Know-how · Fabric Guide
Most fabric sheets are written for chemists. This one is written for the person who has to explain the sweater to a customer — what the fibre actually feels like, what it costs, how it washes, and where suppliers quietly cut corners. La matière, sans jargon.
Quick reference
The numbers we quote against in the line sheet. Pin this next to your costing model.
| Fibre | Feel | Reference FOB | Gauge | Best for | Wash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merino 19.5µm | Fine, soft, next-to-skin | $14–18 | 12–14 gg | Base layers, layering crewnecks | Machine, wool cycle, cold |
| Lambswool | Soft with slight loft | $14–18 | 7–12 gg | Chunky crewnecks, cardigans | Hand or wool cycle, cold |
| Cotton & blends | Crisp, breathable, smooth | from $11 | 12–16 gg | Year-round knits, spring edits | Machine, any cycle |
| Cashmere-grade | Light, warm, cloud-soft | $18–22+ | 12–14 gg | Premium capsules, gifting | Hand, cold, dry flat |
| Recycled blends | Like virgin, with story | $13–17 | 12 gg | Conscious-market capsules | Per base fibre |
| High-acrylic blends | Bulk without warmth | under $9 | 7 gg | — we cap at 30% | Machine, but pills |
Fibre by fibre
Six entries. No marketing adjectives — the parameters that decide whether your customer keeps the sweater.
美利奴羊毛 · MERINO
The finest sheep's wool in regular production. Merino is a breed, not a quality grade — what matters is the micron count: the diameter of each fibre. Finer means softer against skin, and the threshold that matters commercially is 19.5µm.
Watch for: "merino" claimed with no micron number. Without the figure you are being sold a feeling, not a spec.
羔羊毛 · LAMBSWOOL
Lambswool describes the sheep's age — the first shearing — not the fineness of the fibre. It is usually softer than standard wool and slightly loftier than merino, but the micron number still decides comfort. Treat "lambswool" as a warmth story, and ask for the micron figure separately.
Watch for: "lambswool" used as a luxury claim without a micron figure. Age of sheep is not a softness guarantee.
棉及混纺 · COTTON
The workhorse of year-round knitwear: crisp, breathable, machine-washable and price-accessible. Cotton has no natural elasticity, so structure comes from the knit rather than the fibre — which is why gauge and stitch choice matter more here than in wool.
Watch for: "cotton-feel" blends that are mostly acrylic. Ask for the lab-tested ratio, not the marketing name.
羊绒级 · CASHMERE-GRADE
Where the margin lives — and where the exaggeration lives. Cashmere is graded by fibre length and fineness (grade A is longest and finest, around 14–16.5µm and 34mm+), and priced per gram. We tell you the exact grade and length in the spec sheet, because "cashmere-feel" on a spec sheet means nothing.
Watch for: "100% cashmere" at a $9 price. It is either not cashmere or not 100% — both are label violations.
再生与认证 · CERTIFIED
Conscious-market capsules need documentation, not adjectives. Recycled cotton and wool (GRS-certified), responsibly farmed wool (RWS) and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 are the three claims that hold up in a European compliance review — and our partner mills hold all of them.
Watch for: "eco" with no certificate number. If it cannot be traced, it cannot be claimed.
Buyer's checklist
None of these are secrets. They persist because buyers don't ask. Here is what to ask.
A spec sheet can say anything. A lab test report cannot. Ask for the tested composition per style — we ship it with every order, and it is the difference between a claim and a fact.
Acrylic adds bulk at a third of wool's cost. It also pills, traps heat and sheds microplastics. We cap blends at 30% and state the ratio openly — "wool-rich" that is mostly acrylic is a returns machine.
Gram per square metre (GSM) decides whether a sweater reads premium or cheap. A "heavy" 500g sweater at a low price is often loose gauge, not dense knit. Ask for the gauge and the GSM, together.
Spandex content can disguise a badly drafted block — the sweater fits stretched on the hanger and sags after a month of wear. We draft ease into the pattern instead, and keep elastane out of the conversation.
Unset knit finishes shrink in the first wash. Our mills pre-set every fabric before cutting, and care labels state the residual shrinkage honestly — because the customer who shrinks a sweater is the customer who doesn't reorder.
Micron numbers on every wool style. Lab-tested composition on every product page. Acrylic capped at 30% and labelled. Gauge and GSM on request. If a spec cannot be shown, we don't claim it.
Fabric FAQ
19.5 microns or finer. We use 19.5µm as our threshold for next-to-skin comfort; anything above 21µm starts to feel prickly against bare skin and belongs in a mid-layer instead.
Lambswool describes the age of the sheep — the first shearing — not the fineness of the fibre. Merino describes a breed with fine fibre measured in microns. Lambswool can be soft, but only the micron number tells you whether it will feel comfortable next to skin.
A small amount in the first few wears is normal — short loose fibre ends work their way to the surface. Continuous pilling is not: it usually signals a high acrylic content or weak, short-staple fibre, and it is the single biggest driver of knitwear returns.
Gauge is the number of needles per inch on the knitting machine. A 7-gauge machine produces a chunky, open knit; 12-gauge is the standard mid-weight; 14-gauge and finer produces the smooth, flat surface most merino base layers use.
We cap blends at 30% acrylic, and many of our styles carry none. Acrylic is cheap and adds bulk, but it pills badly, does not breathe, and sheds microplastics in the wash. A higher wool content at a fair price outperforms it on returns.
Ask for the lab test report — fibre composition is measured, not declared. Every Labelknit style ships with its lab-tested composition report, and our partner mills hold OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and BSCI certifications with audit documentation available on request.
Next step
Request the line sheet with micron, gauge, GSM and lab-tested composition on every style. One working day, no obligation.
Request Line Sheet