Commodity
Index-linkedBulk Cotton follows a global index more than a boutique mill.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength36
Heat resistance28
Fire performance22
Insulation40
Workability86
Circularity54
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is Cotton non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: combustible fibre (treatments vary). Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Cotton insulate?
Thermal mark 40/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: low (textile still air).
What is the density band?
~1.54 g/cm³ fibre
How is it made?
Origin story: Indus / New World domestication; mill 18th c. (India / Americas / Lancashire).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 54/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
chars ~150 °C+
heat 28 · fire 22
Prices are bands. A 2024 coil is not a 2026 contract. Labour and certification often dwarf the commodity.
Producers listed are landmarks for orientation, not a ranking or a procurement list.
Cost bands
Specified grade
PremiumTight chemistry, cleanliness or certification multiplies the unit price.
System
InstalledBoards, coats and labour dwarf kilogram prices.
Certified / medical / aero
HighestPaperwork is the product.
Trial / green route
PolicyLow-carbon or bio routes still trade on certificates.
Regions
East Asia
Volume production and finishing.
Europe
Standards (EN, Euroclass) and specialty.
North America
ASTM / NFPA language and large domestic mills.
Korea / Japan
High-spec sheet, fibres, electronics-adjacent ceramics.
Resource belts
Ore, plantations or energy that feed primary routes.
Global trade
Cotton moves as coils, bales, boards or chemicals — check HS codes, not vibes.
Key numbers
~1.54 g/cm³ fibreDensity
low (textile still air)Thermal
combustible fibre (treatments vary)Fire letter
40Atlas insulation
Producers
US upland belt
Machine-picked commodity lint.
India
Largest producer some years; fragmented gins.
China
Xinjiang volume plus spinning powerhouse.
Brazil
Cerrado expansion, highly mechanised.
Pakistan
Lint plus downstream spinning.
West Africa
Francophone export lint.
Ask for the route (primary, scrap, bio) before believing a green label.
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