Learn how to class wool like an expert

By Robyn Joubert

South Africa’s wool clip generates R5bn/year, with the export market representing an important opportunity for emerging farmers.
The physical properties of wool determine the wool price, hence good wool classing is key.
The NWGA ensures wool classers are trained to industry standards through the five-day Springbok Head Wool Classing course.

South Africa produces about 45 million kg of wool a year, with almost 97% of the wool clip exported. This makes the export market an important opportunity for emerging and communal farmers to substantially increase their household incomes.

However, to tap into this market, wool producers must first establish good wool classing practises, knitted together by a well-trained wool classer.

“We should never underestimate the value of good wool classing and the major role that wool classers play in a wool producer’s farming operation. The sector is competing on a global market. Upholding our international reputation is a vital link in the export chain,” said Annelize Smit van Niekerk, National Wool Growers Association (NWGA) production advisor of training and development in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Free State.

Wool classers need regular training to hone and expand their skills, and to maintain the industry’s high standards. To this end, the NWGA offers the Springbok Head Wool Classing course, an intensive five-day programme that combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience.

A qualified Springbok Head Wool Classer can walk into a shearing shed and manage the whole shearing process from classing the fleece up to grouping of fleeces, baling and presenting the wool clip to the buyer.

“A good wool classer uses their knowledge, good judgement and experience to class wool into the correct classes, so that the wool clip presented to buyers can achieve the maximum price without unnecessary packaging and marketing costs,” explains Annelize.

Consistent classing is crucial for both producers and wool buyers. “Buyers need to predict the wool’s processing behaviour accurately, and farmers need to achieve the best possible price for their clip,” she said.

It is not a given that a student will qualify as a Springbok Head Wool Classer after completing only one course. To obtain the qualification and be permitted to class wool, students must pass the course at least twice and have experience in classing wool in a shearing shed.

The course is open to interested parties, including emerging wool producers, members of communal shearing facilities, and both experienced and novice classers.

Empowering emerging and communal producers through skills development is a priority for the NWGA. Wool is an important industry, generating R5bn/year and supporting about 6 000 commercial and 4 000 communal wool producers, 35 000 farm workers and 4 000 sheep shearers and wool handlers.

“The industry is making good progress with driving inclusive growth. About 4 million wool sheep are owned by emerging and communal wool producers, producing an estimated 8 million kg of wool a year,” said Annelize.

“South Africa produces 2-3% of the wool globally, and about 12% of the world apparel wool, so the quality of the wool clip that we present must be of a consistently top standard to compete on a global market.”

Students must describe the samples and identify the NWGA type. Supplied

What to expect on the Springbok classing course

The Springbok Head Wool Classer course is an intensive five-day programme, combining theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience.
Students need at least three Merino fleeces to work with, and one accredited instructor for every four students.
Before beginning practical work, students complete theoretical aspects of wool handling and classification, based on the NWGA’s Wool Classification standards.

The NGWA presents the Springbok Head Wool Classer course throughout South Africa, wherever the need arises and where facilities and wool are available.

The NWGA provides one accredited instructor for every four students, and the wool producer or course organiser must supply a minimum of three Merino fleeces for each student to work with, a shearing shed with at least one wool sorting table for every four students, and at least three students.

There are several reasons why classers need to know and apply the physical properties of wool.

“The most obvious reason is that the physical properties of wool determine which class it will be classified into, and hence what price the wool will fetch. In addition to producers wanting to earn a good price for their wool, consistent classing is important for wool buyers and processors, as it allows the processing behaviour of the wool to be accurately determined,” said Annelize.

The main goal of classing is to make fleece classes as large as possible. Wool classers therefore learn to group fleece wool classes within the rules and classing standards, so that it makes economic sense in terms of the average price per kilogram.

Students at Glen Agricultural College get to grips with piece picking. Supplied

Wool Handling and Piece Picking

The course begins with wool handling, which includes:

Picking up and casting of the fleeces.
Skirting of the fleeces.
Identification of cast fleeces.
Removal of back wool and broken fleeces, including neck and britches wool.

The lines (classes) of wool that are usually shorn from sheep are: locks (lox), belly wool and skirtings, broken fleece, backs and fleece wool.

