These three terms are not the same kind of thing. Pima is a fiber type, Supima is a registered trademark, and Egyptian cotton is a claim of origin. Comparing them as if they were three grades of material is the most common confusion in the category.

What is Pima cotton?

A classification of extra-long staple cotton belonging to the species Gossypium barbadense, grown principally in the United States, Peru, Australia and parts of Central Asia. It describes the fiber, not where it came from and not who certified it.

What is Supima?

Supima is a registered trademark of the association representing United States growers of Pima cotton, licensed to mills and brands that meet its requirements. The name is a contraction of "Superior Pima."

It is the same botanical species as any other Pima. What the mark adds is a certification and traceability program for American-grown fiber — not a different plant.

What is Egyptian cotton?

An origin claim: cotton grown in Egypt. Historically much of it was also Gossypium barbadense, which is why the term became shorthand for quality.

Origin alone does not specify staple length. Egypt grows cotton of several grades, and the term on a label does not tell a buyer which one is inside.

Which is better?

The question is not well formed, and we are not going to pretend otherwise to sell you a shirt. Two of these terms describe certification and origin; only one describes the fiber. A well-spun Peruvian Pima and a well-spun American Pima are the same species handled with the same care.

What separates garments in practice is not the term on the label. It is whether the yarn was combed, how the fabric was knitted and finished, and how the garment was constructed.

What should a buyer actually check?

Three things, in order: whether the yarn is combed, whether the brand will name the mill that made the fabric, and whether any stated fiber measurement comes with a source.

All three are harder to fake than a word on a label.

Where Boablanca sits

We use Peruvian Pima and do not hold a Supima license, because our fiber is not American-grown. We name our supply chain instead: Agro Pima Perú, Desmotadora del Pacífico, Hilandería Lurín and Full Pima, with yarn formation and knitting in Peru certified by fabric affidavit under the United States–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. Combed vs. carded cotton