VIS/NIR reflectance spectroscopy is a nondestructive method of analysis that measures simultaneously multiple fiber quality parameters (e.g., length, strength, maturity, and fineness) from the reflectance spectrum of cotton. A VIS/NIR reflectance HVI is made by integrating the spectrophotometer to an HVI bench. The sample cell is an open-ended cylinder with 5" diameter quartz window. The cell is mounted on a thrust bearing. Cotton is placed in the cell, pressed against the quartz by a pneumatic arm, and the cell either rotated or held stationary during spectral analysis. The spectrophotometer is placed under the quartz, and off center. Two spectrophotometers are evaluated. One is the NIRSystems Model 6500, 400 to 2500 nm range (26 sec spectral acquisition). The other is the fast KES diode-array, 400 to 1700 nm range (1.3 sec spectral acquisition). Spectral standard deviations are presented for each instrument. Maturity and fineness units of measure are suggested for determination by reflectance HVI. The overall goal is to produce precise cotton quality measurements for the industry by a simple and practical approach.