c. 6000 BCE
Woolly sheep
Selective breeding for fleece after hair sheep.
Wool did not arrive as a finished commodity. Neolithic sheep; merino Spain; industrial Yorkshire around Near East → Spain → Australia still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Neolithic sheep; merino Spain; industrial YorkshireNear East → Spain → Australia
Timeline
c. 6000 BCEWoolly sheep
Selective breeding for fleece after hair sheep.
medievalEnglish staple
Wool customs funded states; Flanders wove it.
15th–18th c.Spanish merino
Fine-wool monopoly until flocks spread.
1788+Australian merino
Colonial flocks became the fine-wool engine.
1800sWorsted vs woollen
Bradford combed yarns vs carded woollens split the trade.
1940sSuperwash
Chlorine-Hercosett made machine-wash wool possible — and AOX debates later.
1960sWoolmark
IWTO branding against polyester’s rise.
1990sMicron auction
Finer than 18 µm became a fashion spec.
2000sMulesing controversy
Animal-welfare specs entered brand RFQs.
2010sMerino next-to-skin
Outdoor brands rediscovered wool as a non-stink base layer.
The eras
15th–18th c.
Spanish merino
Fine-wool monopoly until flocks spread.
1800s
Worsted vs woollen
Bradford combed yarns vs carded woollens split the trade.
1960s
Woolmark
IWTO branding against polyester’s rise.
2000s
Mulesing controversy
Animal-welfare specs entered brand RFQs.
Milestones
Australian merino
1788+Colonial flocks became the fine-wool engine.
Woolmark
1960sIWTO branding against polyester’s rise.
Merino next-to-skin
2010sOutdoor brands rediscovered wool as a non-stink base layer.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Wool as timeless.
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