Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (2024)

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About Wool

Merino wool is famous worldwide for its next-to-skin softness, strength, innate versatility and technical benefits. Merino wool's versatility extends from luxury fashion to high-performance activewear, accessories, homewares and everything in between.

Properties of wool

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (1)
100% natural

Wool is 100% natural grown year-round by Australia’s 68 million sheep, consuming a simple blend of water, air, sunshine and grass.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (2)
Biodegradable

When a wool fibre is disposed of, it will naturally decompose in soil in a matter of years, slowly releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (3)
100% renewable

Every year Australian sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a completely renewable fibre.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (4)
Wrinkle resistant

At microscopic level, each Merino wool fibre is like a coiled spring that returns to its natural shape after being bent. This gives Merino wool garments a natural resistance to wrinkles.

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Innovative

Fashion designers and activewear brands can choose from a range of innovative treatments and manufacturing techniques to create unique textures and finishes on Merino wool garments.

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Naturally breathable

Merino wool is one of the most breathable fibres. Wool fibres can absorb large quantities of moisture vapour then move it away to evaporate into the air.

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VIDEO

Discovering wool

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Warm and cool

In contrast to synthetics, Merino wool is an active fibre that reacts to changes in body temperature. So it helps you stay warm when the weather is cold, and cool when the weather is hot.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (9)
Odour resistant

In contrast to synthetics, Merino wool can absorb moisture vapour which means less sweat on your body. Merino wool even absorbs the odour molecules from sweat, which are only released upon washing.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (10)
Soft on skin

Merino wool fibres are extremely fine, enabling them to bend far more than traditional, coarser wool fibres. This makes Merino wool feel soft and luxuriously gentle next to your skin.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (11)
Naturally elastic

Natural elasticity helps Merino wool garments stretch with you, yet return to their original shape. So Merino wool clothing is ideal to wear when exercising.

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (12)
Easy to care for

Most Merino wool garments can be machine-washed and tumble dried, providing a simple solution to the common question of ‘How to wash wool?’

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Stain resistant

Merino wool fibres have a natural protective outer layer that helps prevent stains from being absorbed. And because Merino wool tends not to generate static, it attracts less dust and lint.

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Video

Wool for workouts

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Wool is the most reused and recycled fibre

Even though wool represents only 1.2% of the virgin fibre supply, surveys have shown it represents about 5% of clothing donated to charity. Wool is also one of the most sought after recycled textiles for converting into new long-lasting products, such as garments, mattresses and upholstery.

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Fire resistant

Wool’s inherent chemical structure makes wool naturally flame resistant. It is a highly trusted natural fibre in public areas such as hotels, aircraft, hospitals and theatres. Whilst cotton catches alight at 255°C, the temperature must reach 570-600°C before wool will ignite; while polyester melts at 252-292°C and nylon succumbs at an even lower 160-260°C, wool never melts so it can’t stick to the skin like many common synthetics.

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UV resistant

Merino wool clothing provides good protection from the sun, compared with the protection from other fibres. As a natural fibre, evolved over millions of years to protect sheep against the elements, Merino wool absorbs UV radiation providing protection from the sun. This makes it a good choice for a wide range of outdoor activities.

Where does Merino wool get its supernatural benefits?

The complex chemical structure of a wool fibre is what allows it to have so many inherent benefits.

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Fibre diameter

Fibre diameter refers to the ‘thickness’ of the fibre. Fine fibres bend easily, making them soft. Thick fibres bend less easily, making them resilient. Fine yarns and fabrics are used to make clothes. Thicker yarns can be used to make carpets.

Cuticle scales

Cuticle scales are tiny overlapping scales, which surround the wool fibre. If untreated during processing the cuticle scales can cause wool to felt and become thicker and more hairy during washing. Moisture vapour penetrates beneath the scales, allowing the fibre to 'breathe'.

Ortho-cortex and para-cortex

The ortho-cortex and para-cortex cells form the core of the wool fibre. The arrangement of the cells causes the ‘crimp’ (wave) in the wool fibre and traps air (providing insulation), which produces wool fabrics that keep us warm during winter.

Cell membrane complex

The cell membrane complex surrounds each strand of internal cortex cells (fibrils). It holds fibrils together and absorbs colour, allowing wool products to achieve deep vibrant colours, which don’t fade.

Microfibril and Macrofibril

The cortical cells are made up of macrofibrils and microfibrils. The material binding these fibrils is often called the ‘matrix’ material.

Matrix

The matrix consists of high-sulphur proteins. It absorbs moisture to resist static and burning, delivering cleaner and safer clothing and carpets.

