Glossary of Terms

Male sheep that has been castrated. The majority of male sheep on a farm are wethers.

Wool is shorn from around the eyes and face. This wool is usually combined with the second cuts and short crutchings to form locks.

The fibres covering the skin of a sheep.

Call made by shearer to wool handler to remove the shorn fleece from the shearing stand.

Is the dry weight of wool fibre free from impurities.

Book for recording wool bale information including number, content, weight and other pertinent information. This is maintained by the wool presser under direction of the woolclasser.

A marketing agent who sells greasy wool on behalf of a client.

Person engaged in the buying of wool.

A key member of a shearing team that works on the shearing board or wool table under the supervision of the woolclasser.

The whole operation from shearing to baling the wool for sale.

Specifically designed container made of nylon to pack and transport wool.

A machine used to compress wool into a bale, can be manual, electric or hydraulic.

A member of a shearing team who responsible for the pressing and branding of bales.

The dedicated area within a shearing shed where fleeces are skirted and classed.

Table made of battens onto which the fleeces are thrown for skirting and rolling.