The Fibre Lab offers fibre Testing Services for Cashmere, Wool, Mohair, Alpaca, Llama, Guanaco and Vicuña
We specialise in the fibre testing of individual animals, allowing owners to make informed decisions regarding their animal breeding programs.
The Fibre Lab can provide:
- Fine fibre evaluation services using the OFDA 100 (Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser)
- Interpretation of results
- Consultancy and breeding advice
- Talks and presentations
Fibre Test Descriptions and Prices
Send your samples to The Fibre Lab at the address shown in the sidebar.
Samples from each animal should be at least 1g or preferably more – a good sized handful please! See the page on How to take Samples for further guidance.
When sending samples to The Fibre Lab, please specify the tests you require and calculate the cost based on the table below.
Prices as charged for samples received from 1st December 2022:
| Test (click for detailed description) |
What you get | Cost per sample (for 1-10 samples) | Cost per sample (for 10+ samples) | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Fibre Diameter | Mean Fibre Diameter (µm) Standard Deviation (µm) Coefficient of Variation (%) Sample Size Comfort Factor Histogram in 2µm bins |
£18.00 | £17.00 | Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
| Mean Fibre Diameter & Medullation | Mean Fibre Diameter Test (as above) The number of fibres in 10,000 (10k) that are considered Objectionable (kemp fibres) The number of Flat Fibres (medulla has collapsed) and the number of Medullated Fibres |
£20.00 | £19.00 | This test is suitable for white fibres only wool, mohair, cashmere |
| Mean Fibre Diameter & Mean Fibre Curvature | Mean Fibre Diameter Test (as above) The Mean Curvature in degrees per Millimetre (deg/mm) The Standard Deviation of the Mean Curvature |
£20.00 | £19.00 | Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
| Mean Fibre Diameter, Medullation & Curvature | Mean Fibre Diameter Test (as above) Medullation Test (as above) Mean Fibre Curvature Test (as above) |
£25.00 | £24.00 | This test is suitable for white fibres only wool, mohair, cashmere |
| Clean Yield (single coated animals) | The Percentage of Clean Fibre left after the grease (suint), soil, sand and vegetable matter has been removed | £25.00 | £24.00 | Wool, mohair & alpaca |
| Dehaired Yield (double coated animals) | The Percentage of Undercoat Fibre in the sample after the guardhair oil, sand and vegetable matter has been removed |
£30.00 |
£30.00 | Cashmere, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
| EFFN cashmere distribution | The Mean Fibre Diameter, Number of Fibres and Percentages of Fibres in specified fibre diameter groups are returned | £25.00 | £25.00 | Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
| Staple Length | The relaxed length of the fibre (mm) as taken from the animal | £10.00 | £10.00 | Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
| Drawn Length | The fibres are sorted by hand into a fibre length diagram and the Maximum, Minimum and Median (mm) fibre lengths are recorded | £30.00 | £30.00 | Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuña |
If you require further information, please email us at the address below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.