Fleece Yield Calculator
Clean fiber weight from raw fleece weight and waste.
Inputs
%
%
%
%
Results
Spinnable fiber (oz)
47.12
Spinnable fiber (lb)2.95
Spinnable fiber (g)1,336
Overall yield (%)58.9%
Wash yield (%)62%
Total waste (oz)32.88
Grease removed (oz)20
How to Use This Calculator
- Weigh the raw (grease) fleece and enter the weight in pounds.
- Estimate the grease/lanolin percentage based on breed — merino 30–45%, Romney 10–20%, alpaca 2–5%.
- Enter the vegetable matter percentage (hay, seeds, burrs visible in the fleece).
- Enter dirt/suint percentage and second cuts/waste percentage based on your visual inspection.
- Read the spinnable fiber weight in ounces, pounds, and grams after all losses are deducted.
- Use the overall yield percentage to decide whether the fleece price is worth the processing effort.
How the result changes with Raw fleece weight (lb)
| Raw fleece weight (lb) | Spinnable fiber (oz) |
|---|---|
| 3.09 | 29.12 |
| 11 | 103.66 |
| 20 | 188.48 |
| 27 | 254.45 |
What each input means
- Raw fleece weight (lb)
- Weight of the raw (grease) fleece in pounds.
- Grease/lanolin (%)
- Lanolin/grease content. Merino 30-45%, Romney 10-20%, Alpaca 2-5%.
- Vegetable matter (%)
- Hay, seeds, burrs, and other plant material in the fleece.
- Dirt/suint (%)
- Dirt, dust, and dried sweat (suint) content.
- Second cuts/waste (%)
- Short fibers from second shearing cuts and skirting waste.
What each result means
- Spinnable fiber (oz)
- Clean, spinnable fiber weight in ounces.
- Spinnable fiber (lb)
- Clean, spinnable fiber weight in pounds.
- Spinnable fiber (g)
- Clean, spinnable fiber weight in grams.
- Overall yield (%)
- Percentage of raw fleece that becomes spinnable fiber.
- Wash yield (%)
- Percentage remaining after washing (before skirting loss).
- Total waste (oz)
- Total weight lost to washing, skirting, and processing.
- Grease removed (oz)
- Weight of grease/lanolin washed out.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersRaw fleece weight (lb) = 5, Grease/lanolin (%) = 25, Vegetable matter (%) = 5, Dirt/suint (%) = 8 = 5 input(s) provided
- Calculate Spinnable fiberSpinnable fiber47.12 = 47.12
- Calculate Spinnable fiberSpinnable fiber = spinnableWeightOz / 162.95 = 2.95
- Calculate Spinnable fiberSpinnable fiber = spinnableWeightOz * 28.351336 = 1336
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