Cashmere

Overview

Production: roughly 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes of raw fiber, before dehairing (global raw cashmere; China reported at about half and Mongolia at about 40%, undated recent estimate). Main producers: China, Mongolia. [5]

The fine undercoat of cashmere goats, separated from coarser guard hairs.

Feel and behavior

Soft and lofty, with warmth at a relatively light weight.

Where you find it

Sweaters, scarves, lightweight coating and accessories.

Source and geography

Cashmere is the fine down grown by secondary follicles of cashmere-type domestic goats, referred to in US law as Capra hircus laniger. It is a fiber type produced by many breeds rather than a single breed. China and Mongolia supply most of the world's raw cashmere, and Mongolia's share has grown as Chinese output declined. Pashmina in the narrow sense is down from Changthangi goats of the high Changthang plateau of Ladakh. A goat typically yields a few hundred grams of raw down a year, less than half of which survives dehairing.

Worth knowing

• Textile Exchange's 2026 cashmere life cycle assessment gathered data directly from 170 herders and farmers across Mongolia and China.
• In that study, nomadic and farmed cashmere showed no significant difference in climate impact per kilogram of dehaired fiber.
• The Grade A, B and C cashmere labels common in online shops are not defined in US labeling law, which sets only the 19 micron ceiling and related limits.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Cashmere is judged by fineness, fiber length and color. US law caps mean diameter at 19 microns, and many sellers add informal Grade A, B and C labels, often described as about 14 to 15.5, 16 to 18 and over 18 microns; these are trade conventions, not terms defined in US labeling law, so a test certificate says more. The Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute names length and fineness as the main quality drivers, because long, fine fibers pill less. White down is the most flexible for dyeing, while grey and brown lots suit natural or dark shades. Ply counts the single yarns twisted together (1-ply, 2-ply and so on) and gauge counts knitting needles per inch; both describe construction, not fiber grade. Recycled cashmere, reclaimed from garments or clippings, has shorter fibers.

Fabrics and products

Most cashmere goes into knitwear, from fine-gauge jersey sweaters and cardigans for layering to chunky, low-gauge hand-frame knits, plus hats, gloves and socks. Woven cashmere appears as soft twill or plain-weave scarves and shawls, milled coating and jacket cloth with a brushed nap, and double-faced cloth for unlined coats. Blends are common: wool and cashmere for coats and suiting at a lower price, cashmere and silk for light, lustrous knits and scarves, and cashmere with nylon or elastane where shape retention matters. Pashmina in the narrow sense means hand-spun, hand-woven shawls from Changthangi goat down; on the mass market the word is used loosely, and it is not a fiber name under US or EU labeling rules.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Rub a hidden area between finger and thumb: good cashmere feels soft, dry and springy, and should not shed or pill heavily at first touch. An unusually slick, silky hand can come from heavy softener finishing that may mask short fiber. An even, fairly dense stitch lasts longer than an open, loose knit, and ply count alone says little. 'Cashmere blend' may contain only a small share, and 'cashmere feel' describes hand, not fiber. A very low price for 100% cashmere is a red flag, since fine wool and yak down have been found in products sold as cashmere. Ask about origin and about certification such as the Sustainable Fibre Alliance or the Good Cashmere Standard.

Care in detail

Follow the label: many knits can be hand washed, while woven coats and tailored pieces are usually dry clean only. For knits, use cool water (about 30 C or below) with a wool or cashmere shampoo free of enzymes and bleach, and a gentle wool cycle only if the label permits. Squeeze rather than wring, roll in a towel, and dry flat, reshaping while damp; never tumble dry. If pressing is needed, steam from a distance or press through a cloth on the reverse at the two-dot setting (up to 150 C). Remove pills with a cashmere comb once early pilling settles. Rest knits between wears, fold rather than hang, and store them clean in breathable or sealed bags, checking periodically for moth larvae.

Care at a glance

Wash only as the care label allows. Minimize rubbing, reshape gently and dry flat. Remove pills carefully.

Environmental and social footprint

Cashmere's footprint comes mainly from goat herding on the dry rangelands of Mongolia and northern China. Because a goat yields only a few hundred grams of raw down a year, the animal's footprint is spread over very little fiber. Textile Exchange's July 2026 cashmere life cycle assessment, using data from 170 herders and farmers in Mongolia and China, found no significant difference in climate impact per kilogram of clean dehaired cashmere between nomadic and farmed systems; down yield per goat and winter supplementary feeding mattered more. Its baseline did not attribute soil carbon loss to cashmere, a choice that strongly affects results. Rapid herd growth in Mongolia has intensified concern about rangeland degradation. Single cradle-to-gate scores, such as Higg MSI values, deserve caution; Norway's Consumer Authority warned in 2022 that marketing based on Higg data could mislead.

Tradeoffs

Rangeland condition, herd management and dehairing practices deserve attention alongside the finished hand.

A useful question to ask: What evidence connects this garment to its herding region and processing chain?

Science

Data sheet

Protein-based natural material

Most hair is keratin; silk is a different protein-fiber system.

Structure and chemistry

Cashmere down is keratin, with the same disulfide-stabilized filament and matrix chemistry as sheep wool, but the fibers are much finer. US law caps the mean diameter at 19 microns. The cuticle scales are thinner and lower at their edges than those of fine wool, a difference that scanning electron microscopy measures as scale height and that contributes to a smoother surface and softer hand. The coarse guard hairs of the same fleece are much thicker and stiffer, which is why their removal during dehairing matters so much for the quality of the finished yarn.

