This produces short fibers known as second cuts. Heavy locks and second cuts fall out through the slotted skirting table. The strength of fiber is important in that it must be strong enough to go through the textile manufacturing process without breaking. Both problems result from sickness or stress. Length of staple determines the usage in worsted or woolen textile systems.
Yield is the amount of clean wool obtained from grease wool expressed as a percentage.
To earn reputation clip status, a grower's fiber must be uniform in grade with long, strong staple, low in natural contaminants and free of applied contamination. The classer is also responsible for the bagging and baling of the clip and separating portions of wool into appropriate lines, or classifications of fiber diameter, length, color, strength, and degree of contamination. Classing is a continual process and the record of how the clip was classed is passed to the owner to help him sell the clip. The process of quality control for next year's clip starts all over again at shearing time. Most of our business is based on testing commercial lots for both yield and average fiber diameter.