The continued expansion of instrument based cotton classification on a global scale brings many challenges to the international cotton industry. The challenges of international standardization must be met in order to create a seamless instrumentation system that will facilitate international marketing and optimize fiber utilization by the textile industry. The USDA, AMS, Cotton Program is pursuing these challenges through the Universal Cotton Standards Agreement, ICAC's Expert Panel on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC) and through the internationally recognized standardization body of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International. This report focuses on the efforts through ASTM.

Initially, two ASTM standards will be created. The first will be for the establishment of calibration cotton standards and the second for qualifying new instruments for cotton classification. The Cotton Program has over twenty five years of experience in these two areas and will promulgate its procedures through ASTM standardization. It is hoped that the international cotton industry will adopt these ASTM standards, as well as other ASTM standards to come, as official standards for instrument based cotton classification.