Wool, fur, pelt, and specialty fibers are animal-derived textile fibers with various properties. Wool is obtained from sheep and is elastic, insulating, flame-resistant, and easy to dye. Fur refers to fine hair from wild animals like dogs and cats. Pelt is animal skin with wool or fur still attached. Specialty fibers like mohair and cashmere come from goats. Fibers from camelids like alpacas, vicuñas, guanacos, and llamas are also considered specialty fibers due to their fine diameter and luster. Each fiber type has distinct qualities making it suitable for different textile and clothing applications.

1. DEPARTMENT OF
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS
TECHNOLOGY
College of Veterinary & Animal Science,
Navania, Vallabhanagar,(Udaipur).
Guided by-
Dr.Dinesh M. Chavhan Submitted by-
Dr.Arun Kumar Yashwant Singh Damor
Dr.Ramesh Chand Jat B.v.sc. & A.H. (3rdyear)

2. INTRODUCTION TO
WOOL,FUR,PELT AND
SPECIALTY FIBERS WITH
RESPECT TO
PROCESSING INDUSTRY

3. Topics
• Wool
• Qualities of wool
• Structure of wool fibre
• Fur
• Pelt
• Speciality fibre
• Defference( between wool,fur, speciality fibre and hair)
• Fibers (Goat family and Camelidae family)

4. Wool
• Wool is a complex textile fibre obtained from sheep,goat,rabbit,camel and
other wool producing animal.
• Animal by-product
• Keratin- protein present in wool(45-75%)
• Keratin is made up of amino-acids joined by peptide linkage
• Greasy wool –It contain high amount of lenolin.
• Protein- provide flexibility and excellent performance quality.
• Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen,and also contains sulfur.

5. Qualities of wool
• Elastic in nature.
• Having good insulating properties.
• Non-flammable.
• Wool can be felted and melted easily.
• Easy to dye.
• Resilience capacity – due to crimp.

6. Continue..
• Crimp- Natural waviness of wool fibre.
[Fine wool>Coarse wool]
• Staple length- Length of fibre in unstretched condition ( natural condition)
• Fibre length- total length of fibre.
• Suint-Water soluble fraction of the yolk(sudoriferous or sweat gland).
• Yolk- combined secretion of sebeceous and sudoriferous gland of the skin
of the sheep.

7. Micro-structure of wool fibre
• Wool
Cortex
Cuticle
Medulla

8. Structure of wool fibre

9. Structure of wool fibre
Medulla
Cuticle
Cortex

10. Fur
• Fur- hair or fibre of wild and semi-wild animal( fine,silky hair on mammals.eg-
Dog,cat,foxes,rabbit etc.)
• Fine,soft,hairy covering or coat of animal.
• Used for warmth and decorative purposes(clothing, home decor, fashion
accessories,coat,hats,gloves etc)
• Luxurious but Controversial due to ethical concern(animal walfare).
• Less durable than wool fibre.
• Wide range of colour and patterns.
• Seasonal shedding (follow growth cycle).

11. Pelt
• Pelt is skin of sheep with wool still attached to it.
OR
• Pelt is the fur,hair or wool of an animal along with the skin or
hide,when removed from animal.

12. Speciality fibre
• Fibers obtained from certain animal of the goat,camel,and rabbit
families , rarer than the more commonly used fibres and valued
for some desirable properties as fine diameter, natural lustre and
ability to impart pleasing handle to fabrics known as speciality
fiber.
• Mostly low in crimp and felting properties.
• Mainly obtained from goat,camel,rabbit families.
Eg- mohair- Angora goat
-Angora wool- Angora rabbit etc.

13. Hair fibre v/s Fur

14. Wool v/s Speciality fiber
Wool
• Crimpy
• Rough as campair to speciality fiber
• Felting
• greasy
• Diameter(more)
• Mostly obtained from- sheep
Speciality fiber
• Less crimp or straighter then wool.
• Smoother surface than wool.
• Little or No-felting.
• Less greasy than wool.
• Fine or less than wool.
• Obtained from- goat,camel, rabbit families.

