What Drives Dehaired Cashmere Prices

We do not publish prices. This guide explains the variables a cashmere offer is built on, with sources, so you can compare quotes on the same basis.

1. Fineness (micron)

Finer cashmere costs more. One reason is supply: a value chain analysis of the Mongolian cashmere industry (2005) estimated that reducing mean diameter from 17.5 µm to 15.5 µm lowers the yield per goat by about 24%. Finer lots are also a smaller share of the raw supply: in China's 2017 national inspection data, only 1.89% of raw cashmere was ultrafine (14.5 µm or finer). A tight micron range costs more than a broad one, because more selection is needed. See the micron & grade chart.

2. Length and short fiber

Longer, more uniform fiber suits worsted spinning and combed tops. Dehairing shortens fiber, and research links longer dehaired cashmere to raw lots that are white, longer, higher in fiber curvature and lower in vegetable matter. Short-fiber content and length variation are graded separately in GB 18267, so they belong in the price discussion too. See fiber length for spinning.

3. Color

Cashmere is sorted by natural color: white, gray and brown (W, G and B in the Chinese standard). White lots are selected separately (white-for-white), and only white cashmere is graded for dark-fiber content. The same research found that white raw cashmere dehaired more efficiently.

4. Guard hair and foreign matter

Guard hair (fibers coarser than 25 µm) is part of the dehaired grade code, and foreign matter is graded A to C. A stricter coarse-hair limit means more processing and selection. Our typical lots are controlled to approx. 0.1–0.2% coarse hair.

5. Certification and traceability

SFA- or GCS-certified lots come through partner mills that hold the certificate and may carry a cost difference. State the requirement at inquiry so it is priced from the start. See certification & traceability.

6. Quantity, packing and delivery terms

Lot size, packing and shipment timing change the cost per kilo. The Incoterm matters as well: under FOB the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the port of shipment, while under CIF the seller also pays freight and minimum cargo insurance to the destination port. Risk passes to the buyer on board in both cases.

Checklist: what to send for an accurate quote

• Product: dehaired fiber or combed tops.
• Mean diameter target and range, and any limit on its coefficient of variation.
• Mean length (or Hauteur for tops) and maximum short-fiber content.
• Color: white, light gray or natural brown.
• Coarse-hair limit.
• Certification needed (SFA, GCS or none).
• Quantity, delivery window, destination port and Incoterm (FOB or CIF).
• The test method and lab you will use to check the trial lot.

Our quote form asks for exactly these points. You will receive a costing for the actual lot, with its test results, and a 100–500 g trial lot on request.

Sources

1. A value chain analysis of the Mongolian cashmere industry (2005)
2. SAMR — 2017 national cashmere quality report (山羊绒质量情况通报)
3. McGregor & Butler (2008), The effects of cashmere attributes on the efficiency of dehairing and dehaired cashmere length, Textile Research Journal
4. GB 18267 Cashmere (山羊绒) — color classes, guard hair, table 6
5. ICC — Incoterms® 2020
6. ICC — Incoterms® 2020, rules for sea and inland waterway transport (FOB, CIF)