From source to yarn

Down is harvested during the spring molt, by hand combing in many herding systems or by shearing. Raw fiber is sorted by natural color (white, grey and brown lots are valued differently), then scoured to remove grease, dust and vegetable matter. Dehairing is the defining step: mechanical separation of fine down from coarse guard hair, a process industrialized in the late nineteenth century by Bradford firms such as Joseph Dawson Ltd of Cashmere Works. Dehaired fiber is dyed as loose stock or top and spun on woollen or worsted systems, and knitted fabric is often milled to develop bloom.

Performance in use

Cashmere shares wool's hygroscopic protein behavior, acid and metal-complex dye affinity, flame behavior and vulnerability to clothes moth and carpet beetle larvae. Because individual fibers are fine and relatively short, and yarns are often lightly twisted for loft, fabrics abrade and pill more readily than those of comparable weight in coarser wool, especially at friction points such as underarms and cuffs. The scaled surface can still felt under heat, moisture and agitation, so knitwear can shrink or thicken if washed aggressively.

How it is identified

Burn tests (indicative only, and to be done with care) cannot separate cashmere from wool, since both behave as keratin. Laboratories rely on light and scanning electron microscopy, measuring diameter and cuticle scale height at the scale edge; interlaboratory round trials organized for the CCMI have tested this approach on blends. Yak down looks very similar to cashmere under SEM and has been reported to cost about a quarter as much, making it a common adulterant alongside fine wool. DNA and targeted proteomic methods can detect such admixtures.

History

Timeline

1. 1939The US Wool Products Labeling Act included hair of the Cashmere goat within its definition of wool. [2]
2. 2022Norway's Consumer Authority warned that marketing garments with Higg MSI data could mislead, a caution relevant to single-score fiber claims. [4]
3. 2026Textile Exchange published a cashmere life cycle assessment using data from 170 herders and farmers in Mongolia and China. [3]

Fine goat down is associated with the history of Kashmir shawls, although the raw material and finished cloth have not always shared an origin. Industrial dehairing and spinning later connected pastoral regions to international knitwear production.

The deeper record

Woven Kashmir shawls of fine goat down were luxury goods in Mughal and later courts, and their buta (boteh) motif was copied so extensively by nineteenth-century European mills, notably in Paisley, Scotland, that the design took the town's name. European industry then moved from importing shawls to importing raw down, and mechanical dehairing in Bradford made cashmere a knitwear fiber. After Mongolia's transition to a market economy, goat herds grew rapidly, and researchers and development agencies have linked that growth to rangeland degradation, prompting standards such as SFA's rangeland management requirements.

Labeling and law

In the US, 15 U.S.C. 68b (Wool Products Labeling Act, as amended) treats a product as misbranded if labeled cashmere unless the fiber is the fine dehaired undercoat of the cashmere goat with a mean diameter not over 19 microns, a coefficient of variation around the mean not over 24%, and no more than 3% by weight of fibers over 30 microns. In the EU, 'cashmere' is an Annex I name in Regulation 1007/2011 for hair of the kashmir goat. Voluntary programs include the Sustainable Fibre Alliance standards (Mongolia and China) and the Good Cashmere Standard of the Aid by Trade Foundation.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

Is 2-ply cashmere better than 1-ply?

Not necessarily. Ply is the number of single yarns twisted together; two plies give a more balanced, stable yarn and usually a heavier knit. Fiber fineness and length, knit density and finishing matter more. A 2-ply sweater made from short, coarse fiber will still pill quickly, so treat ply as a construction detail, not a grade.

Why does my new cashmere sweater pill?

Short fibers work loose from lightly twisted yarn at friction points such as underarms and cuffs, then tangle into pills. Some early pilling is normal and slows once the loose fibers are removed with a comb. Persistent heavy pilling usually points to short fiber, low twist or a loose knit.

How can I tell if cashmere is real?

Touch and burn tests cannot separate cashmere from fine wool or yak, because all are keratin. Laboratory methods, such as scanning electron microscopy of cuticle scale height or DNA and peptide testing, can confirm content. A buyer can ask for test reports, look for certification and treat implausibly low prices with suspicion.

What is the difference between cashmere and pashmina?

Pashmina in the narrow sense is fine down from Changthangi goats of Ladakh, traditionally hand-spun and hand-woven into shawls. On the mass market the word is used loosely, sometimes for blends or scarves without cashmere. It is not a separate fiber name in US or EU labeling, so the fiber content line is what counts.

Sources

• Sustainable Fibre Alliance: Standards and resources
• Food and Agriculture Organization: Harvesting of textile animal fibres
• GovInfo: 15 U.S.C. 68b, Misbranded wool products
• Microscopy and Microanalysis: Wool and cashmere fiber identification study using scanning electron microscopy
• PLOS One: Combining untargeted and targeted proteomic strategies for discrimination and quantification of cashmere fibers
• Sustainable Fibre Alliance
• The Good Cashmere Standard: Our standard
• Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute: Cashmere purchasing guide
• Textile Exchange: Cashmere Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Study (2026)
• Agricultural Systems: Estimating carbon footprints and economic trade-offs in Mongolia's cashmere value chain (2026)
• GINETEX: Care symbols (ISO 3758 care labelling system)
• Norwegian Consumer Authority: Potentially misleading environmental claims, use of Higg MSI data in marketing of garments (2022)
• Federal Trade Commission: Wool Products Labeling Act text
• UNDP Mongolia: Cashmere initiatives working together to improve the value chain

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). Cashmere. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/cashmere/