The current world is fast-paced, particularly in terms of technology, which seems to be developing at an exponential rate every day. The Committee for Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC) of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has published an updated edition of the CSITC Guide (version 4.0, February 2025) to make sure the cotton sector can keep up. The Guide, which was written by numerous internationally renowned cotton specialists, attempts to give information on the specifications for cotton standardized instrument testing. The CSITC Guide 4.0 covers the following topics:
- Requirements of Sampling
- Laboratory Requirements
- Atmospheric Conditions
- Calibration
- Testing Methods
The European Union and the Common Fund for Commodities provided financing for the initial issue of this Guide in May 2012, with assistance from the Faserinstitut Bremen and the ICAC.
ICAC, the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), CSITC members, the ITMF International Committee on Cotton Testing Methods, and the ICAC Plenary Meeting Breakout Sessions have all contributed additional updates.
We expect the handbook will be published in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish in the near future, in addition to English.
