Results
The ICAC Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC) is conducting the ninth round of official CSITC Round Trials in 2015. The round trials consist of quarterly tests. Laboratories can opt to participate for the year or for any quarter to suit their seasonal schedules. All cotton fiber testing laboratories capable of measuring cotton samples with rapid testing instruments, often referred to as high volume instruments (HVI), and based on the Universal Calibration Cotton Standards for micronaire, upper-half mean length, length uniformity index, strength, rd color, and +b color are encouraged to participate. Participation in a CSITC Round Trial is not limited to test centers using Uster HVI equipment. CSITC evaluations are based on test results and are not dependent on the manufacturer, model or kind of testing instruments used.
Benefits of Participation
Participants will benefit by receiving detailed diagnostic feedback that can be utilized to demonstrate measurement performance to customers and to address measurement related problems. Results will confirm the participant’s ability to provide reproducible test measurements that are based on the established international standards. Participation is a recommended practice for fulfilling quality management requirements in laboratories (e.g. ISO 17025).
Round Trial Cost & Sign-Up
Since the round trial program started in 2007, participation has been sponsored through a project involving the Common Fund for Commodities, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Fiber Institute of Bremen, Germany, and the European Community; in the past, only a nominal fee has been charged to cover sample shipping. As the project came to an end in December 2011,
a fee of US$1,000 for four trials/US$250 per trial is being applied since 2012.
Enrollment from year-to-year will be automatic until we are informed to the contrary. Invoices will be emailed once a year.
New participants can enroll by visiting https://www.icac.org/committees/CSITC-Task-Force/Round-Trials, filling out the participation and payment forms and returning them according to instructions or in direct contact to
csitcsecretariat@icac.org and
nieves@icac.org.