Grading wool at British Wool

Watch Head Grader, Ian Brooksbank, at our Bradford Grading Depot sorting and grading the the individual fleeces.
The British Wool grading system categorises wool based upon both its style and characteristics. In doing so we seek to maximise the value for our members by increasing the value of your wool to manufacturers.
The style of wool is generally determined by its staple length, crimp, fineness, handle and lustre. There are six main styles of British Wool:
Fine
Medium
Mule
Lustre
Hill
Mountain
In addition British Wool produces a number of speciality wools which have distinctive characteristics and are usually specific to a particular breed. These specialty types are Dorset, Jacob, Masham, Teeswater / Wensleydale, Lincoln, Shetland, Exmoor Horn, Hebridean and Herdwick.
Within each style of wool, fleeces are graded by quality with judgements made across a range of characteristics. These characteristics include:
Whether the wool comes from a Hogg or a Ewe
Colour
Staple strength
Uniformity
Kemp
Grey fibre
Cotts
First / Second shear
In total British Wool produces almost 120 grades of fleece wool. Each of these are identified with a grade number and short description. British Wool also produces Organic and Winter Shorn variants of these fleece grades where appropriate.
In addition British Wool produces more than 20 grades of lamb wool.