Sheep & Wool

Main wool categories

Wool is further differentiated into categories. There are three broad groupings of categories: fleece, oddments (offsorts) and slipe wool.

Fleece is the wool shorn from the main part of the body, and is further categorised in terms of breed, fibre diameter and time of shearing. To improve the quality of the main fleece, parts of it are removed during clip preparation in the farm woolshed.

The oddments, or skirtings, which may be shorter and of poorer colour, or contain more vegetable matter and other faults, are sold as separate categories. Because the oddments often also possess special characteristics, such as high bulk or medullation, they can be used in blends to achieve a wide range of product properties and special effects.

Slipe wool is chemically removed from the skins of sheep slaughtered at meat processing plants.

Although categories are mainly used as a means of preparing wool for sale, it is still important for a processor to understand the categories of wool, as they not only indicate processing performance, but also often influence price.