How much wool does a sheep produce?George doesn't produce any wool.![]() Real
Men Wear Wool
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One
sheep produces any where from 2 to 30 lbs. of wool annually. The
average fleece weight in the United States is 8.2 lbs.
per sheep (per year). The amount and type of wool that a sheep
produces is dependent upon its breed (and genetics) and shearing
interval. The wool from one sheep is called a "fleece."
Lambs produce less wool than mature animals. Hair sheep
shed their coats naturally and produce no usable wool fibers.
The wool from hair x wool crosses is usually discarded. |
Long Wool Sheep |
Medium Wool Sheep |
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Long wool sheep usually produce the heaviest fleeces because their fibers grow the longest. Hand spinners often prefer the wool from the long wool breeds because it is easier to spin. Medium wool sheep, raised more for meat than fiber, usually produce the lightest weight, least valuable fleeces. Medium wool is usually made into blankets or sweaters or is felted. |
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Fine wool sheep produce fleeces which usually have the greatest value due to their smaller fiber diameter and greater versatility of use. 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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How Much is Wool Worth? The value of wool is based on its suitability for specific end uses. Raw wool is usually purchased on the basis of "grade." Grade denotes the fiber diameter and length of an individual fiber. The grade is reduced if the wool is dirty and contains a lot of "vegetable matter" or other contaminants. 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 desirable than the wool from sheep with dark faces because the fleeces from non-white face sheep may contain dark fibers which cannot be dyed. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ The average price paid for wool in 2005 in the United States was 71 cents per pound for a total value of $26.3 million.
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Wool
Marketing
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Nowadays, wool is packaged into large square bales which are easily transported by truck or rail.
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Wool Worldwide Wool
is a freely traded international commodity, subject to
global supply and demand. Wool represents only 3% of world fiber
production. Australia and New Zealand dominate the wool export
market, while the U.S. 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, Wyoming, and California. Did you know that wool was the first commodity to be traded internationally and that England tried to discourage the colonies from developing a wool industry? |
World Production of Wool (2004)
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Last updated 23-Jun-2006 by Susan Schoenian.
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