Cotton runs through plenty of bedding products, from mattress ticking and batting to sheets and other textiles. Recent forecasts suggest the global cotton market is getting tighter, with consumption now projected to outpace production in 2026/27.
That shift won’t affect every bedding company in the same way. Contracts, inventories, fiber blends, sourcing, and supplier relationships all shape what companies actually pay. But the broader supply picture is worth watching.
USDA’s September cotton outlook puts global mill use at 122.9 million bales for 2026/27, up 1.5% from the previous year and the highest level in six years. World production is projected at 117.3 million bales, down 4%. If those estimates hold, mill use would exceed production by about 5.6 million bales.
USDA also expects global ending stocks to fall by nearly 5.5 million bales, or 7%, to 69.9 million bales.
Another major cotton forecast has moved in the same direction. In September, the International Cotton Advisory Committee still projected global production slightly above consumption. Its October outlook now puts production at 25.94 million tonnes and consumption at 26.14 million tonnes.
The estimates will continue to move as the season develops, but both USDA and ICAC now show the same broad pattern: more cotton being used than produced.
