Every year Italian suit maker Loro Piana holds a contest to award the producer of the finest bale (100kg or 220lbs) of Merino wool. Core samples of the winning bale often test in the 11.4 to 11.6 micron range, with the finest ever bale produced coming in at an astounding 10.9 microns. The winning bale sells between $200,000 and $250,000, or roughly $900 to $1100 per pound and is used to make 40 men’s suits, starting at $35,000 each.
On August 13, 2012, an Alpaca was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, they named him Snowmass Loro Piana (ARI# 32606492). His pedigree contains the likes of Hemingway, Don Julio, Drambuie, Caligula, Legacy and Accoyo Elite. At one week less than 9 months of age, Snowmass Loro Piana's histogram micron test returned the finest result I have ever seen in an Alpaca fleece. 10.8 mic / 2.8 sd / 25.5 cv / 0.3% +30.
SUPERfine Natural FibersThe International Wool Textile Organization has codified fabric quality definitions relating to the use of "Super S" descriptions, stating that the word SUPER (as in SUPER 100s for example) can only be used to describe fabrics made from pure new wool, and the "Super S" value is determined by, and must comply with, the maximum Average Fiber Diameter values as stated:
SUPER 080s: 19.75 µm ___ SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm
SUPER 090s: 19.25 µm ___ SUPER 180s: 14.75 µm
SUPER 100s: 18.75 µm ___ SUPER 190s: 14.25 µm
SUPER 110s: 18.25 µm ___ SUPER 200s: 13.75 µm
SUPER 120s: 17.75 µm ___ SUPER 210s: 13.25 µm
SUPER 130s: 17.25 µm ___ SUPER 220s: 12.75 µm
SUPER 140s: 16.75 µm ___ SUPER 230s: 12.25 µm
SUPER 150s: 16.25 µm ___ SUPER 240s: 11.75 µm
SUPER 160s: 15.75 µm ___ SUPER 250s: 11.25 µm
For the commercial fiber buyer, if you are in the market to purchase superfine natural fiber, there are three ways to get there, the Merino sheep, the Cashmere goat and the Huacaya Alpaca. So let’s break this down from the perspective of the fiber buyer; that is the individual responsible for sourcing the superfine natural fiber for their commercial textile or clothing manufacturing operation.
Merino SheepCommon raw fleeces are in the 7 to 10 pound range, 3” to 3.5” staple length, 16 to 19 microns. The best thing about Merino is the crimp, a crimpy fiber creates more loft in the yarn, producing end products with more insulating power per raw fiber weight. The worst thing about Merino is the lanolin. Sheep secrete an oily grease from glands in the skin that coats the fiber and protects it from damage. The finer the fiber, the more lanolin produced, so much in fact that the raw superfine Merino fleeces can be up to 60% grease and dirt/vegetable matter by weight. The scouring process to remove the lanolin, especially concerning superfine fleeces, can cause the wool to felt and the caustic chemicals used to keep this from happening are hard on both the individual fibers and the environment. When people with certain sensitivities say they are allergic to wool that is not actually the case. Traces of lanolin still left amongst the woolen fibers after the scouring process attract dusts and pollens, which after a certain level of buildup is achieved, becomes the cause of the allergic reaction.
Cashmere GoatsCashmere is also generally in the 16 to 19 micron range, however the staple length is much shorter, typically 1” to 1.5”. Cashmere goats have a dual-coat system, primary guard hairs protect the downy undercoat below that provides the superior insulation. So all raw cashmere must go through the de-hairing process to separate out all the guard hair which can be 60% to 70% by weight, so much in fact that an adult cashmere goat only produces about 4 to 6 ounces of useable cashmere each year. The de-hairing process is also hard on the fiber and processed cashmere is typically 2 to 3 centimeters shorter in staple length than its raw counterpart. Because the cashmere staple is so short, the worsted spun process cannot be used to produce yarn, that’s why you have never seen a formal or business suit made from cashmere.
