Animal

Mohair

Luster from the Angora goat.

Reviewed 2026-09-22. Evidence level: verified. Open the interactive profile and route map.

Key figures

Species: Capra hircus, Angora breed
Introduction to the US: 1849, from Turkey
Kid secondary fiber diameter: about 16.5 to 18 microns at about five months (Italian trial)
Shearing interval: commonly about six months
Undesirable fiber types: continuous and interrupted medullated fibers, and kemp

Approximate values under the stated conditions.

Overview

Production: about 4,550 tonnes (4.55 million kg) (global mohair clip, 2022). Main producers: South Africa (about 51%), Lesotho (about 16%). [4]

Hair from Angora goats. It is different from angora rabbit fiber.

Feel and behavior

Lustrous, resilient and sometimes intentionally fuzzy.

Where you find it

Tailoring blends, airy knits, upholstery and pile fabrics.

Source and geography

Mohair is the hair of the Angora breed of the domestic goat, Capra hircus, whose name is tied to the Ankara region of Anatolia. Angora-type goats are kept elsewhere too, including the Markhoz, an indigenous Iranian breed whose mohair is used in ceremonial garments. Angora goats reached the United States from Turkey in 1849, and South Africa built a large industry, although researchers there describe its Angora as the most efficient fiber producer but least hardy small-stock breed in southern Africa. Mohair should not be confused with angora, which is rabbit hair.

Advantages

Luster and smooth fibers give a clean sheen and dyed colors with depth.
Resilience and crush resistance suit pile upholstery and hard-wearing throws.
Mohair-wool suiting resists creasing and feels cool in warm weather.
It felts less readily than crimpy wool.

Drawbacks

Adult mohair and kemp fibers feel scratchy next to skin.
Brushed yarns shed fibers onto other clothes.
Haloed knits are hard to unravel and can mat with friction.
Angora goats tolerate prolonged cold poorly, and winter stock losses are a welfare concern.

Worth knowing

Mohair is classed chiefly by the goat's age because diameter rises as the goat grows, from roughly 24 microns in kids to about 40 microns in strong adult hair.
South Africa and Lesotho produce most of the world's quality mohair.
Classers in South Africa mark top lines with codes such as BSFK for the best kid hair and BSYG for the best young goat hair.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Mohair is classed mainly by the goat's age, because diameter coarsens as the animal grows, and then by length, style and freedom from kemp. In South African practice, kid mohair runs roughly 24 to 29 microns and covers the first two shearings, young goat about 30 to 34 microns, and fine or strong adult about 35 to 40 microns. Shearing lengths of about 100 to 150 mm are preferred. Classers sort fleeces into lines such as the top kid, young goat and adult lines, and prices usually favor the finer lines, although coarser goats cut more hair. South Africa and Lesotho produce most of the world's quality mohair, and Textile Exchange's Responsible Mohair Standard certifies some farms.

Fabrics and products

Kid and young goat mohair are worsted-spun for lightweight suiting, often blended with wool to give a crisp, cool, lustrous cloth that resists creasing, used in summer and evening suits. Brushed mohair yarns, and fine kid mohair lace yarns often plied or blended with silk, make airy, haloed sweaters and wraps. Coarser adult mohair goes into pile fabrics such as mohair velvet and plush for upholstery, and into rugs, throws and interlinings, where its resilience and crush resistance matter. Boucle and loop yarns use mohair's luster and body for novelty knits and coatings.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Ask whether a yarn is kid, young goat or adult mohair: kid mohair is finer and softer, adult mohair more lustrous and hard-wearing. Look for a clean, bright luster and few stiff, chalky-white kemp fibers, which feel scratchy and dye differently. In brushed yarns, a long, even halo is typical, but excessive loose fiber means shedding. In suiting, mohair gives crispness and a slightly dry hand. Check the fiber content percentage, since mohair blends range widely, and do not confuse mohair with angora, which is rabbit hair. Responsible Mohair Standard claims should be backed by certificate scope.

Care in detail

The label governs. Hand wash knits in cool water (about 30 C or below) with a wool detergent free of enzymes and bleach, avoid rubbing, which mats brushed yarns, and press water out gently. Dry flat and fluff the halo by hand or with a soft brush once dry. Do not tumble dry. Mohair suits and upholstery are usually dry cleaned or spot cleaned. Steam rather than press brushed or pile surfaces; for suiting, press at the two-dot setting (up to 150 C) through a cloth. Store clean and protect from moth larvae, since the fiber is keratin. To limit shedding onto other clothes, shake the piece gently before wearing and wear it over similar colors.

Care at a glance

Handle brushed surfaces gently. Follow the label, limit friction and avoid stretching wet knitwear.

Environmental and social footprint

Mohair comes from grazing Angora goats, so its footprint is mainly enteric methane, land use and the energy and water of scouring and worsted processing, but published mohair-specific life cycle figures are scarce and could not be verified for this guide. Production is concentrated in South Africa and Lesotho. Welfare questions center on shearing, handling and transport, and on the breed's poor tolerance of prolonged cold, which researchers have linked to winter stock losses in South Africa. Textile Exchange's Responsible Mohair Standard sets requirements for goat welfare and land management with chain of custody, and buyers should confirm that the certificate covers the specific product.

