U.S. Alpaca Fiber Standard
U.S. Alpaca Fiber Standard (pdf)
Alpaca fiber shall be recognized within the seven (7) grades defined by micron span as follows:
- Grade 0 15.0 – 16.9 micron
- Grade 1 17.0 – 19.9 micron
- Grade 2 20.0 – 22.9 micron
- Grade 3 23.0 – 25.9 micron
- Grade 4 26.0 – 28.9 micron
- Grade 5 29.0 – 31.9 micron
- Grade 6 32.0 – 34.9 micron
Length shall be within the following processable* ranges:
- Huacaya between 2 and 5.5 inches**
- Suri between 2 and 7.5 inches**
* Processing length should be uniform across the blanket.
** This range of length is aligned to measurements used in the Innovative Fleece Assessment.
Based on histogram results, the average fiber diameter with a standard deviation of three (3) and below represents uniformity.
Note: The Fiber Committee chose not to assign names (baby, royal baby, superfine, fine, etc.) to the standards, as the committee found these terms to be inconsistent across the world. The committee used quantitative measures instead of subjective terms.