Products and Marketing - Raising Sheep - page 318

Evaluating Wool
Commercial buyers purchase wool by the pound (0.5 kg), which is put in
a bag, or bale, that can weigh anywhere from 150 to 1,000 pounds (68 to
453.6 kg). These buyers evaluate the clip, or the season's yield of wool, from
a fl ock or group of fl ocks on the basis of several characteristics, depending on
the wool's intended use. Although these criteria for evaluating wool may not
have much effect on a small-fl ock owner with no great amount of wool to sell,
the explanations may be of interest. Following are some of the criteria that a
wool buyer considers.
■ Yield, or the percentage of clean wool fi bers by weight after a raw,
or grease wool, is cleaned. Yield is calculated on the basis of a sample
that's weighed raw, scoured, dried, and reweighed. Yield differs accord-
ing to the breed and can vary 10 to 15 percent within a breed. In North
American sheep, it typically runs between 45 and 65 percent.
■ Quantity and type of vegetable matter. A wool clip that has lots of
seeds, burrs, twigs, and other vegetable matter in it is much less valu-
able than one that is free of these contaminants.
■ Average length and variability of staple. The length of fi bers falls into
three major classes: staple, French combing, and clothing. Buyers want
minimum variability in the length of fi bers within a fl eece. Good skirt-
ing of fl eeces (cutting away belly, leg, and other short wool) and mini-
mizing second cuts during shearing provides a more consistent length.
■ Staple strength and position of break. Tender wool has low tensile
strength and breaks unevenly, whereas broken wool breaks at the same
point on most fi bers throughout the fl eece. Both of these conditions are
related largely to health and nutrition. To test for weakness, stretch a
small tuft of wool between both hands. Strum it with the index fi nger of
one hand. A sound staple makes a faint, dull, twanging sound and does
not tear or break.
■ Color and colored fi bers. Commercial buyers mainly want bright,
white wool that can be dyed without bleaching; however, many hands-
pinners and some commercial buyers look for naturally colored wools.
If you sell wool commercially, colored fi bers, regardless of how many,
mixed in with a fl eece sends it to the colored bag of wool.
■ Crimp. Again, buyers are interested in consistent quality when it comes
to crimp. Wool from one animal that has too much or too little crimp
compared with that of the rest of the fl ock reduces the value of the bag.