Which are the 8 countries that produce the most sheep’s wool in the world? Although there are several animals that provide us with wool, today we will focus on the production of sheep’s wool only.
While wool grows on animals just like fur or even hair, certain qualities of the fiber make it clearly distinguishable from hair and fur. Most important ones are that wool is elastic, it tends to grow in clusters, and it is crimped as well. In fact, due to wool having the ability of crimping, it is easier to spin the fleece, which is accomplished by ensuring that the individual fibers of the wool are attached to each other, which in turn ensures that they remain together. On the other hand, since wool crimps, it’s way bulkier than other types of fiber. It has the ability to retain air as well, again due to the fact that it crimps, which in turn also means that wool retains heat too. Since wool has a high heat coefficient, it does not allow heat to creep in through the fabric either, which makes it an excellent fabric for people living in the desert, since it insulates them from the heat.
The fineness of the wool determines the number of crimps in the fiber. The rule is that the finer the wool, the greater the number of crimps and vice versa. The part of the fleece on the sheep which contains the hair is known as the kemp. The amount of kemp on the wool varies from sheep to sheep and hence, makes different types of wool more desirable for usage.
Wool is one of the most efficient materials in absorbing water. You may be surprised to know that wool has the ability to absorb water up to a third of its entire weight. It can also absorb sound, though this is a feature that many other fabrics possess as well, so basically, it isn’t something which is unique to wool. What makes it unique is the fact that it takes higher temperatures to ignite wool, while it also does not spread the fire quickly, nor does result in as many toxic gasses or smoke when compared with synthetic materials. This is the reason wool carpets dominate places which require high safety, such as airplanes and trains, and why wool is often used in garments produced for professions which involve the likelihood of a fire, such as soldiers and firefighters. For more information regarding the production of other materials, you can visit 8 countries that produce the most silk in the world.
This textile fiber has been in use for around 8,000 BC. Previously, wild sheep used to be more hairy than wooly, which is why wool was not easily obtained. A couple of thousand years later, around 6,000 BC, the first noted existence of woolen clothes happened. The oldest discovered textile regarding wool was dated to 1,500 BC, signifying the history of wool and its importance as well.
Wool’s demand is not as high as it used to be. This is mainly due to the increase in production of synthetic fibers, which have taken over the market previously dominated by wool. The fall in demand led to a corresponding fall in price, a fall, which has been more or less consistent for the past half century. Even so, over a million tonnes of wool is produced each year on a global scale. While wool is produced in around 100 countries all over the world, only 10 produce nearly all of the output. We found the data for the year 2014, and without further ado we bring you the eight countries that produce the most sheep’s wool in the world.
8. Russia
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 55,253
6. Sudan
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 56,000
6. Morocco
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 56,000
5. Iran
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 61,500
4. The United Kingdom
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 68,000
3. New Zealand
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 165,000
2. Australia
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 362,100
1. China
Annual production of wool (in metric tonnes): 400,000
China’s massive agriculture market has enabled it to produce 400,000 metric tonnes of wool, which is why it tops the list of 8 countries that produce the most sheep’s wool in the world.
