Retail Use of Cotton

Consumers in the U.S. continue to purchase cotton products at a record pace. One measurement of the retail use of cotton product is by comparing domestic production of textile products with the net trade of those products. In that way, we can capture the total demand for cotton products by U.S. consumers.

(Thousand Bale Equivalents)
Calendar	2004	2005	2006

Apparel and Home Furnishings
Production	5,156	4,787	3,481
Imports	17,077	19,323	20,420
Exports	1,465	1,211	992
NDC*	20,768	22,899	22,909
% Domestic	25%	21%	15%

Apparel
Production	2,668	2,595	1,761
Imports	14,446	15,980	16,615
Exports	1,318	1,061	856
NDC*	15,796	17,514	17,520
% Domestic	17%	15%	10%

Home Furnishings
Production	2,488	2,192	1,720
Imports	2,631	3,342	3,804
Exports	147	150	136
NDC*	4,972	5,384	5,389
% Domestic	50%	41%	32%

Sources:
Production: NCC Publication Cotton Counts Its Customers
Trade: USDA, ERS
* NDC = Net Domestic Consumption = Production - Net Imports