Pima cotton is an extra-long staple cotton belonging to the species Gossypium barbadense. Its fibers commonly measure above 34 millimetres, against roughly 22 to 28 millimetres for the Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) used in most T-shirts.
What does extra-long staple mean?
Staple length is the average length of the individual cotton fibers. Extra-long staple, abbreviated ELS, is the industry classification for the longest grades. It is a measurement, not a marketing term, and it is recorded on the HVI report that accompanies a bale of cotton.
Length matters because of what happens during spinning. A longer fiber needs fewer twists to hold together in a yarn, and it leaves fewer loose ends protruding at the surface of the finished cloth.
Why does fiber length change how fabric feels?
The hand of a fabric — how it reads to the touch — comes down to how many fiber ends reach its surface and how much friction they create. Fewer protruding ends means a smoother surface and less to catch against the skin.
This is a mechanical explanation, not an aesthetic claim. It is also why the same fiber, badly spun or carelessly finished, produces an ordinary fabric.
Where is Pima cotton grown?
Pima is cultivated in a small number of regions with the right climate, principally the United States, Peru, Australia and parts of Central Asia. Peru's northern coastal valleys are among the oldest continuously cultivated cotton regions in the world.
Extra-long staple cotton of all origins is a small fraction of global production. The world cotton crop runs to roughly 116 million bales per season, while Peruvian Pima accounts for on the order of 15,000 bales. (Source: USDA Economic Research Service, August 2025)
Is Pima the same as Supima?
Not quite. Supima is a registered trademark of the association representing United States growers of Pima cotton. It is the same botanical species, certified under a licensing program. Pima is the fiber; Supima is a certification mark applied to American-grown Pima.
What is Pima cotton used for?
Where yarn fineness and surface smoothness justify the cost: T-shirts and knitwear, shirting, bedding and towels. In knitwear it is most visible, because a knitted surface puts the yarn directly against the skin.
How Boablanca uses it
Our fabric is made in Peru within a vertically integrated group: Agro Pima Perú for cultivation, Desmotadora del Pacífico for ginning, Hilandería Lurín for fiber and yarn, and Full Pima for knitted fabric. Yarn formation and knitting in Peru are certified by fabric affidavit under the United States–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.
The fiber measurements above are industry figures, not measurements of our own lots. We say so because the distinction matters. What are the disadvantages of Pima cotton?