Cotton color is one of several important factors affecting cotton quality. Both cotton lint and trash have an effect on the color measurement. The objective of this project was to investigate the spectral characteristics of cotton lint and trash, in order to find suitable bands for trash and color measurement. The project utilized spectral analysis and had two goals: 1) to identify a range of wavelengths at which cotton lint and non-lint material showed the greatest contrast (this information to be used in assessing trash content) and 2) investigate the potential of narrow band reflectance for color measurement. It was found that the largest contrast occurred in the range of 0.50-0.70µm. The experiment also showed that in the near-infrared (over 0.70µm) and in the band at 0.45µm, cotton had the same reflectance as trash. If these bands were used for Rd and +b measurement, trash would have a minimal effect on the color measurement.