Crimped keratin that traps still air — suiting, carpets and a quietly decent fire story among apparel fibres.
Also called: sheep wool · keratin fibre · worsted / woollen
Wool is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under textiles: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Wool with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Wool (keratin protein) is a family of grades whose density ~1.31 g/cm³, heat band chars; does not melt-drip like PE, and fire letter better than commodity synthetics in many apparel tests.
Wool is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry keratin protein, density ~1.31 g/cm³, heat band chars; does not melt-drip like PE.
This atlas treats Wool as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Conductivity note: low when lofted. Insulation score 72/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: better than commodity synthetics in many apparel tests. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
Origin: Neolithic sheep; merino Spain; industrial Yorkshire, Near East → Spain → Australia. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: cotton.
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 58/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Spain / Australia · 18th c.–
Merino ram is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
International · 1964
Woolmark is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
Scotland · 19th c.–
Harris Tweed is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
United Kingdom · 19th c.–
Savile Row worsted is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
Iran · historic
Persian carpet wool is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
New Zealand · 1990s–
Icebreaker merino is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
Eurasia · prehistoric
Felt is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
Ireland · 20th c. brand
Aran knit lore is a reference point in the public image of Wool.
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Same family or rival physics — pick a duel.
Closest neighbours on the six atlas axes — strength, heat, fire, insulation, workability and circularity.
The low-λ organic foam of fridges and buildings — excellent insulation, a fire design problem unless PIR and coverings are honest.
Overall 46 🌲Anisotropic cellulose composite grown as trees — carpentry, mass timber and a combustible story that codes still manage.
Overall 57 🕯️Latent-heat packets that flatten temperature swings — not a substitute for λ insulation, a complement.
Overall 36 🌱Seed-hair cellulose that dressed the industrial revolution — still the comfort fibre of daily wear.
Overall 44Seed-hair cellulose that dressed the industrial revolution — still the comfort fibre of daily wear.
Overall 44 🦋A kilometre-class animal filament — luxury cloth, sutures and a template for bio-inspired fibres.
Overall 41 🎽The dominant apparel polymer — bottle-grade PET spun into staple that dries fast and sheds microfibres.
Overall 49 🪢Carothers’ polyamide — stockings, tyre cord, climbing rope and a melt-drip fire personality.
Overall 48 🦺Aromatic polyamide pulps and filaments — ballistic packs, hot-gas filtration and asbestos replacement.
Overall 62