wool, animal fibre forming the protective covering, or fleece, of sheep or of other hairy mammals, such as goats and camels. Prehistoric man, clothing himself with sheepskins, eventually learned to make yarn and fabric from their fibre covering. Selective sheep breeding eliminated most of the long, coarse hairs forming a protective outer coat, leaving the insulating fleecy undercoat of soft, fine fibre.
Wool is mainly obtained by shearing fleece from living animals, but pelts of slaughtered sheep are sometimes treated to loosen the fibre, yielding an inferior type called pulled wool. Cleaning the fleece removes “wool grease,” the fatty substance purified to make lanolin, a by-product employed in cosmetics and ointments.
Wool fibre is chiefly composed of the animal protein keratin. Protein substances are more vulnerable to chemical damage and unfavourable environmental conditions than the cellulose material forming the plant fibres. Coarser than such textile fibres as cotton, linen, silk, and rayon, wool has diameters ranging from about 16 to 40 microns (a micron is about 0.00004 inch). Length is greatest for the coarsest fibres. Fine wools are about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 7.5 centimetres) long; extremely coarse fibres may be as much as 14 inches in length. Wool is characterized by waviness with up to 30 waves per inch (12 per centimetre) in fine fibres and 5 per inch (2 per centimetre) or less in coarser fibres. Colour, usually whitish, may be brown or black, especially in coarse types, and coarse wools have higher lustre than fine types.
Single wool fibres can resist breakage when subjected to weights of 0.5 to 1 ounce (15 to 30 grams) and when stretched as much as 25 to 30 percent of their length. Unlike vegetable fibres, wool has a lower breaking strength when wet. The resilient fibre can return to its original length after limited stretching or compression, thus imparting to fabrics and garments the ability to retain shape, drape well, and resist wrinkling. Because crimp encourages fibres to cling together, even loosely twisted yarns are strong, and both crimp and resilience allow manufacture of open-structured yarns and fabrics that trap and retain heat-insulating air. The low density of wool allows manufacture of lightweight fabrics.
Wool fibre has good to excellent affinity for dyestuffs. Highly absorbent, retaining as much as 16 to 18 percent of its weight in moisture, wool becomes warmer to the wearer as it absorbs moisture from the air, thus adjusting its moisture content and, consequently, its weight, in response to atmospheric conditions. Because moisture absorption and release are gradual, wool is slow to feel damp and does not chill the wearer by too-rapid drying.
Wool that has been stretched during yarn or fabric manufacture may undergo relaxation shrinkage in washing, with fibres resuming their normal shape. Felting shrinkage occurs when wet fibres, subjected to mechanical action, become matted into packed masses. Wool has good resistance to dry-cleaning solvents, but strong alkalies and high temperatures are harmful. Washing requires the use of mild reagents at temperatures below 20° C (68° F), with minimum mechanical action. The performance of wool has been improved by development of finishes imparting insect and mildew resistance, shrinkage control, improved fire resistance, and water repellency.
Woolen yarns, usually made from shorter fibres, are thick and full and are used for such full-bodied items as tweed fabrics and blankets. Worsteds, usually made from longer fibre, are fine, smooth, firm, and durable. They are used for fine dress fabrics and suitings. Wool that has had no previous use is described as new wool, or, in the United States, as virgin wool. The limited world supply results in the use of recovered wools. In the United States, wool recovered from fabric never used by the consumer is called reprocessed wool; wool recovered from material that has had use is called reused wool. Recovered wools, employed mainly in woolens and blends, are often of inferior quality because of damage suffered during the recovery process.
Australia, Russia, New Zealand, and Kazakhstan lead in fine-wool production, and India leads in the production of the coarser wools known as carpet wools. Leading consumers include the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan.