Two cottons, a Pima and a Deltapine, were processed from seed cotton through ginning and mill processing through purified fabric. Samples were taken after each of fifteen steps and the relative availability of the OH-2, OH-3, and OH-6 hydroxyls determined from their substitution with 2-diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) groups. The technique is designated Chemical Microstructural Analysis (CMA). Strain in the microstructural unit of the crystalline fiber was detected by increases in the OH-3/OH-2 distribution ratio which is essentially zero in the never-dried fiber. The OH-3/OH-2 ratio increases substantially on boll opening and fiber desiccation. This ratio was shown to further and gradually increase on subsequent processing. This continued disruption of hydrogen bonding indicates the imposition of strain. This occurred, not in the gin, but cumulatively during greige processing to the fabric stage. After the initial desizing, wet processing through acidified fabric introduced almost no additional disorder. The same trends were observed with both cottons.