Bioscouring of cotton is normally carried out using pectinases having pectate lyase activity. The present study has examined the influence of pectate lyase and hydrolase on the surface of cotton fibre. Dye uptake by cotton scoured with polygalacturonase is found to be much lower than that scoured with pectate lyase, Pectate lyase gave better dye exhaustion at 90 °C. The difference in dye exhaustion after scouring with sodium hydroxide, polygalacturonase or pectate lyase, may be due to variation in the amount of surfactant retained by the fibre, as this hinders dye uptake. This was particularly the case with polygalacturonase. Reduced numbers of free carboxy groups on the fibre surface could indicate lower pectin content. On the other hand it could, however, be due to the esterification of carboxy groups in the pectin by hydroxy groups in the surfactant.