Glossary of Terms

Wool as it is when shorn from the sheep, before any processing or washing to remove natural grease and dust. 

A method for applying a remedy against external parasites by spraying the chemical onto them in a confined space.

An instrument to measure mean fibre diameter and fibre diameter distribution by detection of shadows in a laser beam via snippets being carried through the beam in a liquid.

Small pieces of skin adhering to the wool which have been accidentally removed during the shearing process.

Removal of sweat locks and other processing faults present from the outer section of fleece under instruction from the woolclasser eg. stained, unusable, or undesirable portions of a fleece.

Slipe refers to wool removed or pulled from the pelt of a sheep by hand or by a machine after the pelt has been treated with a chemical depilatory.

A sliver is the bundle of parallel fibres produced in early stages of fibre preparation, principally, the output from carding.

Very short pieces of fibre, typically 2mm long, which have been cut to measure fibre diameter and related properties.

Wool fibres that do not break during the manufacturing process  Wool that has a staple strength of 35 newtons per kilotex and above is usually deemed as sound.

The process of making yarn from fibre by inserting twist.

Male sheep that has not been castrated properly.

Wool fibres that are affected by various contaminants that can't be removed by scouring and are permanently discoloured. e.g. urine, pen, water and blood stain.

Section of a shearing board allocated and used by one shearer.

A group of individual wool fibres clumped together within a fleece.

the bottom of the wool staple that represents the portion of the wool staple where it has been cut directly adjacent to the skin surface.