwoven markets and products.

Sourcing, Supply Chain & Sustainability
Embark on your cotton supply chain journey. Force connections with sources offering an array of fiber options, nonwoven matierals, and beyond.

Nonwoven News & Webinars
Catch up on the latest nonwoven news and recordings of past webinars covering key industry topics.

Cotton Textile Printing Basics
Learn about the history of textile printing and the impact that your choice of fiber, yarn, and fabric has on the final product.

The Lab Dip Process
The lab dipping process is the first step in developing and approving the color of a product.

Sustainable Dyeing
Discover new ways to reduce water, energy, and chemicals during the dyeing process.

Commercial-Ready Samples
Our nonwovens marketing team collaborates with manufacturers to create innovative cotton-rich components for a variety of nonwovens products.

Denim Basics
Get a large view look at the process behind denim manufacturing—from weaves and weights to non-conventional denim fabrics.

Yarn Ply Counts and Treatments
Yarn numbering is a term used to describe a yarn’s physical size or, more specifically, its linear density.

Yarn Spinning
No matter the spinning system employed, all yarns contain twist to hold the fibers together.

Basics of Yarn Manufacturing
Although the spinning of cotton yarn is said to have originated in India, Egypt claims to be the first to have explored these techniques.

Sweater Manufacturing Basics
Learn about cut and sew, panel knitting, full fashion, and knit-to-wear garments.

Sweater Manufacturing: Dyeing & Finishing
Learn about dyeing, finishing, and steaming/shaping garments.

Denim Construction
When denim is placed on a loom, a number of elements and manufacturing decisions will determine the final look of the denim.

Sweater Design
Learn about sweater design, including construction, color consideration, product target, and computer-aided design.

Denim Finishing
Denim is a part of nearly everyone’s wardrobe. Simple or elaborate—fabric finishing is part of virtually every denim garment.

Quality Assurance Basics
Oil and stain resistance are desirable attributes of fabrics—in the garments we wear to protect us, well, against ourselves!

Garment Construction
Learn about seams and stitches, t-shirt construction, jean construction, and dress-shirt construction.

Garment Quality Control
Learn about fabric quality and systems and inspection.

Denim Sustainability
Brands and consumers are looking for more sustainable options without sacrificing the look and feel that consumers love about their favorite jeans.

Printing Process
Explore the printing process from start to finish. Learn the basics of preparation, printing, drying, fixation, and afterwashing.

Cotton Printing Types & Techniques
Learn about the different types of printing: flatbed screen printing, rotary screen printing, engraved roller printing, and digital inkjet printing.

Sock Manufacturing & Inspection
Learn about sock knitting basics, including machine components, the knitting cylinder, the knitting needle cycle, and machine types.

Quality Testing
Learn about quality testing: fiber, yarn, and fabric.

Designing Knit Textiles
Fancy patterns and stitches add character and functionality to knit fabrics. Learn about designing knitting stripes, jacquards, and flat knits.

Garment Durability
Learn about quality testing for strength and durability.

Single and Double Knits
With two needle beds, double knits offer different construction textile opportunities. Learn about double knits in warp and weft knitting

Knitting Machinery & Capabilities
Learn about the different types of machines for warp and weft knitting.

Shrinkage & Skewing
Learn about the basics of shrinkage.