Long-staple cotton, also known as sea island cotton, is known for its long fibers. Because of its excellent quality and soft, long cotton fiber, the long-staple cotton is also known as “the best cotton of all”. Long-staple cotton is the key material for spinning high-count cotton yarn. High-end yarn-dyed fabrics, home textiles and other domestic top-grade products, as well as high-value-added textiles and garments exported, all require high-count yarns with long-staple cotton as the main raw material.
Only three countries in the world can grow long-staple cotton, which are China, the United States and Egypt. With people’s increasing pursuit of high quality, the demand for long-staple cotton sheets in daily life is also growing fast, which leads to the widespread purchase and use of long-staple cotton sheets. So what are the advantages of long-staple cotton, and what is the logical price range?
Common Varieties of Long-staple Cotton –
With the continuous development of agricultural technology, more and more long-staple cotton varieties have been cultivated. Here are a few common long-staple cottons on the market:
- The Junhai 1 – A variety of early mature long-staple cotton, of which the fiber length is 38–39.7 mm, the fineness is 7510 m/g, the Measurement of elongation at break is 33.2 kilometers, The fiber strength is 4.4 gram force, the ginning outturn is 32-33%. Each cotton boll weighs around 3 gramms. The Junhai 1 is mainly produced in the agricultural fields of Aksu, Bayin Guoyu and other places.
- The Xinhai Cotton – A directinal breeding selection of mutants of the 5230FU. When planted in Turpan, the growth period is 131 days, while in southern Xinjiang, the growth period is 146-171 days. Xin-hai Cotton has a fiber length of 34.37 mm, a fineness of 7080 m/g, a strength of 4.84 g, and a fracture length of 34.27 km. It is mainly produced in the Turpan Basin.
- The Hybrid 2 – A hybrid long-staple cotton cultivated from varieties of other cottons. It has a growth period of 150-155 days, a fiber length of 38-39.7 mm, a fineness of 7510 m/g, and a strength of 4.44 g mainly produced in Kashgar.
Features of Long-staple Cotton Sheets –
As staple length increases, so does cotton’s soft, silky feel. For this reason, long staple cotton is a popular choice to make beddings.
The qualiy of the long-staple cotton is excellent for spinning and weaving. Its fibers are usually softer and have a length of 33-39 mm generally, and some varieties even have a length of 64 mm. The fineness is 7000 ~ 8500 m / g, the width the width is 15 ~ 16 microns. The strength of long-staple cotton fibers is very high, which is 4-5 GF per fiber. the convolution in the long-staple cotton fiber is 80-120 / cm.
Some hybrids with island cotton as the male parent and upland cotton as the female parent have long fibers, but the fineness and strength cannot reach the standard of sea-island cotton, which is commonly known as upland long-staple cotton.
Due to the difference in process technology and people’s aesthetic sense, long-staple cotton sheets vary in styles, sizes, and patterns, which results in a wide price range of the products. Because the long-staple cotton sheets have better quality, they are more expensive than ordinary sheets. The price of the common long-staple cotton sheets on the market is generally between 100-180 yuan. (As shown in the picture, this long-staple cotton sheet has a fresh and beautiful pattern and is very decorative. The price of this long-staple cotton sheet is 179 yuan.)
Why is long staple cotton more precious than normal cotton varieties?
Most luxurious cotton products are made with long-staple cotton. The species of cotton that produces long-staple fibers are a more challenging crop and not as abundant as the plants that produce short-staple cotton. When planted under the same condition, the growth period of long-staple cotton is usually 10-15 days longer than common cotton species. The longer the fiber staple is, the faster the fabric gets warm and the better the heat retention. Also, the long-staple cotton has finer fibers, which makes the fabric much softer and silkier. When used as garment fabric, the long-staple cotton fabrics tend to have a more dangling and glossier effect. Fabrics made of long-staple cottons fray less, wrinkle less, and even fade less than fabrics made with their short-staple counterparts. The permeability and hydroscopicity of the long-staple cotton fabric is also better than other short-staple cottons.