Alpha helix

The protein chains that form the helical coil are the smallest parts of the wool fibre. They give wool its flexibility, elasticity and resilience, which delivers easy-to-live with, durable and wrinkle-resistant products.

Epicuticle

The epicuticle is one of the outer cuticle cell layers, on the surface of the wool fibre. It repels liquids and resists abrasion, which gives the fibre its stain and water resistance, making it easier to clean.

Why is Merino wool so soft?

Why is Merino wool so soft?

Australian Merino wool is the world’s finest and softest wool in the world. Its natural benefits are so great that no other fibre - natural or man-made - can match it.

Read more

Wool is good for your skin

Wool is good for your skin

Science has shown that wearing superfine Merino wool significantly improves the severity and symptoms chronic skin conditions, with medical experts also finding wool is not an allergen.

Read more

Meet the woolgrowers

Meet the woolgrowers

These are the people who grow your clothes. Their passion, dedication and commitment, woven together to produce the world’s best wool.


Read more

Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (19)

The world’s most versatile fibre

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Wool Fibre - Properties, Facts & Benefits | The Woolmark Company (2024)

FAQs

Why is the Woolmark important? ›

The Woolmark Certification Program tests and provides assurance of the quality of wool apparel, wool yarn and fabric, wool care product and wool interiors and floor coverings. It strengthens the value chain of wool textiles, providing quality assurance to licensees' customers.

Is Woolmark 100% wool? ›

From high performance wool cycling jerseys to classic crew neck jumpers and iconic trench coats, our Woolmark-certified apparel edit showcases high-quality wool garments that not only look good and feel good, but you know they have been made with a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre and have been made to ...

What are 10 uses of wool? ›

The following are the uses of wool:
  • In making of blankets.
  • Carpets are made using wool.
  • Upholstery is made from wool.
  • Different types of insulations are made using wool.
  • Winter clothes are made from wool.

What are the pros and cons of wool? ›

The wool is spun into long strands. Then the strands are woven into fabric. ADVANTAGES: It holds moisture without feeling wet, plus it is a great thermal insulator. DISADVANTAGES: It can be scratchy and uncomfortable to wear, and heat and moisture can cause it to felt.

Is Woolmark a good brand? ›

The iconic Woolmark logo represents an unwavering commitment to quality, ensuring outstanding performance and guaranteed fibre content in every certified product.

What is the 100% wool symbol? ›

Woolmark is a wool industry certification mark used on pure wool products that meet quality standards set by The Woolmark Company. It is a trade mark owned by The Woolmark Company, which has since 2007 been a subsidiary of Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI).

Why is wool so valuable? ›

-natures finest fibre. Merino wool is a unique natural fibre which comes from the Merino sheep. Since the Stone Age, wool has been appreciated as one of the most effective forms of all-weather protection known to mankind, and science is yet to produce a fibre which matches its unique properties.

Is 100% wool really warm? ›

For many years, wool has been used to manufacture warm clothes, blankets, and many other soft furnishings. This is because wool is a naturally good heat insulator due to the crimped quality of its fibers. It doesn't matter what animal the fibers have come from, wool will always keep you warm in cold conditions.

How old is Woolmark? ›

The Woolmark logo is the world's most recognised textile fibre brand – it has been applied to more than five billion products since its creation in 1964.

Why is 100 wool so expensive? ›

Wool is expensive because it's a natural resource. Wool comes from difficult animals to breed and raise. It takes a lot of feed, care, and a clean environment for them to grow strong and healthy enough to produce a large amount of wool.

What is the property of wool? ›

Breathable — wool fibres can absorb large quantities of moisture vapour then move it away to evaporate into the air. Wool clothing is extremely breathable and less prone to clamminess. Odour resistant — in contrast to synthetics, Merino wool can absorb moisture vapour, which means less sweat on your body.

What is interesting about wool? ›

Wool facts no. 5: wool retains its shape much better than most fibres. Wool is able to stretch to around 70% of its natural length and then spring back into its original shape, even after years of stretch, wear, and washing. As a result, wool is a brilliant fibre for outdoor activity clothing.

What are the properties of wool and its performance? ›

Interior structure creates flexibility and absorbency

Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet. It also absorbs and retains dyestuffs very well, helps remove sweat and absorbs odours. The matrix also creates wool's fire-resistant and antistatic properties.

What is the property of wool for kids? ›

Wool fiber is curly, and it can return to its original length after it is stretched or crushed. It is therefore useful in making clothing fabrics because it keeps its shape and does not wrinkle easily. Wool also takes dyes very well. It protects against both cold and wet.

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