Full Grades of Cotton. Egyptian cotton is graded as follows: extra fine, fine, good, fully good fair, good fair, fair, middling fair, middling.
Indian cotton is graded as follows: superfine, fine, fully good, good, fully good fair, good fair, fully fair.
Brazilian cotton may be classed: fine, good, good fair, fair, middling fair, middling.
American cotton has seven grades: fair, middling fair, good middling, middling, low middling, good ordinary, and ordinary.
In addition to the full grades there are half and quarter grades. The American cottons are graded as follows:
| Full Grades. | Half Grades. | Quarter Grades. |
| Fair, | Strict middling fair, | Barely fair, |
| Middling fair, | Strict good middling, | Fully middling fair, |
| Good middling, | Strict middling, | Barely middling fair, |
| Middling, | Strict low middling, | Fully good middling, |
| Low middling, | Strict good ordinary, | Barely good middling, |
| Good ordinary, | Strict ordinary. | Fully middling, |
| Ordinary. | Barely middling, | |
| Fully low middling, | ||
| Barely low middling, | ||
| Fully good ordinary, | ||
| Barely good ordinary. |
The following are a few of the leading varieties of cotton, with the numbers of yarn they will make:
| Cotton. | Length. | Warp. | Filling. | ||||
| Sea Island (selected) | 1¾ | to | 2¼ | up to 200 | 250 to 300 | ||
| Sea Island (ordinary) | 1¾ | to | 2 | 150 | 220 | ||
| Florida Sea Island | 1¾ | to | 2 | 150 | 220 | ||
| Georgia | 1½ | to | 17/8 | 120 | 180 | ||
| Egyptian | 1¼ | to | 1½ | 70 | 120 | ||
| Peeler | 1¼ | to | 13/8 | 50 | 70 | ||
| Orleans or Gulf | 11/16 | to | 1¼ | 40 | 60 | ||
| Upland | 1 | to | 11/8 | 30 | 45 | ||
| Texas | 7/8 | to | 11/16 | 25 | 35 | ||
During the last few years considerable discussion has taken place among mill men, both in this country and abroad, bearing upon the subject of moisture contained in baled cotton. Of course the natural moisture in the cotton fiber varies, as might be expected, from year to year, according to the character of the season during the picking. The standard of moisture is based upon what is known as regain, that is, if 100 parts of absolutely dry cotton are exposed to the air, they will absorb about 8½ per cent of moisture, although a much higher per cent is sometimes found.