What happens to wool after shearing?
Once the last sheep is shorn and the wool is packed, it may feel like the job is done. In reality, your wool’s journey is only just beginning. From the moment it leaves the farm, several important stages help prepare it for sale and make sure it reaches the right market. Understanding what happens to wool after shearing can also help farmers see how grading, testing and auction all play a part in adding value to every fleece.
First Stop: Grading & Packing
When your wool arrives at our depot, experienced graders assess it carefully.
Every fleece is different. Some are finer, stronger or longer in staple length, while others may show signs of contamination or weather damage. Graders sort wool into groups with similar qualities, creating consistent grades buyers can purchase with confidence. Grading every fleece adds value to your wool
This is a key strength of our system.
The wool is then packed into bales, and by doing this it aggregates wool from many farms together into larger lots, ensuring, buyers receive the volume and consistency they need.
Then Comes Testing
All grades are then tested to give buyers more detailed information about the wool.
Samples are analysed for qualities such as fibre diameter, colour and yield, helping buyers understand exactly what they are purchasing. These results are available before sale and play an important role in marketing the wool.
The more information buyers have, the more confidence they have when bidding.
Going Under the Hammer
Once the wool has been graded, packed and tested, it is ready for auction.
We hold 18 online auctions throughout the season, where buyers compete for the wool, they need to meet the demands of their customers. The wool may go on to supply sectors such as carpets, furnishings, insulation and much more.
Auction prices are influenced by market demand, wool quality and global wool market conditions at the time.
From Your Farm to Products Around the World
After being sold at auction, the wool moves on to the next stage of its journey.
Bales are sent to processors, where the wool is cleaned, combed, spun or woven and turned into a wide range of products such as carpets, bedding or knitwear, while other wool is used in specialist products around the world.
What began as a fleece on your sheep’s back could end up in a home or office and be used here in the UK or thousands of miles away.
More Than Just a Fleece
Every fleece that leaves the farm has a journey ahead, and behind each is a team of farmers producing the wool, shearers shearing, along with graders, warehouse staff and buyers to ensure your wool has an effective route to market to support the maximising of its value.
So, next time you load wool onto the trailer, remember that shearing is not the end of the story. It is the start of a journey that helps take your wool from the farm to markets and products around the world.