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Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats,
qiviut from muskoxen, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids.[1]

Wool has several qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it is crimped and elastic.[2]

Wool is produced by follicles which are small cells located in the skin. These follicles are located in the upper
layer of the skin called the epidermis and push down into the second skin layer called the dermis as the wool
fibers grow. Follicles can be classed as either primary or secondary follicles. Primary follicles produce three
types of fiber, Kemp (wool), medullated fibers and true wool fibers. Secondary follicles only produce true wool
fibers. Medullated fibers share nearly identical characteristics to hair and are long but lack crimp and elasticity.
Kemp fibers are very coarse and shed out.[3]

Wool's scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece by helping the individual fibers attach to each other, so
they stay together. Because of the crimp, wool fabrics have greater bulk than other textiles, and they hold air,
which causes the fabric to retain heat. Wool has a high specific heat coefficient, so it impedes heat transfer in
general. This effect has benefited desert peoples, as Bedouins and Tuaregs use wool clothes for insulation.

Felting of wool occurs upon hammering or other mechanical agitation as the microscopic barbs on the surface of
wool fibers hook together.

The amount of crimp corresponds to the fineness of the wool fibers. A fine wool like Merino may have up to
100 crimps per inch, while coarser wool like karakul may have as few as one or two. In contrast, hair has little if
any scale and no crimp, and little ability to bind into yarn. On sheep, the hair part of the fleece is called kemp.
The relative amounts of kemp to wool vary from breed to breed and make some fleeces more desirable for
spinning, felting, or carding into batts for quilts or other insulating products, including the famous tweed cloth of
Scotland.

Wool fibers readily absorb moisture, but are not hollow. Wool can absorb almost one-third of its own weight in
water.[4] Wool absorbs sound like many other fabrics. It is generally a creamy white color, although some breeds
of sheep produce natural colors, such as black, brown, silver, and random mixes.

Wool ignites at a higher temperature than cotton and some synthetic fibers. It has a lower rate of flame spread, a
lower rate of heat release, a lower heat of combustion, and does not melt or drip;[5] it forms a char which is
insulating and self-extinguishing, and it contributes less to toxic gases and smoke than other flooring products
when used in carpets.[6] Wool carpets are specified for high safety environments, such as trains and aircraft.
Wool is usually specified for garments for firefighters, soldiers, and others in occupations where they are
exposed to the likelihood of fire.[6]

Wool is considered by the medical profession to be allergenic.[7]

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