It's All About the Fibre

Elite Alpaca - From Fleece to Fashion


Alpacas produce fibre that is considered a luxurious fibre by the textile industry and is valued in high fashion houses in Europe for its desirable attributes. It is sought after for its softness, warmth without weight, good strength and range of natural colours including white, brown, black and grey.

There are two types of alpacas: the huacaya (pronounced wa-ky-ah) and the suri. Although identical in body, these animals grow different fleece types. The huacaya, which comprises over 90% of the world alpaca population, has a fluffy appearance. This is because its fleece grows perpendicular to the body and is crimped or ridged. The suri’s fleece hangs down from the body in a variety of ringlet-type lock structures. Suri fibre is very smooth which gives this fleece an uncommonly high luster.

Alpaca fibre is an environmentally friendly product. The animals graze on natural pastures and supplements of grain based feeds.

Alpaca is fine, soft and warm. The fineness of the fibre is measured in microns (1 micron =1/1000 of a millimeter). The lower the micron, the finer the fleece; thus demanding a higher monetary value.

The construction of the individual alpaca fibre has half the scale height of sheep’s wool that gives it its trademark silky feeling.

Alpaca is unusually strong and resilient, thus making it an ideal fibre for industrial processing. It is naturally water repellent. Alpaca does not easily tear or pill.

Alpaca has good thermal capabilities and is several times warmer than sheep’s wool. It is an ideal natural material for the Canadian climate.

The absence of lanolin or grease in alpaca fibre contributes further to the desirability of the fleece. Those who are sensitive to sheep’s wool or allergic to the lanolin might be able to comfortably wear garments made of alpaca. The absence of grease avoids a heavy scouring process and the variety of natural colours minimizes the need for dyeing. Alpaca fibre takes dye readily, while retaining its natural luster.

Alpaca is a specialty fibre that performs well on its own, but can also be blended with other fibres to achieve different finishes. Alpaca is extremely versatile and is desired by clothing manufacturers around the world.

Alpaca is used and sold:

  • As rovings for spinners or for needle-felters,
  • As lightweight yarns for wonderful lacy shawls, scarves and ponchos,
  • Finer, more tightly spun yarns for weavers or commercially knitted socks,
  • As bulky yarns for wonderfully warm and soft winter clothing – socks, mitts, scarves, hats, …
  • As hand or machine-felted clothing, accessories, insoles, boot liners, …
  • As quilt batts for vests, light and warm duvets/comforters, sleeping bags, …
  • As coarser, thicker yarns (higher than 34 microns) for rug weaving, saddle blankets, …
  • As mill-produced luxury cloth,
  • As knitted, woven, felted items for home décor.

Alpaca fibre is harvested once a year by shearing it off the animal with sheep shears. Fleece growth on the alpaca varies in fineness, length, absence or presence of guard hair and colour. This variation makes it necessary to separate the differing sections for their attributes and planned end use. Best use shearing practices, thorough skirting and sorting delivers clean fleeces for processing to obtain best results from processing. It is of great benefit for alpaca breeders/owners and the alpaca fibre industry to use these preparations at the farm level to ensure quality end products, consistency for the processors and a maximized return.

Alpaca Ontario Fibre Promotion Committee