The Uster High Volume Instrumentation (HVI) is used to classify U.S. cotton. Cotton color is classed by the HVI based on its Rd (diffuse reflectance) and +b (yellowness) values. Rd and +b are cotton-specific color parameters, and they are not as well known as other globally recognized color systems (e.g., L*a*b*). Further, the standards used for HVI color are ceramic tiles and cotton batts, but there is no “NIST-like” traceability for these standards. A multi-team and multi-organization program was implemented to investigate new standard procedures and protocols, to evaluate globally recognized color systems (e.g., L*a*b*) and their relationship(s) to Rd and +b, to investigate the possibility for “traceable” HVI color standards by AMS, and to study the influence of various instrumental and sampling/procedural variabilities on the color results. The samples analyzed in this phase of the program were BCRA color tiles, AMS tiles, and AMS cotton batts. The samples were measured on both bench-top and portable instruments from various color unit vendors. Initial results from multi-vendor/color unit trails are presented.