Pricing, Yield & Fibre Loss Explained

When you send raw fleece or fibre for processing, the starting weight is not the same as the finished return weight.

A 1kg raw fleece will not become 1kg of yarn.

This is completely normal. Raw fleece contains grease, dirt, dust, vegetable matter, short fibres, weak areas, matted sections and other material that may be washed out, removed or lost during processing.

This guide explains why fibre loss happens, what affects yield, and why pricing is based on the time, handling and preparation needed — not just the starting weight of the fleece.

For more detail about fibre condition and suitability, please also read the Fleece Assessment & Processing Guide.

1. What Does Yield Mean?

Yield means the amount of usable fibre or yarn left after processing.

For example, if you start with 1kg of raw fleece and end up with around 700g of usable prepared fibre or finished yarn, the yield is approximately 70%.

ADHCrafts uses an approximate 30% fibre loss guide as a practical planning figure across the full processing journey. This includes the stages where weight may be lost through washing, sorting, skirting, carding, preparation and spinning.

This is only a guide. The actual yield can be higher or lower depending on the fibre.

Some clean, strong, well-skirted fleeces may lose less. Some dirty, weak, matted or heavily contaminated fleeces may lose much more.

2. Why Fibre Loss Happens

Fibre loss is a normal part of processing.

Weight may be lost because:

• grease washes out
• dirt and dust are removed
• vegetable matter falls out or is picked out
• second cuts are removed
• short fibres fall away
• weak fibre breaks during handling
• matted or felted areas are removed
• unsuitable sections are skirted out
• some fibre is lost during carding, preparation or spinning

This is not wasted work. Removing unsuitable material helps protect the better fibre and improves the final result.

3. Why 1kg of Fleece Does Not Become 1kg of Yarn

Raw fleece is not just fibre ready to spin.

It may contain:

• lanolin or grease
• sweat
• field dirt
• dust
• hay, straw, seeds or burrs
• dung tags
• belly wool
• second cuts
• weak or brittle areas
• felted or matted sections

Once these are removed, the remaining fibre is cleaner, lighter and more usable.

Then, if the fibre is hand spun, there may be further small losses during preparation, drafting, spinning and plying.

This is why the finished yarn weight will usually be lower than the raw fibre weight.

4. What Affects Yield?

Several things affect how much usable fibre remains.

Staple Strength

Strong fibre usually survives washing, carding and spinning better.

Weak fibre may snap, crumble or break away during processing. This can reduce the final yield.

Staple Length

Very short fibre may be harder to card or spin successfully.

Short sections and second cuts often fall out during processing or may need removing because they can create lumps, neps or weak areas in the yarn.

Vegetable Matter

Vegetable matter includes hay, straw, seeds, burrs, leaves and bedding.

A small amount is normal. Heavy vegetable matter takes more time to remove and can reduce the amount of usable fibre.

Matting and Felted Areas

Matted or felted fibre has already started to lock together.

Light matting may sometimes be opened up, but badly felted areas may need to be removed. These sections may not be suitable for carding or spinning.

Dirt and Grease

Some breeds naturally carry more grease than others.

A greasy fleece may lose a noticeable amount of weight during washing. This is part of the normal cleaning process.

Storage Condition

Fibre that has been stored damp, tightly sealed, or without airflow may become musty, mouldy, weak or damaged.

Poor storage can reduce both suitability and yield.

Intended Use

The final use also matters.

Fibre being prepared for felting, batts, rolags, spinning or yarn may each need slightly different handling. Some uses can tolerate more texture, while others need cleaner, stronger or more even fibre.

5. Why Dirty or Matted Fleece Can Cost More Time

A fleece with more dirt, vegetable matter, matting or second cuts usually takes longer to process.

Extra time may be needed for:

• sorting
• skirting
• checking condition
• removing unsuitable areas
• hand-picking vegetable matter
• washing more carefully
• drying thoroughly
• opening up the fibre
• carding more slowly
• deciding the best use for different sections

This is why two fleeces of the same weight may not cost the same to process.

A clean, well-skirted 1kg fleece may be quicker to prepare than a heavily contaminated 1kg fleece.

Pricing reflects the work needed, not only the weight of fibre received.

6. Why Yarn Weight Affects Labour

Hand spinning is time-intensive.

The yarn weight requested can affect how long the project takes.

A thicker yarn may build weight more quickly, while a finer yarn usually takes longer because more drafting, twist control and plying are needed.

For example, spinning 100g of chunky yarn is usually much quicker than spinning 100g of fine yarn.

The final yarn also depends on how the fibre behaves. Some fibre naturally suits a softer, loftier yarn. Some works better as a firmer or more rustic yarn. Some fibre may not be suitable for the yarn weight originally requested.

ADHCrafts will aim to work with the fibre rather than forcing it into an unsuitable result.

7. Why Quotes Are Estimates Until Assessment

Quotes are based on the information available at the enquiry stage.

Before the fibre is assessed in person, it is not always possible to know:

• how much vegetable matter is hidden inside the fleece
• whether the fibre is strong throughout
• whether there are second cuts
• whether the fleece has matted areas
• how much grease or dirt will wash out
• whether the fibre will card or spin well
• how much usable fibre will remain
• how long preparation will take

Photos and descriptions are helpful, but final suitability and yield can only be confirmed once the fibre has been handled and assessed.

If the fibre behaves differently than expected, ADHCrafts will communicate this and discuss the next step where needed.

8. Small-Batch Processing and Careful Handling

Some processing routes can result in higher losses, especially where fibre is heavily contaminated or processed at larger scale.

ADHCrafts works by hand in small batches, which allows more careful sorting and more flexible choices about how different sections of fibre may be used.

This means that, where suitable, fibre can be separated for different outcomes rather than treated as one single batch. For example, the best sections may be used for yarn, while shorter or more textured areas may be better suited to batts, rolags, felting fibre, samples, stuffing or other non-yarn uses.

Careful handling cannot remove all fibre loss, but it can help reduce unnecessary waste and support a more thoughtful result.

9. A Real Example

One recent example started with 145g of good quality fibre.

The fibre had:

• very low vegetable matter
• good staple length
• good staple strength
• good fleece quality
• come from a well-kept animal bred for fleece quality

After processing and hand spinning, it produced approximately 105g of DK yarn measuring around 127 metres.

That means around 40g was lost during processing and spinning.

This is approximately a 28% reduction from the starting fibre weight.

This was a good-quality fibre with low vegetable matter, so it is a useful reminder that even suitable, clean fibre still loses weight during processing.