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One sheep produces anywhere from 2 to 30 pounds of wool annually. The wool from one sheep
is called a fleece, from many sheep, a clip. The amount of wool that a sheep produces depends
upon its breed, genetics, nutrition, and shearing interval. Lambs produce less wool than mature
animals. Due to their larger size, rams usually produce more wool than ewes of the same breed
or type.

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Long wool sheep usually produce the heaviest fleeces because their fibers, though coarser, grow
the longest. Hand spinners tend to prefer wool from the long wool breeds because it is easier to
spin.

Medium wool sheep, raised more for meat than fiber, produce the lightest weight, least valuable
fleeces. Medium wool is usually made into blankets, sweaters, or socks or it is felted.

Some sheep produce very coarse fibers. This type of wool is called carpet wool, and as the name
suggests is used to make carpets and tapestries.

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Fine wool sheep produce fleeces which usually have the greatest value due to their smaller fiber
diameter and versatility of use.

 


Hair sheep shed their coats and produce no usable fibers. The "fleeces" from hair sheep and hair
x wool crosses should discarded. Their inclusion in the wool clip will contaminate the entire clip.
Even raising wool sheep along side hair sheep or other shedding animals could affect fleece
quality of the wool sheep. Hair will not accept dye.

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The value of wool is based on its suitability for specific end uses, as well as the fundamentals of
the world wool market. Raw wool is usually purchased on the basis of grade. Grade denotes the
average fiber diameter and length of individual fibers. The grade (or price) is reduced if the wool
is dirty and contains a lot of vegetable matter or other contaminants.


In the commercial market, white wool is more valuable than colored wool because it can be dyed
any color. Even the wool from sheep with white faces is more valuable than the wool from sheep
with dark or moddled faces because the fleeces from non-white face sheep may contain colored
wool or hairs which cannot be dyed. In contrast, naturally colored wools are often favored in the
niche markets.

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Large producers of wool usually sell their wool to warehouses or directly to wool mills.
Sometimes, the wool is sold on a clean (scoured) basis. Small producers often sell their wool
(raw) through wool pools. A wool pool is a collection point for wool from many producers. At
the pool, wool is sorted and packaged into different lots. The entire pool is sold to one mill, often
via silent bid. Some producers sell their wool to hand spinners or have it made into yarn or
blankets. When prices are low, some producers throw their wool away or give it to their shearer.

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In 2008, the average price paid for wool sold in the United States was 99 cents per pound for a
total value of $32.5 million. 443 million head of sheep were shorn in 2008. The average fleece
weight was 7.5 pounds.



Wool is a freely traded international commodity, subject to global supply and demand. While
wool represents only 3% of world fiber production, it is important to many country's economies
and way of life. Australia dominates the world wool market. The United States accounts for less
than 1 percent of the world's wool production and is a net importer of wool. The top states for
wool production are Texas, California, and Wyoming.

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Australia 1,153
China 825
New Zealand 481
Eastern Europe 430
Argentina 174
Turkey 119
United Kingdom 108
South Africa 101
Uraguay 82
United States 46
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