Cashmere Fiber

Cashmere goat, also called Kashmir goat, a breed of domestic goat valued for its soft wool, used for the manufacture of cashmere shawls. It varies in build and color but the most highly esteemed has large ears, slender limbs, curved spreading horns not spirally twisted, and a long, straight, silky white coat. Beneath the outer coat of coarse hair the fluffy, soft underfur or pashm (present in all goats) is particularly luxuriant and forms the product for which the breed is valued.

1. Cashmere Fiber

2. Outline: Introduction History Structure Production &Processing -Grading -Washing -Dehairing -Carding Properties Advantages & Disadvantages Application

3. Introduction Usually known as cashmere wool obtained from Cashmere goats  .  Breed name:  Capra hircus laniger .

4. Introduction It is 8 times warmer & 3  times more insulating than ordinary wool. Finer, lighter and softer. Most cashmere comes from goats in the Gobi Desert , which stretches from Northern China into Mongolia .

5. History Cashmere has been manufactured in  Mongolia ,  Nepal  and  Kashmir  for thousands of years. Pashmina , which comes from the Persian word for wool. The name ‘ Cashmere ’ was in the 16th century. In the 18th century Cashmere goat imported down from Tibet and Tartary through Ladakh .

6. History Cashmere producing areas are Himalayan region extending east to China and west to Iran . In 19th century. In 1949 there were around 2.4 million goats in Mongolia but there were 25.8 million in 2004 . Today, almost 3,000 tones produced annually come from Mongolia , Iran , Afghanistan and New Zealand.

7. Structure

8. Structure

9. Structure

10. Structure The fiber of cashmere is about 3.5-7 cm ( 1.5-3 inches ) of staple length. The diameter of cashmere fiber is 7-19 microns and an average of 14 microns . It is of gray-brown color while raw cashmere naturally form the goat in only three colors of white , gray and brown .

11. Structure

12. Production 70% of world’s cashmere is produced in China. Outer Mongolia at 15-20% , Iran and Afghanistan at a combined 10-15% . There are some small weights of cashmere produced in the Central Asian Countries of Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan and Kazakhstan , in Turkey , India , Australia , New Zealand and Pakistan .

13. Production The annual world clip is estimated to be between 15000-2000 tons in which yearly an average goat produce 150 grams ( 0.33 lb ). Kashmir goats only produce 4-6 ounces per year. Goat only produce good quality cashmere until round 4 or 5 years of age.

14. Processing

15. Processing Grading: Cashmere is collected during the spring season when goats naturally shed their hair. Harvested hairs are sorted according to quality , width and length . Short, coarser hairs are discarded with a course of comb .

16. Shearing & Combing

17. Grading

18. Processing Washing: It is a cleaning process which removes the grease , sweat and dirt from the fiber before being rinsed in clean water and passes through squeeze rolls and dried in a hot air chamber.

19. Processing Dehairing: Dehairing is the process of separating undesirable matter , including guard hair from shorter, finer and softer fibers.

20. Processing Carding: Carding is a mechanical process that parallelized , cleans and blends fibers to produce a continuous sliver suitable for the yarn manufacturing.

21. Processing

22. Properties Cashmere is soft , silk , smooth and resilient and also very warm . The capacity of cashmere moisture regain is up to 15%. It has tensile strength of 6.06-7.85 cN/tex . It is a normal heat resistant and is kept under 30°C .

23. Advantages Moisture absorption. Natural fire resistant. Dust & bacteria prevent. Electric resistance. Good feel & is very comfortable. Delicate Nature. (won’t use as hardware) Biodegradable. Easy to dye.

24. Disadvantages Highly expensive. Delicate Nature. (requires lot of maintenance) Easley attacked by moths. Pilling, if not dehaired properly.

25. Application Cashmere is used to make accessories such as gloves , scarves and shawls . It is used in apparel like sweaters , socks , blazers , coats , jackets and underwear. Coarser cashmere is used for rugs and carpets , bedding . Camping and Sports Equipment