Huacaya AlpacaAlpacas have a primary, secondary, derived secondary fiber setup and breeders have made excellent progress in minimizing the average fiber diameter of the primary fibers, so that the entire blanket area can be used to produce superfine fiber without having to run raw Alpaca fiber through a de-hairing process. The individual Alpaca fibers have a higher tensile strength than sheep wool, so the Alpaca does not produce very much lanolin to protect its fiber, therefore it is not necessary to scour raw Alpaca fiber to create a hypoallergenic end product. Staple length is usually 2” to 4” and fineness in the 12 to 19 micron range is attainable. Lack of crimp was an issue in the past, but finer fleeces tend to also have more crimp so as Alpaca fiber production has reached the superfine levels, the lack of crimp has become much less of a concern.
The Alpaca cria is born with 1” to 1.5” of fiber in place. The first year is when the finest fleece is produced, a one to two micron increase is common by the start of year two. There is then a 0.5 to 1 micron increase in average fiber diameter each year until year 5 or 6, before leveling off.
The trouble is the cria fiber sustains damage from the fluids in-utero. Called “cria-tips”, if those damaged ends are worn all through the first year, they become a tangled, knotted mess that is also very good at catching and holding onto vegetable matter, so much in fact that a run of cria fleeces through the carder can result in up to a 60% loss by raw weight.
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***)The remedy is to of course remove those tips within the first few weeks after the cria’s birth. That means though that the length of time before the next shearing is less, and therefore less time to grow out a premium 3.5” staple length. For that reason, most Alpaca breeders do not “tip” their crias, they justify that 60% loss of their cria fiber as a cost of doing business.
Pretty much everyone in North America shears their Alpacas in May, June or July. So what if we aim to have all our cria birth in March, April or May? Then they could get “tipped” when the rest of the herd is shorn. The fiber then produced from, say age 2 months to 14 months would have no cria tips, would be the finest fiber that Alpaca would ever produce, should have a 3.5” to 4.5” staple length and for the most part, it would be 100% usable, with a much more reasonable 5% to 10% loss to the carding process.
Cashmere has to be de-haired, Merino has to be scoured, cria tips have to be removed. Won’t the babies get cold? Sure, but they can wear coats and a low-ceiling insulated room off your barn with a partially heated floor would not be that expensive to build or maintain. Why go through all this trouble and expense? What if it was worth your while? What if that SUPER chart from above looked like this?
SUPER 80s: 19.75 µm = $22.72/lb ___ SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm = $227.27/lb
SUPER 90s: 19.25 µm = $25.25/lb ___ SUPER 180s: 14.75 µm = $284.09/lb
SUPER 100s: 18.75 µm = $28.40/lb ___ SUPER 190s: 14.25 µm = $378.78/lb
SUPER 110s: 18.25 µm = $32.46/lb ___ SUPER 200s: 13.75 µm = $568.18/lb
SUPER 120s: 17.75 µm = $37.87/lb ___ SUPER 210s: 13.25 µm = $681.81/lb
SUPER 130s: 17.25 µm = $45.45/lb ___ SUPER 220s: 12.75 µm = $795.45/lb
SUPER 140s: 16.75 µm = $56.81/lb ___ SUPER 230s: 12.25 µm = $909.09/lb
SUPER 150s: 16.25 µm = $75.75/lb ___ SUPER 240s: 11.75 µm = $1022.72/lb
SUPER 160s: 15.75 µm = $113.63/lb ___ SUPER 250s: 11.25 µm = $1136.36/lb
(WHITE Huacaya Alpaca fiber only, 3.5” to 4.5” staple length, less than 4.0 SD, less than 24% CV, less than 2.0% 30+ microns. One bale is 100 kilograms or 220 pounds.)If you can keep an Alpaca in good health for less than $150 per year, I applaud your efforts. But for the majority of us, that number is between $150 and $250 per Alpaca, per year, depending on where you live, what your winter hay costs are like and the amount/severity of the unforeseen circumstances that arise over the course of that year.
Let’s just assume it costs the breeder/owner $200 per year to keep an Alpaca in good health because it’s a round number and easy to estimate. The top price offered for “grade 1” fiber by the ACOA is $19 per pound. That means an Alpaca needs to produce at least 10.5 pounds of skirted, blanket fiber, just for the owner to break even. There are some Alpacas that shear that much 20 to 22.9 micron fiber each year, in fact I have heard of one male that produced 18 pounds. However, most do not.
