Cotton rope is a type of natural cordage made from twisted cotton fibers. Cotton rope is known for its high handling quality; it is soft and pliable and can be handled by workers without causing irritation or injury. Cotton ropes are used for sash cord, clothesline, and Venetian blind cords. Cotton is also the most common rope composition chosen in the construction or ropes used as animal toys and novelty products.
Apparel drawstrings, hammocks, jump ropes, furniture accessories, some kinds of gift packaging bags and other products for use in non-demanding applications can involve the use of cotton rope. One drawback to cotton rope is its diminished strength and durability compared to other natural and synthetic fibers. Cotton rope's low strength and susceptibility to degradation in the presence of oil, water, or other chemicals make it impractical in demanding industrial or commercial applications. Alternative natural fibers like manila and synthetic fibers like nylon and polypropylene are almost always chosen over cotton for such applications. Such fibers exhibit much higher qualities of strength and resistance to chemicals and are more widely used in industry and commerce.
Cotton rope, like all other rope varieties, can be constructed in a number of ways. Braiding involves twisting individual cotton fibers into strands and then interweaving those strands into a rope. Twisting involves simply twisting cotton fibers around each other. Rope suppliers offer cotton rope in both configurations. In order to prevent fraying and unraveling, the ends of cotton rope products are usually protected by windings and, in some cases, shrink wrapping. Cotton rope is chosen because of its softness compared to other natural and synthetic rope varieties. Synthetic ropes, especially those used in heavy industrial applications, can be bristly and even abrasive, making them unsuitable for most of the applications for which cotton rope is used. Cotton is also non-toxic, which makes it a more appropriate rope composition material than synthetic fibers when used in the construction of animal toys. It is also inexpensive, making it an ideal material for large-scale application in small consumer packaging applications. Decorative gift bags, for example, are often fitted with cotton rope handles. Such bags can be reused, making them ecologically friendly compared to other packaging varieties like gift wrap.