15. Defference between wool and hair

16. Defference between wool, speciality fibre
and fur
Wool Speciality fibre Fur
Mainly- sheep Goat,camel,rabbit families Foxes,dog,cat,etc
Soft,crimpy, greasy and highly
durable
Fine diameter and natural
lustre
Dense & relatively short fibre
and less durable than wool
Continuous growth Cycle of growth and
shredding
Cycle of growth and
shredding
Absorb moisture without
feeling wet
May be or not May be feel wet
Minimam harm during
shearing
Varsatile & sustainable choice
Less harm than fur producing
animal
Controversial in some
industries
Luxurious but comes with
ethical concern.

17. Goat family
1. Angora goat-
• Mohair- Speciality hair fibre obtain from Angora goat.
• Soft(may be less or more), lustrous,shiny and thin fibre.
• Also known as “Diamond 💎 fibre”
• Diameter of fibre increase with the age of the goat.
• Blended with other fibre like merino or alpaca.
• More expensive then sheep 🐏 wool.
• Use- Thin fibre – Sweaters, clothes etc.
- Thick fibre- carpets,drapery fabric,outerwear etc.
• Non-flammable,crease resistant, light weight,warm in winter
and remain cool in summer, elastic, hygroscopic property,easy to dye.

18. Continue..
2) Kashmir goat(Capra hircus loniger)- Cashmere wool obtained from Kashmir goat.
• Soft and fine(silky &smooth) hair fibre, extremely soft and downy finish.
• Expensive
• Also blended with silk, cotton or wool
• Moisture regain capacity more then 15%
• Staple length-3.5-7 cm(1.5-3 inches).
• Collected during the spring season when goat naturally shed their hair.
• Use-Gloves,scarves,shawls and fine garments etc.
• Natural fibre is white,black,brown or gray.

19. Kashmir goat v/s Angora goat

20. Camelidae family
1)Guanaco
1)Guanaco(lama guanicoe) fibre- introduced for textile use in the mid-1900s,is
valued for rarity and soft texture and used for luxury fabrics.
• Expensive
• Three times warmer than wool
• Guanaco fibre is finer than alpaca,but coarser then vicuna.
• It is finer than cashmere fibre
• Use-suiting,scarves,shawls, overcoating fabrics for exclusive top-quality
fashtions brand( rainsford 2006a)

21. Guanaco

22. 2)Alpaca fibres(Vicuna pacos)
• Two breeds of alpaca-(1)huacaya,(2)Suri.
• Alpaca fibre has much “prickle factor”than wool and is more
comfortable to wear.
• Lighter, softer, warmer & stronger than wool(soft & spongy)
• Environment impact much less.
• Alpaca fibre is naturally water repellent and fire resistant.

23. Alpaca

24. 3) Vicuna fibres (Vicugna Vicugna)
• National animal of Peru.
• world’s most costly fiber,found in south america,Andes,Peru, Argentina,Bolivia and North chile.
• Length- 35 mm and diameter 6 to 10 micrometre(very fine fibre)
• Strong and resilient but highly sensitive to chemical and is generally used in its natural colour.
• Dense,silky, excellent insulator.
• “fiber of god’s”
• Natural colour- Orange brown(mostly) , light cinnamon,pale white with long fleece (lower flanks and the base of
nack)
• Hypo-allergenic & absence of lanolin(yeilding is more then sheep wool)
• Single animal- ¼ pound or 100 hm fibre
• Use- High-priced coat, dressing gowns,shawls and suiting.

25. Vicuna fibres

26. 4) Llama fibre(Lama glama)
• Llama fleece consists of the coarse guard hairs of the protective outer
coat(about 20%) and the short, crimpy fibre of the insulating undercoat.
• Colour-mainly brown,black and whites
• Superior insulating qualities
• The fairly downy fibre have about two to four crimps/cm,but the coarse hairs
are fairly straight.
• Diameter- 10-30 micron and length- 8 to 25 cm
• Use- rugs,rope, fabrics etc.

27. Llama fibre

28. 5)Camel fibre(Camelus bactrianus)
• Thermostatic properties, excellent insulating properties and is warm and
comfortable.
• Fine fibre and usually reddish brown color
• Camel fibre mainly used for high-grade overcoat fabrics, knitting yarn,
knitwear, blanket,rugs and high-quality garments like overcoats,suits,coats,
blazers, jacket, sweters and winter accessories such as gloves,caps and
scarves.
• Camel hairs is usually blended with wool to make it more economical and
used for winter garments and (blend with Cashmere- luxurious items)

29. Camel fibre