Objective Based on the characteristics of cotton in the early stage of smoldering, pertinent packing way and storage method of cotton bale were put forward. Methods Cotton was heated with a controllable heating device, and the CO released during the heating process of cotton was collected and analyzed by a CO sensor. Using a simulated cotton pile, CO sensor and multi-point measurement were employed to measure the dissipation path of CO in cotton pile. Results CO was produced at 120 ℃ and begin to spread at the same time； The rates of CO gas production in the early stage of cotton smoldering at different temperatures were obtained； In the early stage of smoldering， CO was released along the crack with the smoldering point as the origin， and spread slowly to the surrounding； the CO concentration changed inversely with the gap size. Conclusion It was put forward that packaging cotton in single or multiple bale(s) with flame-retarded PE or reducing the size of cotton pile could shorten the early-warning time of cotton bale fire.