Grading your wool

All Ulster Wool Graders have completed a 5 year apprenticeship, meaning we are able to assure the highest standards of quality across our depot network.

Every fleece we receive is individually assessed, which determines the grade and quality. Grading every fleece adds value for our farmers as this separates the better quality wool from the poorer, with the better quality achieving a higher price.

Fleeces are graded into ‘types’ rather than specific breeds, ensuring that auction buyers are provided with fleeces possessing the unique characteristics required to suit individual product requirements.

Grading terms

Hog	First shear up to 15 months growth
Ewe	Second or subsequent shear up to 12 months growth
No.1	Good uniformity of style, length, colour with a sound staple
No.2	Average uniformity of style, length and possibly some slight discolouration and/or staple weakness.
Discoloured	Natural discolouration, yellowness in colour
Soft cotts	Slightly matted fibres
Cotts	Matted fibres
Grey	Grey fibre content more than expected within the fleece
Kemp	Kempy fibre content more than expected within the fleece

Ulster Wool categories

Fine wool	Charollais, Clun Forest, Dorset, Hampshire, Shropshire, Southdown, Suffolk and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 203 to 291.
Medium wool	Beltex, Bleu du Maine, Border Leicester, Halfbred Scotch/Welsh, Lleyn, Romney, Texel and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 305 to 399.
Cross wool	Masham, Mule, Scottish Greyface and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 403 to 491.
Lustre wool	Bluefaced Leicester, Devon & Cornwall Longwool, Whiteface/Greyface Dartmoor, Lincoln/Leicester Longwool, Teeswater, Wensleydale and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 503 to 592.
Hill wool	Cheviot, Exmoor Horn, Hill Radnor, Lonk, Shetland, Beulah/Welsh Hill Speckled Face and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 600 to 699.
Mountain wool	Blackface, Dalesbred, Rough Fell, Swaledale, Welsh Mountain and their crosses. Grade numbers range from 707 to 791.