Wool Fleece Yield & Shrinkage Calculator
Estimate how much clean, spinnable wool you'll actually get from a raw fleece, by wool type.
How this calculator works
"Yield" is the percentage of clean wool remaining after scouring (washing) out the lanolin, dirt, dried sweat, and vegetable matter that make up raw "grease wool." This tool applies the typical yield range for your wool's fineness category to your raw fleece weight.
Where these numbers come from
- Yield categories (high >53%, medium 45–53%, low <45%) and the general fineness-to-yield relationship: University of Kentucky and Texas A&M 4-H wool judging references
- Average Texas fine-wool yield (~50%): Texas A&M AgriLife sheep/wool judging guide
If you want a precise number for a specific fleece rather than a typical range, the only real way is to scour a weighed sample and measure the clean weight directly.
Frequently asked questions
Why does wool type change the expected clean yield?
Different sheep breeds produce wool with different amounts of natural grease (lanolin), vegetable matter, and dirt, and that raw content is washed out before spinning — a greasier wool type loses more weight in washing than a cleaner one, even from the same raw fleece weight.
What is "yield" actually measuring?
It's the percentage of a raw, unwashed fleece's weight that remains as clean, spinnable wool after washing out grease, dirt, and vegetable matter — a lower yield percentage means more of the raw weight is lost in processing.
Does skirting the fleece affect yield?
Yes — skirting (removing the dirtiest, most matted edge wool before washing) improves the effective yield of the remaining fleece, since the poorest-quality wool is removed before the yield calculation would even apply to it.
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