The Neurodivergent Cogitators & Creators
Fibre Processing Prices & Yield Estimates
Clear guide prices for small-batch fleece processing, fibre preparation and handspun yarn.
This page is designed to help you estimate whether your fleece project is likely to fit your budget before sending an enquiry.
Prices are based mainly on the skirted weight of raw fibre. Final cost and yield depend on fibre condition, preparation needed and the finished outcome requested.
Please do not post or drop off fibre until your booking has been confirmed and you have been given an agreed start date or delivery window.
Before You Use This Page
Every fleece is different. These prices are a guide, not a guaranteed quote.
The final price may change if the fibre is:
- very greasy
- heavily contaminated
- full of vegetable matter
- damp or musty
- matted or felted
- full of second cuts
- weak or brittle
- unsuitable for the requested finish
If you are unsure, start with an enquiry or consultation.
Consultation & setup
A consultation helps confirm whether your fibre is suitable and which processing route makes sense.
Service
Price
Initial enquiry - Free via email chat and website forms
Zoom consultation - £20
Consultation / client setup including Farm Visits up to 30 miles from EX20 4ED - £35
Local visit within 5 miles - Free, where suitable and agreed
Skirting fleece - if you do not have the time or otherwise unable to prep the fleece prior to sending - See stage 1 table for pricing guide.
Sorting and carding/combing - This stage prepares the suitable fibre into a more usable form, such as Batts or Rolags. See Stage 2 table for pricing.
Hand spinning - this stage takes the fibre from stage 2 into yarn for personal or commercial uses. If comercial we can add your logo to the skien/cake information bands so they are ready to sell. See Stage 3 table for pricing.
Samples, optional finishing and deposits are also explained in the below sections.
Understanding Yield
Fibre yield means the approximate amount of usable prepared fibre or yarn returned after processing.
For ADHCrafts estimates, the starting weight is usually the skirted fibre weight. This means the lowest-quality sections, such as belly wool, leg fibre, very dirty edges, heavily matted areas or clearly unsuitable parts, have already been removed before the weight is used for estimating.
Skirting is an additional service, and once complete the fleece/fibre will be weighed to provide the skirted fibre weight and used to provide an estimate of yield and cost of the project.
This gives a fairer and more realistic guide than weighing the whole fleece straight from shearing.
With careful skirting and suitable fibre, an 80% return is the goal. This means that 1kg of well-skirted fibre may return around 800g of prepared fibre or yarn.
Lower returns may happen if the fleece has:
- heavy vegetable matter
- excess grease
- second cuts
- weak or brittle fibre
- matted or felted areas
- heavy dirt or contamination
- sections that need extra sorting out
A 60% return is a cautious estimate for fibre that needs more sorting or has more loss during preparation. A 70% return is a useful middle estimate. An 80% return is the preferred goal for suitable, well-skirted fibre.
Stage 1: skirting/sorting and cleaning
If the fleece has been skirted and majority of VM removed prior to sending the above cost will be reduced by 40% to reflect the reduced work load at this stage. The fleece will still need to be sorted into locks, colour sections etc and cleaned 3-5 times depending on lanolin content. We use a fibre scour product certified by both merino and alpas societies as safe and suiteable for this purpose. A rams fleece may have a stronger scent, in this case i would do a wash with a wool safe scented laundry detergant.
Stage 2: sorting, carding or combing
This stage prepares suitable fibre into a more usable form, such as batts, rolags or fibre for spinning or felting.
Stage 3: hand spinning the prepared fibre - based on approximate finished yarn weight.
Full Project Estimates:
These examples use the starting skirted fibre weight. This means the obvious low-quality sections, such as belly wool, leg fibre and clearly unsuitable areas, have already been removed before estimating.
The examples below are based on DK handspun yarn at £9 per 100g finished yarn. They include:
- Stage 1: skirting & cleaning
- Stage 2: sorting & carding
- Stage 3: DK hand spinning
They do not include consultation, postage, optional skein-to-cake winding, sample work or additional services.
For planning, customers can use:
Skirting/cleaning + sorting/carding + estimated finished yarn weight x DK spinning price
For example:
1kg skirted fibre at 70% return = approx 700g DK yarn
Cleaning £30 + carding £50 + spinning £63 = £143 estimated total
These examples are planning estimates only. A fleece with heavy vegetable matter, excess grease, second cuts, weak fibre or matted sections may sit closer to the 60% estimate or below. A well-skirted, suitable fleece may sit closer to the 80% goal. Final quotes depend on fibre condition and agreed processing route.
Samples, Finishing and deposits
This service works well if you have multiple breeds or large batch, allowing a sample of 400g to be processed and spun into up to 3 yarn weights, or with smaller sample sizes can create up to 6 yarn samples with 2 different prep methods - carded and combed to create woolen and worsted samples at 3 yarn weights - 4ply, DK, and Aran. When booked at the same time as a consultaion you will get 10% off the sample price.
After spinning the yarn will be in skiens/hanks which arent the easisest to use, this option takes the yarn from a skien to a centre pull cake/ball which is then immediatly usable. If you plan to dye or weave with the yarn this step may not be needed, or if you have a yarn swift and ball winder as part of your craft equipment.
If the yarn is planned to be used in weaving, you may want to skip the setting of the yarn, a hot wash with agitation and thwacking as many weaving projects work better if the finished piece is set allowing the yarn to bloom and make the weave structure more secure. This is not always desired however.
A deposit secures your processing slot afer consultaion and quote creations. Consultation is a seperate cost, as are samples to enable customers to work out if this is the right path for them and thier fibre. They are non-refundable. The deposit for the full project 25%-50% remains refundable up to 14 days after booking with the return of any fibre that has not made it to stage 2. As part of the booking you will have an option to have any waste fibre returned for use as compost/muclh, if this is not wanted the fibre will go to a local allotment for use as composting material.
Important Notes and FAQ's
Important Notes
These prices are guide prices. A final quote may change after enquiry, photos, consultation, sample processing or in-person assessment.
A fleece may not be suitable for the customer’s first-choice outcome. If yarn is not suitable, alternatives such as batts, felting fibre, stuffing fibre, locks or sample projects may be discussed.
Quick FAQ
Can I work out an estimate before enquiring?
Yes. Weigh your raw fibre, check the matching weight band, then use the 60-75% yield table to estimate possible finished fibre or yarn weight.
Will I definitely get 70% back?
No. The 70% figure is only a planning estimate. Some fleeces return more, some return much less.
Why does the finished amount reduce?
Raw fleece can contain grease, dirt, sweat, vegetable matter, short cuts, weak fibre or matted areas. These may be removed during processing.
Can I send fibre before booking?
No. Please wait until your booking has been confirmed and you have an agreed start date or delivery window.
What if my fleece is not suitable for yarn?
ADHCrafts may suggest another use, such as batts, felting fibre, stuffing fibre, locks or a sample project.
Useful Links