5 Super Expensive Wool Types in the World  (2024)

Nov 15, 2023, 10:58 PM IST

Srishti Sisodia

Alpaca Wool

Alpaca wool is warmer and stronger than that of other mammals. It is lightweight and quite water-resistant. Clothing, blankets, and other items are made from alpaca wool. It usually costs between $2.00 and $3.00 per ounce.

Cashmere Wool

Cashmere wool is obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds. A four-ounce skein of cashmere yarn costs around $250.

Merino Wool

Merino Wool comes from the merino sheep. A single ounce of superfine merino wool can cost up to $10.50, and an entire ball of merino yarn can cost up to $40.

Guanaco Wool

Guanaco fibre is valued for its rarity and soft texture. It is mostly used for luxury fabrics. Guanaco is a South American camelid. An ounce of guanaco yarn could cost around $155.

Vicuna Wool

Vicuna Wool is the most expensive wool as it comes from Vicuna, which is a wild camelid that lives in the high Andes mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. This fine wool costs from $400 to $600 per kilo of unprocessed fibre.

5 Super Expensive Wool Types in the World  (2024)

FAQs

What type of wool is most expensive? ›

Reputed as the softest and warmest wool of its kind, it is no wonder that it is considered the world's most expensive and exclusive wool. Civilizations have long-sought-after vicuñas, so much so that they have earned their status to be on the Peruvian coat of arms and Peru's national animal.

Which is the most expensive yarn? ›

Vicuna is the most expensive commercially available fiber in the world. For a long time, it was even more expensive than gold (a fact that changed due to the dramatic rise of the gold price in the past 2 decades and the increased production of vicuna wool).

How many types of wool are there in the world? ›

There are ten different types of wool fiber that can be processed to create even more varieties of wool materials. The kind of wool fabric you see in the store depends on the animal it originates from. Sheep wool includes virgin wool, merino wool, and Shetland sheep's wool. Cashmere and mohair come from goats.

What is the most expensive fibre in the world? ›

Vicuna wool, the world's rarest and most expensive fibre, is synonymous with the high Andes Mountains, especially in Peru. These creatures inhabit the laborious alpine terrains and are closely related to guanacos and alpacas.

What is the highest quality wool? ›

Merino wool is the highest quality wool, sourced from a breed of sheep called Merino. These sheep produce finer wool than other breeds, which means that the vast majority of Australian wool is suited to the manufacturing of the world's highest quality apparel and high-end fashion garments.

What is the most prized wool? ›

What is the most expensive wool? Vicuña wool is the world's finest and rarest wool. It is derived from the Vicuña, a little llama-like creature native to Peru's Andes Mountains. What are the characteristics of Vicuña wool?

What is the most expensive wool for sale? ›

Any specialist of luxury knits will tell you that a vicuna sweater is made of the ultimate material. It's the most expensive, finest and softest wool around.

What is more expensive than Cashmere? ›

The most expensive fabric in the world is fiber from a type of llama, the Vicuña. Found high up in the Andes Mountains of South America, this fabric is even more expensive and harder to find than Cashmere. Throughout history, this fabric was known as the 'Fabric of the Gods' and only royalty wore it.

What is the most rare wool? ›

Vicuña wool is the finest and rarest wool in the world. It comes from the vicuña, a small llama-like animal native to the Andes Mountains in Peru.

What is the name of the fancy wool? ›

Merino wool comes from Merino sheep, mostly from the mountainous regions of Australia and New Zealand. It's the finest and softest sheep wool with a superior shine, and definitely the most luxurious! It's unsurprisingly a very popular material for luxury bedding and clothing brands.

What is the strongest variety of wool? ›

Mooga is the strongest variety of wool.

What is the most expensive illegal wool? ›

Like real pashmina, shahtoosh is also from the Himalayas, but instead of goat hair, it is made from the underfur of the chiru, a species of antelope indigenous to Tibet. Of course, this only made shahtoosh rarer and more desirable, with poachers selling the shawls for as much as $15,000.

What is the rarest fiber? ›

The natural fibers of the vicuna are considered the rarest in the world due to the strict conservation restrictions on the shearing process. Vicuna wool is the finest and rarest natural fiber in the world. One strand of vicuna wool measures approximately 12 microns, which is 12 thousandths of a millimeter.

Which fibre is extremely soft and expensive? ›

Answer: Cashmere is an extremely soft, resilient, and easy-to-dye fibre. This rare and expensive fibre is combed once a year from the bellies of the cashmere and other goats, which is found only in the mountains of China and Tibet.

What is the highest grade of wool? ›

Raw wool is graded based on this thickness – the finer the fibre, the higher the grade. Grades range from around 70 to 200, and anything above 100 is notably fine and smooth. Seriously high grades pushing the super 160s mark are ultra luxurious – but also much more rare with high price tags to match.

What is the best luxury wool? ›

1. Cashmere. Cashmere wool is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. Compared to sheep wool chasmere is softer, finer, lighter, and stronger that makes it one of the most luxiors natural fibers.

Which wool is known as best quality wool? ›

Wool from the Merino Sheep is considered to be the best in the world.

What is the best type of wool material? ›

Although there are several types of wool one can use for suits, merino wool is by far one of the best. It comes from merino sheep that lives in Australia and New Zealand in extreme weather conditions. Why is merino wool so special?

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