Pima, Supima and Egyptian cotton: what the names mean

Most cotton is Upland cotton, about 90% of what’s grown commercially. Pima, Supima and Egyptian are names for a much smaller supply, mostly a second species, Gossypium barbadense, whose fibers grow longer. Extra-long and long staple cotton together are only 1% to 2% of the world’s crop.

What staple length means

Staple is the length of the individual fiber. Longer fibers can be combed and spun into a finer, smoother, stronger yarn, which is why extra-long staple (ELS) cotton is used for fine shirting and sheets. There’s no single international definition of extra-long staple; each country sets its own. USDA describes American Pima as fiber between 1¼ and 1 9/16 inches long.

Pima cotton

American Pima is Gossypium barbadense grown in irrigated parts of the US Southwest and separated from its seed on roller gins, which is how US law defines extra-long staple. It’s a small crop: 405,000 bales in 2025, about 88,000 tonnes, or roughly 3% of the US total. California grows most of it, followed by Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.

Supima cotton

SUPIMA is a trademark owned by the association of American Pima growers. A product can carry it only if it’s made of 100% US Pima, with exceptions for a few categories such as socks, and only licensed companies can use the mark. Supima tracks licensed cotton from bale to yarn and has random samples tested for trace elements and isotopes to confirm where the cotton grew.

Egyptian cotton

Egyptian cotton is cotton grown in Egypt. The Egyptian Cotton logo is owned by Egypt’s trade ministry and its cotton exporters’ association and is licensed, with DNA testing, through the Egyptian Cotton Association.

Most of it isn’t extra-long staple. Egypt grows numbered Giza varieties in two groups, and in the 2024/25 season only 8,678 of 88,567 tonnes, about 10%, were the extra-long staple group. The rest was long staple, and some of the Upper Egypt crop is sold as medium staple because it’s spun into the same yarns as Upland.

Pima, Supima and Egyptian at a glance

	Upland cotton	Egyptian cotton	Pima and Supima
Species	Gossypium hirsutum	Gossypium barbadense (Giza varieties)	Gossypium barbadense
Where it grows	Worldwide	Egypt	US Southwest
Staple	Shorter	About 10% extra-long, the rest long	Extra-long, 1¼ to 1 9/16 inches
How much, latest season	About 90% of commercial cotton	88,567 tonnes (2024/25)	About 88,000 tonnes (2025)
Checked by	Nothing beyond the fiber label	Egyptian Cotton logo, DNA testing	SUPIMA mark, isotope testing

How to read the label

The FTC lets labels use “Pima cotton” or “Egyptian cotton” when it’s true. “100% Pima cotton” has to mean every fiber is Pima, and a “Pima blend” has to say how much Pima it contains. The word “Egyptian” tells you where the cotton grew, not its staple length. For a check that goes beyond the label, look for the SUPIMA mark or the licensed Egyptian Cotton logo.

Fibers in this guide

• Cotton: not plastic