Wool covers an enormous range of fabrics, from felt, which is not woven at all, to gabardine, which is woven tightly enough to tailor precisely. Knowing which is which tells you what a cloth will do before you handle it.
These twenty-one are the wool fabrics you will meet most often.
Wool types
Botany or merino
A fine wool made from worsted wool yarn. Merino is the benchmark for fineness and softness in wool.
Virgin wool
Wool that has never previously been processed into fabric. The distinction matters because reclaimed wool has already been through spinning and weaving once, which shortens and weakens the fibers.
Rabbit hair
Used in woven wools as a substitute for vicuña, to give the fabric a soft effect.
Smooth and tailoring wools
Gabardine
A tightly woven wool twill with a high sheen, and excellent for tailoring. The tight weave is what lets gabardine hold a pressed edge and a precise line.
Broadcloth
A woolen or worsted fabric with a velvety feel.
Panama cloth
A plain woven worsted wool, sometimes resembling the texture of a Panama hat.
Cheviot
Usually Scotch wool, soft and fine, and heavier than serge.
Challis
A soft, lightweight wool in plain weave, carrying a printed or woven design. Challis is the lightest wool here and drapes rather than holds shape.
Patterned wools
Herringbone
Woven in a twill reversed at regular intervals, which creates the distinctive sawtooth line.
Glen checks
Originating in Scotland and most often seen in menswear, characterized by a variety of small, even check designs.
Tartan
A twilled plaid design, originally Scottish.
Sharkskin
Woven with warp and filling yarns alternating black with white, brown or blue. The alternation produces a subtle two-tone shimmer that changes with the angle of light.
Tweeds
Tweed
A rough textured wool, homespun and slightly felted. Sturdy, with a mottled color that comes from blending differently colored fibers before spinning.
Harris tweed
A fabric from Scotland, hand woven, with a soft feel.
Donegal
Originally a thick, warm homespun tweed woven by Irish peasants in Donegal, Ireland. The name now describes wool tweed with colorful thick slubs woven into the fabric, and those slubs are the identifying feature.
Napped and heavy wools
Flannel
Lightweight and soft, with a nap raised on one or both sides.
Beaver cloth
A heavy woolen overcoating, napped and pressed down to resemble beaver fur. Also used for hats.
Chinchilla cloth
A heavy, spongy woolen overcoat fabric with a long nap rubbed into a curly, nubby finish.
Poodle cloth
Made with a boucle yarn, producing a looped surface that resembles a poodle’s coat.
Petersham
A very thick, waterproof woolen coating, usually dark blue, used for men’s trousers and heavy coats.
Felt: the one that is not woven
Felt is a compact sheet of entangled fibers, most often wool or fur and sometimes cotton. It is produced by processing a mat of fibers with heat, pressure and moisture, which locks the fibers together permanently.
Because it is not woven, felt has no grain and no edges that fray, which is why it can be cut in any direction and left unfinished.
Choosing a wool
| If you need | Choose |
|---|---|
| Precise tailoring | Gabardine |
| Softness against the skin | Merino or cheviot |
| A light wool that drapes | Challis |
| Texture and character | Tweed, Harris tweed or Donegal |
| A heavy overcoat | Beaver cloth, chinchilla cloth or petersham |
| Warmth in a light cloth | Wool flannel |
| Pattern | Herringbone, glen check, tartan or sharkskin |
| No fraying edges | Felt |
Frequently asked questions
What is virgin wool?
Wool that has never been processed into fabric before. Reclaimed wool has already been spun and woven once, which shortens the fibers.
Why is felt different from other wool fabrics?
It is not woven. Heat, pressure and moisture entangle the fibers into a sheet, so it has no grain and does not fray.
What is the difference between tweed and Harris tweed?
Harris tweed is hand woven in Scotland and has a softer feel. Tweed generally is a rough, slightly felted, mottled wool.
Which wool tailors best?
Gabardine. Its tight twill holds a pressed edge and a precise line better than looser constructions.
See also cotton fabric weaves, silk fabric weaves and natural and synthetic fibers.
