Merino wool yarn is one of the world’s finest and softest wool. It is mainly used for luxury clothing, high-performance activewear, and informal and insulative garments. Manufacturers love this yarn because of its unprecedented quality and versatility. Naturally renewable, comfortable, and durable, merino wool is also inexpensive and can be traded via Damodar Menon International worldwide. Leading synthetic and cotton yarn manufacturers in India trust DMI for its sixty-plus years of textile trading experience, including exclusive wool like Merino and Cashmere, and its strong foothold across 80+ countries. Learn more about Merino wool, its production and uses, and all other benefits associated with its trading.
What is Merino Wool?
Merino wool is a natural fiber produced year-round by Merino sheep. These sheep are known for their finest fleece and are raised using sustainable methods across major farms in Australia. The country provides 81% of the world's luxury wool. The sheep are fed natural ingredients such as freshwater, grass, grains, sunshine, and unpolluted air. Each sheep can produce approximately 4.5 kgs of wool fleece, making it relatively cheap and readily available compared to cashmere.
Wool is the oldest-known natural fiber, composed of a natural protein called keratin. Keratin is also available in human hair. Wools are generally categorized into 3 main types based on the micron of each fiber and its length in millimeters. 1 micron = 1/1000000 meter. The average micron of human hair is 50 to 100 microns. Merino wool is 22 microns, which makes it softer than cashmere and smoother than silk.
Like all types of wool, merino wool is highly absorbent, insulative, and water resistant. Depending on how it's made, merino wool can create soft, luxurious clothing and undergarments while countering wool's typical scratchiness. At DMI, merino wool is available for trading in various grades. It can also be blended with cashmere and silk to create exceptionally stunning fabrics.
Today, Australia is home to approximately 53 million Merino sheep. However, Merino is also bred in other parts of the world, such as the United States, Spain, and South Africa.
How is Merino Wool Made?
Merino wool is highly adaptable, effortlessly enduring temperatures from -20°C to +35°C. Thanks to advanced spinning techniques and fiber-enhancing treatments, it surpasses traditional materials like cotton or synthetic fibers in every aspect. It seamlessly combines elegance, comfort, and functionality, positioning it as a superior choice for winter apparel among cotton and viscose yarn manufacturers in India and the USA.
Step 1: Shearing
The sheep are sheared with mechanical shearers without causing them any discomfort. Shearing is done once a year. The sheared fiber is carefully folded and rolled and sent for quality check.
Step 2: Grading
A process called Wool Classing is followed to grade the wool into different categories, like fine and medium. For instance, some parts of the wool might be coarser because of more exposure.
Step 3: Cleaning
Once the wool is graded, soap water, soda ash, alkalis, and other cleansing agents are used to remove dirt, sand, grime, and other contaminants from it.
Step 4: Carding
Since the wool fibers get tangled and lumpy after the cleaning process, large metal-like hairbrushes, also known as carding brushes, are used to separate the tangled fibers into long, thin strands.
The threads are blended into groups to create wool tops, ensuring all the fiber strands are aligned in the same direction.
Step 5: Spinning
Manufacturers use wool spinning machines to draw out, twist, and bind the wool fibers together in the desired length and strength.
Two standard spinning techniques are used: worsted spinning and woollen spinning. In worsted spinning long fibers are used to create tight and smooth yarn, while in woollen spinning short fibers are used to produce loose and bulky yarn.
Step 6: Weaving or Knitting
Once the fibers are spun into yarn, they are sent to weaving and knitting units, where manufacturers use mechanical looms to weave or knit the yarn. Wool is knitted into different interlocking loops to produce a myriad variety of designs and fabrics, each varying in thickness and pattern.
Different types of Merino Wool Fabrics include:
– Ultrafine Merino Wool
– Superfine Merino Wool
– Fine Merino Wool
– Medium Merino Wool
– Broad Merino Wool
Broad is the coarsest and most durable Merino fabric, while Ultrafine is the most precious, rarest, and most expensive type of Merino wool.
Step 7: Dyeing and Finishing Treatments
Finally, the Merino wool fabrics are sent to dyeing and chemical treatment factories. Since Merino wool is naturally flame-retardant, it is rarely treated with water-resistant chemicals. They are generally immersed in water to interlock the fibers securely and then passed through fabric softeners to prevent shrinking.
After these steps merino wool is sold in bulk through DMI for apparel manufacturing and homeware productions.
Cotton yarn manufacturers in India use Merino wool to make sweaters, blouses, shirts, tank tops, and even jackets and blazers. Due to its durability, softness, and insulating properties, Merino Wool is an ideal fabric for making innerwear or base layers for winter.
Due to its heat retention and insulative properties, Merino wool is commonly used for making blankets or as the mid-layer for rugs and comforters.
Benefits of Merino Wool
1. Merino wool helps the body naturally regulate climate, making it a perfect fabric for wearing all year long.
2. It is mainly composed of proteins and amino acids, making it a natural renewable fiber.
3. Merino wool has natural moisture-wicking properties as they are inherently porous. Meaning that they can transport moisture away from the body as a vapor without changing the temperature.
4. Merino wool is odor-resistant, regardless of how hot and clammy the temperature is. It can excellently trap smell and release upon washing.
5. It is also quick to dry compared to other wool and natural fabrics.
6. Merino wool is renewable and biodegradable. Thanks to its amino acids, it decomposes in soil within 12 months.
7. In addition, the wool is a natural UV barrier, fire-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, anti- allergic, and six times stronger than cotton.
Trade merino wool effortlessly at DMI. Leading cotton and viscose yarn manufacturers in India are associated with Damodar Menon International for our excellent service, market knowledge, and market price.
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