What raw materials is cotton made from?

Cotton is a plant. The seeds of the plant are contained in a roundish pod called a boll, and surrounded by a fibrous material. When immature, the bolls are green, and the fibrous material is wet. As the bolls mature, they turn black/brown, the fibrous material swells, and the bolls split open, after which the fibrous material dries. This is raw cotton. The raw cotton is removed from the bolls, and the seeds are separated by machinery in a cotton gin. The fiber is then compacted into rectangular bales, generally weighing around 500 lbs, wrapped in burlap and banded with metal straps. The bales are then shipped to be processed into cloth and other articles. The seeds can be processed into cotton seed oil, and the bolls are often used as compost or mulch.