Alpaca Fibre
Alpaca fibre is the fleece of Vicugna pacos, a domesticated South American camelid shorn once a year on the high Andean altiplano. The fibre is hollow cored, which makes it light and warm for its weight, and it carries almost no lanolin, so it scours to a high yield and it is tolerated by wearers who react to wool grease. It comes in a wide range of natural colours from white through fawn and brown to true black, which lets a mill build a coloured range without dyeing. It goes into knitwear, woven coating and suiting cloth, accessories, blankets and high end blends with merino, silk and cashmere.
Listed alpaca fibre markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Alpaca is contracted on measured fibre diameter with its coefficient of variation, staple length, natural colour and the two breed types, supported by an independent test house certificate.
Fibre identity and species
4 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Species and breed typeDeclared and verified | Vicugna pacos. Huacaya, with a dense crimped fleece that grows perpendicular to the body, or Suri, with a lustrous straight lock that hangs in pencil ringlets. They are priced and processed differently and the contract names one. |
| Animal age classDeclared | Baby, first shearing from a young animal and the finest fibre the animal will ever grow, then adult fleeces which coarsen with each subsequent shearing. Age class is a diameter proxy and it is verified against the measured micron, not accepted on its own. |
| Species purityPercentage, by microscopy | Alpaca is routinely blended with sheep wool, llama and mohair. ISO 17751 microscopy quantifies the blend and it is contracted on any lot sold as pure alpaca. |
| Fleece partDeclared | Blanket, the prime fibre from the back and sides, versus neck, leg and belly pieces which are shorter and coarser and priced separately. |
Fineness and dimensional measurement
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mean fibre diameterMicrons, with the tolerance | Measured by laser scan or airflow on a conditioned sample. It is the dominant price term. |
| Coefficient of variation of diameterPercentage | How even the fibre is around its mean. Two lots at the same micron do not spin the same if their variation differs. |
| Comfort factorPercentage of fibres below thirty microns | Determined from the same diameter distribution. It predicts prickle against the skin and it is contracted on next to skin knitwear. |
| Coarse fibre and guard hair contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Medullated guard hair from the primary follicles. It will not dye level and it is felt on the skin, so dehaired lots contract a ceiling. |
| Staple lengthMillimetres, with the range and the short fibre content | Measured on a conditioned sample. It sets whether the lot spins on the worsted or the woollen system. |
| MedullationPercentage of medullated fibres, maximum | Hollow cored fibres, measured by projection microscope. They scatter light and take dye differently. |
| Curvature or crimpDegrees per millimetre | Measured with the diameter test. It governs bulk and loft in the yarn. |
| Fibre strengthNewtons per kilotex, minimum | Bundle tenacity, which predicts breakage in combing. |
Natural colour classification
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| WhiteColour class | Undyed white. It commands the premium because it dyes to any shade. |
| Light fawnColour class | The palest of the natural fawns. |
| FawnColour class | Mid fawn. |
| Light brownColour class | The lighter natural brown range. |
| Dark brownColour class | The deeper natural brown range. |
| GreyColour class | Rose grey and silver grey, produced by a mix of white and dark fibres in one fleece. |
| BlackColour class | True black, distinguished from very dark brown under daylight against the reference. |
| Multicolour and mixed piecesColour class | Fleeces carrying more than one shade, sorted out and traded separately. |
| Colour consistency within the lotDeclared, against the reference sample | How tightly the bales in one lot match each other. It is the term that actually matters to a mill building a season range. |
Cleanliness, yield and contamination
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Vegetable matter contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Burr, seed, straw and pasture material, determined by chemical digestion or by carding trial. It is the cost the topmaker carries and it is deducted in the price. |
| YieldPercentage, on a stated basis | Clean fibre recovered from the greasy or raw weight, measured against a defined regain and grease basis. It converts a greasy price to a clean price and it is the number the trade actually settles on. |
| Grease and suint contentPercentage by mass | The natural wax and salt fraction removed in scouring. |
| Regain and moisturePercentage, at the standard atmosphere | Measured under ISO 139. Fibre is bought at a contractual regain, not at whatever it weighs on the day. |
| Dark and medullated fibreCount per unit mass, maximum | Pigmented or hollow fibres that will not take dye evenly. Contracted on any lot destined for pale shades. |
| ContaminationDeclared, zero tolerance where specified | Polypropylene twine, synthetic packaging and foreign fibre. It is the single most damaging defect in a bale and the contract treats it as such. |
Delivery, packing and certification
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Baling and packingDeclared, with the bale weight and the pack material | Pressed bales, hydraulic bales, hanks or bundles, with the wrapping named. Synthetic wrap is excluded where contamination is a contract term. |
| Marking and lot identityDeclared | Bale marks, lot number and the test certificate number, tied to the sample retained by both parties. |
| Test certificateCertificate, with the issuing house | An independent test house certificate is the contract document in this trade and the lot is settled against it. |
| Sampling methodDeclared | Core sampling, grab sampling or full lot testing, with the number of bales sampled written into the contract. |
| Fumigation and phytosanitary treatmentDeclared, with the certificate | Named where the destination requires it for a plant or animal origin fibre. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, Responsible Wool, Responsible Alpaca, Responsible Mohair, Fairtrade or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| Clip or crop yearDeclared | The shearing season or the harvest year, recorded with the lot. |