Tradeoffs

Age and grade influence handle. Farm welfare, grazing practices and finishing are relevant sourcing questions.

A useful question to ask: Is the mohair origin documented, and does any certification cover this product?

Science

Data sheet

Property	Value	Conditions	Source
Fiber diameter by class	about 24 to 29 (kid), 30 to 34 (young goat), 35 to 40 (adult) microns	South African classing practice	[3]
Preferred shearing length	about 100 to 150 mm	South African classing practice	[3]

Protein-based natural material

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

Structure and chemistry

Mohair is a keratin fiber in a fleece that also contains medullated fibers. Studies of Angora fleeces distinguish continuous and interrupted medullated fibers and kemp, a coarse, heavily medullated fiber, and they find that diameter, medullation, brightness and yield all vary over the body, with the midrib giving a representative sample. Compared with fine wool, mohair has little crimp and flatter, less prominent cuticle scales, which give luster and a weaker felting tendency. Diameter coarsens as the goat ages, which is why kid, young goat and adult mohair are sold separately; an Italian trial measured secondary fibers of about 16.5 to 18 microns in kids around five months old.

From source to yarn

Angora goats are commonly shorn about every six months; in an Argentine study the first two shearings were at 12 and 18 months of age. Fleeces are skirted and classed by age, fineness, length and freedom from kemp and vegetable matter, then scoured, carded and usually combed for worsted spinning, where length and luster suit smooth suiting yarns and brushed loop yarns. Research tools have been built to speed classing: near-infrared spectroscopy predicted clean mohair yield and diameter from fleece samples, and a modified optical fiber diameter analyser estimated medullation from fiber opacity. Chemical defleecing with mimosine has also been studied experimentally as an alternative to shearing.

Performance in use

Mohair shares wool's hygroscopic keratin chemistry, acid dye affinity and self-extinguishing flame behavior, but its smooth surface and straight fibers give luster, resilience and resistance to crushing, which suits pile fabrics and upholstery. Low crimp and smoother scales make it felt less readily than wool, although it can still felt under heat, moisture and agitation. Medullated and kemp fibers are highly undesirable in mohair because they are stiff, feel prickly and appear as chalky white fibers that take dye differently. Like other animal fibers it is attacked by clothes moth and carpet beetle larvae.

How it is identified

Burn tests (indicative only, and to be done with care) behave like wool. Under light or scanning electron microscopy mohair shows thin, flat scales with few visible scale edges, and projection microscopy counts medullated and kemp fibers; opacity-based instruments do this faster but need separate calibrations for mohair and wool. Peptide profiling by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry has distinguished mohair from cashmere, wool, yak, camel, angora and alpaca, including dyed samples and 50% blends. Confusion with angora rabbit hair is a naming error, not a fiber similarity.

History

Timeline

1849Angora goats arrived in the United States from Turkey. [1]
1996Final payments under the US mohair incentive program ended, prompting questions about producer profitability. [1]
2008Research linked the South African Angora goat's poor cold tolerance to CYP17 isoforms that impair cortisol production. [2]

The Angora goat connects mohair’s name to Ankara and its surrounding history. Breeding and trade later established important production outside Turkey, including southern Africa. Mohair now appears in both smooth tailoring and brushed knitwear.

The deeper record

Mohair's breed and name trace to Anatolia, and trade and breeding later moved much production elsewhere. In the United States, Angora goats arrived from Turkey in 1849, and research and performance testing were based at Texas agricultural stations. A federal incentive program kept producer returns relatively constant at an average of about 10 US dollars per kilogram, and a 1996 review questioned profitability once final payments ended that year. In South Africa, research on winter stock losses linked the Angora's poor tolerance of prolonged cold to two CYP17 enzyme isoforms that impair cortisol production, a physiological explanation for the breed's fragility.

Labeling and law

The US Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 includes hair of the Angora goat in its definition of wool, and the specialty name mohair may be used in place of wool with its percentage. In the EU, Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 lists mohair as a named fine animal hair, while the name angora refers to rabbit hair, so the two cannot be substituted. Textile Exchange's Responsible Mohair Standard is a voluntary certification covering goat welfare and land management with chain of custody; certificate scope should be checked for each product.

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

Frequently asked

Is mohair the same as angora?

No. Mohair is hair from the Angora goat, while angora is hair from the Angora rabbit. The shared name comes from the Ankara region. EU labeling reserves 'angora' for rabbit hair, and the two fibers differ in structure, feel and use, so they should never be substituted on a label.

What is kid mohair?

Kid mohair is shorn from young Angora goats in their first shearings, when the fiber is finest, roughly 24 to 29 microns in South African classing. It is softer than young goat or adult mohair and is used for lace-weight and brushed yarns and fine suiting blends.

Why is mohair itchy for some people?

Mohair is coarser than fine merino or cashmere, and adult grades and kemp fibers are stiff enough to prickle sensitive skin. Kid mohair and blends with silk or fine wool are gentler. Wearing it over a thin layer is a simple fix for sensitive wearers.

Sources

Cite this page

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