Cotton System Consumption and Stocks ISSN: 2378-2471 Released March 2, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Highlights December 2025 contained 31 days. January 2026 contained 31 days. Extra long staple cotton consumed on the cotton system was 138,000 pounds in January 2026, up 160 percent from December 2025 and up 7 percent from January 2025. Total Manmade fiber consumed on the cotton system was 18.4 million pounds during January 2026, up 10 percent from December 2025 but down 3 percent from January 2025. Of the total manmade fiber consumed, 91 percent was polyester staple. Total number of spindles on the cotton system was 573,000 during January 2026. Active spindles consuming 100 percent cotton was 281,000 in January 2026, up 1 percent from December 2025 but down 3 percent from January 2025. Consumption and Stocks - United States: January 2026 with Comparisons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Item : January 2025 : December 2025 : January 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extra long staple : Consumed : Running bales ....................................number: 258 106 277 Weight .....................................1,000 pounds: 129 53 138 Stocks on hand (last Saturday of the month) : Running bales ....................................number: 602 (D) (D) Weight .....................................1,000 pounds: 301 (D) (D) : Rayon and acetate staple : Consumed .....................................1,000 pounds: 1,418 330 616 Stocks on hand (last Saturday of the month) ..1,000 pounds: 4,062 3,745 4,022 : Polyester staple : Consumed .....................................1,000 pounds: 16,934 15,645 16,823 Stocks on hand (last Saturday of the month) ..1,000 pounds: 18,553 12,296 12,414 : Other manmade fiber staple : Consumed .....................................1,000 pounds: 757 734 1,002 Stocks on hand (last Saturday of the month) ..1,000 pounds: 2,050 1,488 1,822 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. Spindles in Place, Active Spindles and Spindle Hours Operated - United States: January 2026 with Comparisons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Item : January 2025 : December 2025 : January 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cotton-system spindles in place : Ring spindles .......................................1,000: 379 379 379 Airjet spindles .....................................1,000: 20 20 20 Open-end spindles ...................................1,000: 190 174 174 : Cotton-system spindles active : Spindles consuming 100% cotton ......................1,000: 289 278 281 million hours: 202 (D) (D) Spindles consuming 100% manmade fiber ...............1,000: 13 12 10 million hours: 6 4 5 Spindles consuming mixtures or blends ...............1,000: 222 217 212 million hours: 119 75 115 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Cotton System Consumption and Stocks is part of the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) program. CAIR reports are administered under NASS's Census of Agriculture program. Response to CAIR surveys are required by law (Title 7, U.S. Code). Data are collected from all known mills that consume cotton. The census universe was determined during operation profile interviews which were completed for each potential facility to identify the presence of cotton consumption and spindle activity in 2014. In the Cotton and Manmade Fiber Staple survey questionnaires, mills are asked for previous calendar month data on cotton and manmade fiber consumed, stocks and spindle activity. Mills are mailed questionnaires with the options of completing the survey by mail or by Electronic Data Reporting (EDR). For surveys not received in a reasonable amount of time, telephone follow-up is conducted. Estimating Procedures: Imputation is done for operations with non-response by using historical data and current data relationships. Data for reporting firms are added to estimates for non-reporting firms to obtain National totals. Revision Policy: Data are revised the following month based on late reports or corrected data. Final figures are published in the annual summary of the following year. Reliability: Approximately 50 reports are received each month which represent about 95 percent of total spindles. Monthly data can vary due to different firms reporting month to month. Survey data are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions and mistakes in reporting and in processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized by carefully reviewing all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov Anthony Prillaman, Acting Chief, Crops Branch............................................................ (202) 720-2127 Chris Hawthorn, Head, Field Crops Section (202) 720-2127 Fleming Gibson, Head, Fruits, Vegetables, and Special Crops Section (202) 236-2428 Joshua Bates - Asparagus, Hemp, Maple Syrup, Soybeans (202) 690-3234 Natasha Bruton - Cotton System Consumption and Stocks, Grain Crushings, Fats and Oils, Flour Milling Products, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Plums, Prunes (202) 690-1042 Noemi Guindin - Crop Progress and Condition, Kiwifruit (202) 720-2127 Michelle Harder - Hay, Kale, Peanuts, Raspberries................................................... (202) 690-8533 Deonne Holiday - Almonds, Carrots, Coffee, Cranberries, Garlic, Onions Proso Millet, Rye, Tobacco..................................................................... (202) 720-4288 Bret Holliman - Apricots, Barley, Chickpeas, Nectarines, Peaches, Snap Beans, Tomatoes (202) 720-7235 James Johanson - Dry Edible Beans, Lettuce, Macadamias, Wheat (202) 720-8068 Greg Lemmons - Beets, Corn, Flaxseed, Pears, Rice, Sweet Corn (202) 720-9526 Krishna Rizal - Artichokes, Celery, Grapefruit, Lemons, Mandarins and tangerines, Mint, Mushrooms, Olives, Oranges, Pistachios................................................... (202) 720-5412 Chris Singh - Apples, Cucumbers, Hazelnuts, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Squash, Sugarbeets, Sugarcane, Sweet Potatoes (202) 720-4285 Becky Sommer - Cabbage, Cotton, Cotton Ginnings, Sorghum, Walnuts, Strawberries (202) 720-5944 Travis Thorson - Blueberries, Canola, Mustard Seed, Rapeseed, Safflower, Spinach, Sunflower............................................................................. (202) 720-7369 Antonio Torres - Cantaloupes, Dry Edible Peas, Grapes, Green Peas, Honeydews, Lentils, Oats, Sweet Cherries, Tart Cherries, Watermelons........................... (202) 720-2157 Chris Wallace - Avocados, Bell Peppers, Chile Peppers, Dates, Floriculture, Hops, Papayas, Pecans.......................................................................... (202) 720-4215 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. 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