| Shearing seasonDeclared | The altiplano shearing runs in the southern summer and the season is recorded with the lot. |
| Sorting and classingDeclared | Hand classed at origin into diameter and colour lines, or sold as unclassed fleece. It is a price term. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Peru | Puno, Cusco, Arequipa, Huancavelica and Ayacucho | Origin and destination |
| Bolivia | La Paz, Oruro and Potosi | Origin and destination |
| Chile | Arica y Parinacota and Tarapaca | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | Jujuy and Salta | Origin and destination |
| Australia | New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania | Origin and destination |
| New Zealand | Canterbury and Otago | Origin and destination |
| United States | Oregon, Ohio and Colorado | Origin and destination |
| Canada | Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia | Origin and destination |
| United Kingdom | England, Wales and Scotland | Origin and destination |
| Italy | Biella, Prato and the Veneto worsted cluster | Destination |
| China | Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia and Hebei | Destination |
| Japan | Osaka, Aichi and Gifu | Destination |
| South Korea | Gyeonggi and Daegu | Destination |
| Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria | Destination |
| France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Hauts-de-France | Destination |
| Spain | Catalonia and Valencia | Destination |
| Portugal | Porto and the Ave valley | Destination |
| Turkey | Bursa, Usak and Istanbul | Destination |
| India | Punjab, Ludhiana and Tamil Nadu | Destination |
| Vietnam | Hung Yen and Ho Chi Minh City | Destination |
| Mexico | Mexico State and Puebla | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam and the trading and distribution cluster | Destination |
| Belgium | Antwerp and the Flemish textile cluster | Destination |
| Switzerland | Zurich and the luxury supply chain | Destination |
| Czechia | Moravia and the worsted spinning cluster | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the fibre is shorn, cut or retted at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is classing, testing, baling and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Apr, arrival Mar to AugShearing runs through the southern summer and the wet season, when the animals carry a full staple. Classing, testing and baling in Arequipa follow before shipment. | ||
| Bolivia | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Mar, arrival Mar to JulShorn on the same altiplano calendar as Peru, with much of the clip crossing into Peru for classing and export. | |||
| Chile | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Feb, arrival Mar to JunA small northern altiplano clip on the Peruvian and Bolivian calendar. | ||||
| Australia | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Sep to Dec, arrival Nov to FebSouthern hemisphere spring shearing, counter to the Andean clip in arrival even though the seasons overlap. | ||||||
| United States | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Jun, arrival May to AugNorthern hemisphere spring shearing before the summer heat, supplying a domestic and Canadian mill base. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for alpaca fibre. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading5102.19 Fine animal hair, other than of Kashmir goats, not carded or combed
- PackingCompressed bales. Jute and sisal at 180 kg to 250 kg, animal fibre at 100 kg to 300 kg pressed under hessian or polypropylene wrap, silk in cartons. Bale identification must carry the lot and the test certificate number.
- Container loading20ft: 10 t to 18 t depending on bale density. Wool, cashmere and other animal fibres are volume limited well before weight.
- Contract and arbitrationIWTO Blue Book terms with IWTO core test certificates and arbitration under IWTO rules for wool and fine animal hair. Plant fibres on the contract of the origin trade association or on CIF terms with arbitration at the named seat.
- Destination limitsPhytosanitary certification for plant fibres under Regulation 2016/2031 and veterinary health certification for animal fibre under Regulation 2016/429 and Regulation 142/2011. EU REACH restrictions on residual dyes, biocides and azo colourants. CITES prohibits trade in shahtoosh and controls vicuna.
Common questions
What grades of alpaca fibre does SIP Global trade?
We quote 36 published grades of alpaca fibre, including Species and breed type - Declared and verified, Animal age class - Declared, Species purity - Percentage, by microscopy, Fleece part - Declared, Mean fibre diameter - Microns, with the tolerance and Coefficient of variation of diameter - Percentage. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is alpaca fibre graded?
Alpaca is contracted on measured fibre diameter with its coefficient of variation, staple length, natural colour and the two breed types, supported by an independent test house certificate. Grading runs on 5 systems: Fibre identity and species, Fineness and dimensional measurement, Natural colour classification, Cleanliness, yield and contamination and Delivery, packing and certification.
Where does SIP Global trade alpaca fibre?
We trade alpaca fibre in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada and 17 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is alpaca fibre harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Peru: harvest nov to apr, arrival mar to aug; Bolivia: harvest nov to mar, arrival mar to jul; Chile: harvest nov to feb, arrival mar to jun; Australia: harvest sep to dec, arrival nov to feb; United States: harvest apr to jun, arrival may to aug. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for alpaca fibre?
Alpaca fibre is normally classified under HS 5102.19 (fine animal hair, other than of kashmir goats, not carded or combed). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for alpaca fibre?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 2 listed alpaca fibre markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- ASTM InternationalMaterials and test method standards
- IWTOInternational Wool Textile Organisation test methods
- IPPCInternational Plant Protection Convention phytosanitary measures
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.