When I was first researching Alpacas in 2003 and 2004, the common reply from experienced breeders to the question about what do we do with the boys that don’t become herdsires was that they become fiber boys. The fiber they produce is enough to cover their expenses for the year. Back then, that wasn’t the least bit true. 4 to 5 pounds of skirted blanket fiber in the 23 to 27 micron range might sell for $50 at best, and that’s for a rare or outstanding color.
The Alpaca boys that I’m producing today are different. Their first fleeces are in the 15 to 16 micron range. Fourth fleeces are still in the 17 micron range. Seventh fleeces are 18 to 19 microns. Their career fiber production might look something like this:
1st fleece: 4lbs SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm @ $227.27/lb = $909.08
2nd fleece: 5lbs SUPER 150s: 16.25 µm @ $75.75/lb = $378.75
3rd fleece: 6lbs SUPER 140s: 16.75 µm @ $56.81/lb = $340.86
4th fleece: 7lbs SUPER 130s: 17.25 µm @ $45.45/lb = $318.15
5th fleece: 7lbs SUPER 120s: 17.75 µm @ $37.87/lb = $265.09
6th fleece: 7lbs SUPER 110s: 18.25 µm @ $32.46/lb = $227.22
7th fleece: 7lbs SUPER 110s: 18.25 µm @ $32.46/lb = $227.22
8th fleece: 7lbs SUPER 100s: 18.75 µm @ $28.40/lb = $198.80
9th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 100s: 18.75 µm @ $28.40/lb = $170.40
10th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 90s: 19.25 µm @ $25.25/lb = $151.50
11th fleece: 5lbs SUPER 90s: 19.25 µm @ $25.25/lb = $126.25
12th fleece: 5lbs SUPER 80s: 19.75 µm @ $22.72/lb = $113.60
Total $3471.92 – (16 x $200) = $271.92
So there you go. A male Alpaca born today with a grade SUPER 170s first fleece, can afford a reasonable place in North America over a 16 to 17 year lifespan,
without making it on the show circuit or getting a job on a ranch standing stud. And, probably of most importance to him,
without having to sell his hide or his parts for meat. It took roughly 13 years and four generations, but now we have fiber boys that produce enough to cover their expenses each year.
I do not think we are very far away from the next step, and that’s the ability to make a living with a true fiber herd of nothing but non-working males. In fact, I know first-hand that there are Alpaca producers in the U.S. with more tenure and/or resources than I that are producing males with these fleece stats today. More or less, I am two generations away from producing this:
1st fleece: 3lbs SUPER 240s: 11.75 µm @ $1022.72/lb = $3068.16
2nd fleece: 4lbs SUPER 210s: 13.25 µm @ $681.81/lb = $2727.24
3rd fleece: 5lbs SUPER 200s: 13.75 µm @ $568.18/lb = $2840.90
4th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 190s: 14.25 µm @ $378.78/lb = $2272.68
5th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 180s: 14.75 µm @ $284.09/lb = $1704.54
6th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm @ $227.27/lb = $1363.62
7th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm @ $227.27/lb = $1363.62
8th fleece: 6lbs SUPER 170s: 15.25 µm @ $227.27/lb = $1363.62
9th fleece: 5lbs SUPER 160s: 15.75 µm @ $113.63/lb = $568.15
10th fleece: 5lbs SUPER 160s: 15.75 µm @ $113.63/lb = $568.15
11th fleece: 4lbs SUPER 150s: 16.25 µm @ $75.75/lb = $303
12th fleece: 4lbs SUPER 150s: 16.25 µm @ $75.75/lb = $303
Total $18446.68 - (17 x $200) = $15,000+
Depending on lifespan, that’s almost $1000 per year, per Alpaca to the owner, after expenses.
Please View Our Additional Alpine Ranch blog posts:
Top 10 Reasons to Get Started with Alpacas in ColoradoThe Best Natural FiberThe Making of a Cornerstone Foundation Female, A 12 Year JourneyAlpacas at Alpine Ranch is the home to 30+ Huacayas. Breeding quality Alpacas since 2004, we specialize in Foundation Females, Starter Packages & Stud Services for sale. 27 miles S/E of Denver, 32 miles N/E of Colorado Springs, due east of Castle Rock, just off Hwy 86, located in Elizabeth, Colorado.