Wool Fibre Testing
category
Wool fibre testing measures diameter, staple length, staple strength, vegetable matter content, yield, and comfort factor properties that determine raw wool auction price and processing performance in worsted and woollen spinning systems. Mean fibre diameter (MFD, µm) is the dominant price-determining parameter — measured by OFDA (Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser, IWTO-47), laserscan (IWTO-12), or airflow (IWTO-6) — with Merino MFD range 15–24 µm and price premium of AUD $0.50–3.00/kg clean per micron. Global raw wool trade (1.1 million tonnes greasy basis, AUD $3–4 billion/year at Australian Wool Exchange) is almost entirely transacted on OFDA or laserscan MFD test results. IWTO (International Wool Textile Organisation) Test Methods Committee publishes and maintains 50+ standardised wool test methods adopted by national wool testing authorities: AWTA (Australian Wool Testing Authority), SWINCO (South Africa), NZWTA (New Zealand), and LANA (Uruguay) issue internationally recognised test certificates. Staple testing (OFDA2000 measures 35 parameters per staple sample in 90 seconds including MFD, staple length SL mm, staple strength SS N/ktex, position of break POB%, and comfort factor CF%) provides the complete wool quality profile for sale-by-sample and farm-level breeding selection.
Role
Wool fibre testing underpins the global Merino wool auction system — OFDA and laserscan MFD measurements on each wool lot determine the price received by 60,000+ wool-growing farms globally, and staple strength and vegetable matter data predict processing performance in worsted spinning mills managing raw material cost optimisation across annual fibre purchase budgets of $10–200 million.