Cashmere and Merino wool are both high-quality natural animal fibers, but the differences in many dimensions such as source, characteristics and quality are significant, and the specific differences are as follows:
I. The core is different:
Cashmere: refers specifically to the lower layer of fine cashmere growing tightly against the skin of goats (mainly cashmere goats, such as Inner Mongolia cashmere goat, Kashmir goat, etc.), which belongs to the secondary cashmere. Each goat can only produce several dozen grams of cashmere per year, and it needs to be handcombed and collected during certain seasons, and the raw material is extremely scarce.
Beautiful slave wool: derived from beautiful slave sheep (which are divided into different breeds, The covered hair of Australian beautiful slaves, New Zealand beautiful slaves and others, belongs to the main hair sheep, and the output of hair is much higher than that of goats. An adult beautiful slave sheep can produce several kilograms of hair annually, and the supply of raw materials is relatively abundant.
II. Differences in Fiber Properties
Fineness and handfeel
Cashmere: The fibers are usually between 14-16 microns, and some high-end cashmeres can reach below 12 microns. The surface scales of the fibers are small and smooth, and the touch is extremely soft and delicate, and there is no itching when applying to the skin. It is known as "soft gold."
Beautiful slave wool: The fineness is generally 18-22 microns (ultrafine beautiful slaves can be as low as about 16 microns), Although it is more delicate than ordinary wool, the overall thickness is slightly less than cashmere, the hand feel is softer, but it is still slightly firm compared to cashmere, and some of the thicker styles may be slightly irritating to sensitive skin.
Keep warm
Cashmere: The fiber has a hollow structure and a high curvature, which can lock up a lot of air and provides excellent heat protection. At the same thickness, the warmth of cashmere products is 1.5-2 times that of wool products.
Merino wool: The warmth is better than ordinary wool, but due to the different fiber structure (mainly solid, less curly than cashmere), the warmth efficiency is less than cashmere, and it needs to reach a certain thickness to achieve a similar warmth effect to cashmere.
Strength and wear resistance
Cashmere: The fibers are shorter in length (usually 3-4 cm), relatively weak in strength and wear resistance, easily bally and deformed during long-term friction, and require more fine care.
Merino Wool: longer fiber length (6-10 cm), stronger and more tough than cashmere, more wear resistant, more durable in everyday wear, and relatively low ball risk (still related to fabric density and craftsmanship).
Moisture absorption and breathability
Cashmere is excellent in dampening, can absorb about 30% of its own weight of moisture, and has good breathability, is dry and not sweltering when worn, and is suitable for dry or cold environments.
Merino wool: The hygroscopic properties of cocoa are close to cashmere, cocoa absorbs 20-30% of its own weight of water, is good breathing, and discharges the moisture quickly, can effectively avoid sweat accumulation, and has high comfort.
III. Product characteristics and applicable scenarios
Cashmere products: Mainly focused on high-end comfort, common styles are cashmere shirts, cashmere scarves, cashmere coats, etc. The characteristics are light, warm, and soft, suitable for scenes where extreme comfort and light luxury feel are desired, especially for personal wear or high-end wear in the cold winter. However, the price is expensive and the cost of care is high, so vigorous scrubbing and sun exposure should be avoided.
Merino Wool Products: Better value for money and a wide variety of styles, including wool shirts, wool coats, wool socks, etc., which are both soft and practical, suitable for wear in spring and autumn or as a fitting in winter, and can also be used to make outdoor warm clothing (taking advantage of its wear resistance and breathability). Care is relatively simple and machine washable (optional wool-specific procedures).
IV. Price difference
Due to the scarcity of cashmere raw materials and the difficulty of collecting them, the price of their products is much higher than that of wool products made by Mills. The price of an ordinary cashmere shirt is usually 3-5 times that of the same type of ultrafine wool sweater, and the price of high-end cashmere products can reach thousands of yuan or even tens of thousands yuan; The United States and the price of wool products is relatively close to the people, more suitable for Volkswagen consumer groups.
V. Small Techniques for Distinguishing
Hand-feel judgment: Under the same conditions, the softness of cashmere is much higher than that of slave wool, and the touch is more "sticky," while slave wool is slightly "firm."
Weight comparison: For clothing of the same thickness and size, cashmere products are lighter, and merino wool products are relatively thick and heavy.
Label marking: Formal products will explicitly label "Cashmere" or "Merino Wool," and cashmere products will usually label cashmere content (e.g. 100% cashmere, 70% cashmere + 30% wool, etc.).
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