In this section of the course, considerable emphasis is placed on wool contamination, identification and prevention. It includes practical measures to prevent contamination, such as ensuring the shearing shed is clean before shearing and removing brands (wool contaminated with ink/paint) from the animal prior to shearing.

After the fleece has been divided into separate pieces on the table and graded according to the different lines, classification of the skirtings will be done. Here the focus is on the bellies and skirtings that come from the fleece. These lines are set out in Table 1.

Table 1: Bellies and skirtings that come from the fleece skirting and belly wool.

LOX 1 40mm and longer	Good colour and appearance. Consists primarily of head (top knots) and cheek pieces. This should not be mixed with other lines; because hairy and coloured fibres may occur that causes contamination.
LOX 125 mm and longer	Consists mostly of long sweat locks, long matted brisket wool, long top knots, cheek wool and all pieces and bellies too inferior for a BP class.
LOX 2Shorter than 25mm	Consists primarily of shankings, short top knots and cheek wool, fribs and sweepings (long pieces removed).
LOX 3	Consists of urine-, dung- and blood-stained wool, as well as heavy sweat pieces.
LOX 4	Very heavy sweat locks, dark urine-stained wool, dung-stained wool and dung locks.
LOX 5	Matted locks with a high percentage of vegetable matter.

Table 2: Bellies and skirting pieces should be packed separately from fleece wool.

Thorough skirted bellies and pieces can be packed together in two category classes.

CBP (Combing Bellies and Pieces)	Long (50mm), lighter attractive bellies and pieces (skirtings)
BP (Bellies and Pieces)	Between 40mm and 50mm, light attractive bellies and pieces.Note: In short wool clips (under eight months) and smaller clips, where only BP is made, the class in most cases is always light and attractive.
BP2 (Bellies and Pieces)CB	Short, below 40mm, heavier and less attractive bellies and pieces. If the quantity justifies it (three or more bales), well skirted long (50mm and longer) light and attractive bellies, keep separate from the pieces and mark CB. Mark skirtings then only with a length symbol, example B or C.

It is important that each piece of wool outlined in Table 1 is correctly identified so that it is graded according to the correct lines. Wool classers should also be aware of the amount of wool they are working with to avoid unnecessary classing of lines.

To present the course, instructors need a shearing shed with at least one wool sorting table for every four students. Supplied

Classing of the fleece

The next section of the course involves classing of the fleece. Here the wool samples are identified and typed, fleeces are judged, class inspection of big and small clip, and, very importantly, grouping of fleece wool classes.

When classing fleece wool, six physical wool properties are taken into account. Each of these properties plays a role in determining the price of the wool. This is key because this is where the money is and what wool classing is all about.

All six properties must be considered in combination, because each complements the others.

The six physical properties of wool are:

Tensile strength: Tensile strength is determined subjectively in the shearing shed. It is defined as the resistance of individual wool fibres in the wool staple offered by tension, friction and wear.
Length: Uniformity of length is very important during wool processing. The difference in staple lengths of fleece wool in the same class may not exceed 20-25mm, depending on length.
Fineness: Fineness is the main characteristic that determines price. Fibre diameter can be subjectively determined by estimating the number of crimps per 25mm of wool, taking handling, staple thickness and quality into consideration. The greater the number of crimps per 25mm, the finer the wool. Well defined and softer handling also indicates a finer wool and vice versa.
Quality: Quality can be described as the definition and evenness of crimp in wool, soft handling, free of kemp, coarse and coloured fibres.
Condition: Condition is measured by the amount of any material other than pure wool fibre. This includes wool oil and sweat, sand and dust, plant matter and moisture.
Appearance: Appearance is judged by the colour of the wool, staple formation, and tip of the staple.

Age and breed

The age of the sheep plays an important role in classing. Wools classers learn to distinguish between lamb wool (lambs younger than eight months) and hoggets lamb wool (lambs between eight and 12 months that are shorn for the first time).

This type of wool is always graded separately, because the structure of lamb wool fibres differs from that of adult sheep, and also because it is a specialty wool that will always be finer than the average of the flock that is sheared.

This wool is therefore classed and marked separately.

White wool and cross-bred wool is classed in the same way, but marked differently. The wool of both types of sheep, as well as breeds with coarse white and coloured fibres, is always shorn and packed separately.

For more information, contact Annelize Smit van Niekerk at 082 928 3592 or annelize@nwga.co.za.