Fibre elongation contributes directly to yarn elongation and toughness, which are important particularly in fine count yarn spinning and realised yarn quality. Despite the importance of fibre elongation its measurement has been neglected by industry. A key reason for this has been the lack of confidence in its measurement by high volume instruments.

It is noted that fibre elongation is currently not measured in USDA, Australian or Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC) HVI laboratory check tests, nor is any calibration value provided for USDA HVI calibration cottons. Given the effect of fibre elongation on yarn quality and increasing demand for fibre that performs well in fine count yarn, there is a need to address the measurement and management of elongation for the Australian and international cotton industry.

Over 600 fibre samples were collected and measured in this project. The broad aim was to address issues around the information available on fibre elongation values in Australian cotton.