The term “wool” says nothing about the quality.
According to the regulation, wool refers to a “fiber from the sheep’s fur” or to blends with the hair of twelve other animal species. This says nothing about the quality of the wool. The hair can come from living, dead, or slaughtered animals, and the blend can even contain recycled old wool, so-called shredded wool. If the fabric consists exclusively of sheep’s wool, the label may include the words “100%,” “pure,” or “whole,” for example, “pure wool.”
Lambswool, Merino, and Co.
Manufacturers often use combinations with the word “wool” in product descriptions to clarify origin and quality. For example, lambswool or first-shearing wool refers to the first shearing of a sheep less than one year old. Merino wool comes from Merino sheep with particularly thin hair, crossbred wool comes from sheep breeds whose hair has a medium fiber diameter, and Cheviot or coarse wool comes from those with thick fibers.
New wool stands for quality
The term “new wool” plays a special role. It always refers to hair from living sheep that has been processed for the first time. “Pure new wool” contains 100 percent such fibers. The term “new wool” may be used for textile blends if they contain only one other fiber and consist of at least 25 percent new wool by weight. The ratio must be stated on the label, for example, “52% new wool, 48% cotton.”
13 animal species produce wool
In addition to sheep, the hair of twelve other animals may be processed into wool according to EU regulations: alpaca, llama, camel, cashmere goat, Angora goat (for mohair wool), cashmere goat, Angora rabbit, vicuña, yak, guanaco, beaver, and otter. Mixed with sheep fibers, this becomes wool. Alone or mixed with each other, they bear the name of the animal with or without the addition of wool or animal hair. Example: cashmere or cashmere wool.
Hair from other animals is marketed under the term animal hair, such as horsehair. The DIN 60001 standard defines abbreviations for all of these hairs, some of which appear on labels. Two examples are WO for sheep’s wool and WA for Angora.
Where does sheep’s wool come from?
Many consumers value clothing made from sheep’s wool because of its many positive properties. It warms or cools, repels water and dirt, and absorbs unpleasant odors. The wool from sheep in Germany is quite coarse, usually not from purebred animals, and therefore in low demand.
The largest producers of sheep’s wool are Australia and New Zealand. During the annual shearing, usually in spring, the wool is cut into so-called fleeces, preferably in one piece. This raw wool is cleaned and treated with chemicals to varying degrees. Animal and consumer advocates complain about the sometimes harsh shearing methods, as well as the breeding and husbandry conditions on large farms. This is especially true for the so-called mulesing of Merino sheep.
Why are there different names for sheep’s wool?
If you look at the labeling of sheep’s wool, you’ll notice that there are two different names. One is “new wool” or “pure new wool,” the other is “shredded wool.” The internationally accepted abbreviations are “WV” for pure new wool and “WO” for shredded wool. But what do these names mean? New wool comes from living sheep, meaning it is new and obtained directly through shearing. This wool is considered to be of particularly high quality. Shredded wool is a recycled product made from old textiles, i.e. from materials that have been reused. But there are even further distinctions between sheep’s wool. Wool that comes from the hides of slaughtered sheep is called tanner’s wool, whereas dead wool is the term for wool from animals that died naturally. In addition to the differentiation based on extraction, the type or breed of sheep also plays a decisive role. A basic distinction is also made between fine, medium-fine, and coarse sheep’s wool. The finest and highest-quality wool produced by a sheep is Merino wool. Medium-fine wool usually comes from the Coburger Fuchs sheep, Fleischschaf, Eider, or Texel sheep. This is also often used for felting or for textile fillings such as duvets. The Gotland sheep offers firmer wool that is not itchy. Crossbred wool comes from the Crossbred sheep, which is medium-fine and used in both outerwear and home textiles. Coarse wool, which is not suitable for wearing next to the skin, comes from sheep accustomed to the harsh natural environment. These include the Bergschaf (mountain sheep) and the Heidschnucke (heather sheep). Cheviot wool comes from Cheviot sheep, such as the Shetland sheep. Due to the coarseness of the wool, this wool is usually only used for carpets.
