In collaboration with the US cotton industry and representatives of the Overseas Signatories Committee of the Universal Cotton Standards Agreement, represented among others by Fritz Grobien, Vice President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange, the approval of the new Guide Boxes took place on 6 April 2022 in Memphis, USA. Some fine foliage was added to only two low grade standards, in other respects the USDA had done an excellent job as usual.

Representatives of the Overseas Signatories Committee attended, when over 1000 standard boxes produced by the USDA based on the agreed Guide Boxes were approved and subsequently shipped all over the world in June.

On 4 July 2022 the Bremen Cotton Exchange received the new Universal Standards for Color and Leaf of American Upland Cotton, Key-Set No. 39 from the USDA, AMS, Cotton Program, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, valid from 1 July 2022 until 30 June 2023:

11 Good Middling White Color / Leaf Grade 1
21 Strict Middling White Color / Leaf Grade 2
31 Middling White Color / Leaf Grade 3
41 Strict Low Middling White Color / Leaf Grade 4
51 Low Middling White Color / Leaf Grade 5
61 Strict Good Ordinary White Color / Leaf Grade 6
71 Good Ordinary White Color / Leaf Grade 7

23 Strict Middling Spotted Color
33 Middling Spotted Color
43 Strict Low Middling Spotted Color
53 Low Middling Spotted Color
63 Strict Good Ordinary Spotted Color

34 Middling Tinged Color
44 Strict Low Middling Tinged Color
54 Low Middling Tinged Color

The new standards can be inspected by appointment at the arbitrage rooms of the Bremen Cotton Exchange.