What every woollen inspection covers
Wool behaves differently from cotton or synthetics at every stage. It holds moisture, felts and shrinks with heat and agitation, attracts moths in storage and is often blended or recycled in ways that are hard to see. Every woollen inspection therefore covers:
- Quantity and status. Finished and packed pieces by style, colour and size.
- Weight and size. Pieces weighed on a calibrated scale and measured after they have relaxed, because wool stretches when it is folded or hung.
- Fibre and label. Hand feel and appearance against the approved sample, and the fibre label read against the order. Percentages and fine-hair claims need a lab.
- Surface. Pilling, shedding, holes, slubs, stains and uneven raising or brushing.
- Moth and insects. Holes with clean edges, larvae, cases or droppings, especially in stock stored through a monsoon.
- Finishing. Edge binding and whipstitch on blankets, hems and fringes on shawls, linking and seams on knitwear.
- Odour and dryness. Wet-wool, spinning oil or chemical smells, and damp in packed goods.
- Packing. Polybags, cartons, any moth deterrent the buyer allows, and shipping marks.
Sample sizes follow ISO 2859-1; see the AQL guide. One inspector, one factory, one working day is a man-day, priced on our pricing page.
How the checklist changes by product
| Product | How it is made | What the inspector adds |
|---|---|---|
| Woollen blankets | Woven from wool, recycled wool or blends, then raised to a soft nap | Weight per blanket, nap evenness, edge binding, shedding, recycled-wool labelling |
| Pashmina and wool shawls | Hand- or machine-woven from cashmere, fine wool or blends; some hand-embroidered | Fibre claim screening, weight, embroidery against sample, edges and fringes, shahtoosh exclusion |
| Woollen knitwear | Knitted on flat machines in panels, linked and finished | Measurements after relaxing, linking, gauge, dropped stitches, felting shrinkage |
Wool rugs are covered by rug and carpet inspection, for example hand-knotted wool rugs.
Fibre claims and labelling
| Market | Rule | What it means at the factory |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Wool Products Labeling Act and 16 CFR 300 | Covers most products with any wool, including blankets. "Recycled wool" must be stated as such. Rugs and carpets are excluded |
| United States | Cashmere definition | Dehaired undercoat of the cashmere goat, average diameter not over 19 microns, no more than 3% by weight over 30 microns, coefficient of variation not over 24% |
| United States | "Pashmina" | Not a fibre name recognised by the Wool Act; a label cannot say "100% pashmina" (FTC) |
| United States | 16 CFR 1610 and Care Labeling Rule | Fabrics made entirely of wool or acrylic are exempt from flammability testing; blends with cotton or viscose may not be. Apparel needs a care label; blankets do not under federal rules |
| European Union | Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 | Annex I names such as wool and cashmere, with percentages. "Fleece wool" and "virgin wool" only for wool never before used in a finished product (Article 8). See EU textile labelling |
An inspector can screen fibre by feel, appearance and, where agreed, a burn test on a loose thread. Microscopy and fibre analysis are lab work; we can pull and seal the samples.
Moth-proofing, odour and restricted substances
Some woollen goods are treated against moths during dyeing or finishing. In the EU, a product treated with a biocide is a treated article under the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) 528/2012, and a moth-proofing claim triggers specific labelling. Dyes used on wool can fall under REACH and azo restrictions; see EU REACH and azo dyes and restricted substances.
At the factory, the inspector records any moth deterrent found in packs, checks goods for live insects and moth damage, and notes odours. Mothballs or chemical sachets in packs are reported to the buyer, who decides whether they are allowed.
Shahtoosh and wildlife law
Shahtoosh is wool from the Tibetan antelope, which has been on CITES Appendix I since 1979; commercial international trade in its parts and derivatives is banned. Shahtoosh has been mixed into or sold as fine pashmina. A product inspection cannot detect it by eye. For high-value shawls, buyers use hair analysis: EPCH and the Wildlife Institute of India run a Pashmina Certification Centre in Dehradun that examines hair samples under a microscope and issues certificates with a unique ID tag.
Where woollens are made in India
| Town | Status | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| Panipat, Haryana | Town of Export Excellence for woollen blanket, and for carpets, other textile floor coverings and bed linen (DGFT) | Blankets and throws |
| Ludhiana, Punjab | Town of Export Excellence for woollen knitwear (DGFT) | Sweaters, cardigans and knitted accessories |
| Srinagar and Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir | Towns of Export Excellence for handicrafts (DGFT); Kashmir Pashmina, Kashmir Sozani Craft and Kani Shawl GIs | Pashmina and wool shawls, embroidered shawls |
IBEF, citing DGCI&S data, puts India's wool and woollen exports at US$1.76 billion in FY 2025-26, a figure that includes carpets. Wool ready-made garments were US$183.39 million and woollen yarn, fabrics and made-ups US$176.27 million (page updated August 2026).
Clear To Load is based in Jodhpur, has inspectors in Delhi NCR among other cities, and covers any town in India; travel is set by travel band. Blankets from Panipat are often inspected alongside home textiles; see home textile inspection in India. The product pages below cover each woollen product in detail.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence
- FTC: Threading your way through the labeling requirements under the Textile and Wool Acts
- FTC: The cachet of cashmere, complying with the Wool Products Labeling Act
- 16 CFR 1610.1, scope and exemptions of the clothing flammability standard
- Regulation (EU) 1007/2011, Article 8 (fleece wool and virgin wool)
- Regulation (EU) 528/2012, Biocidal Products Regulation (treated articles)
- CITES Resolution Conf. 11.8: Conservation of and control of trade in the Tibetan antelope
- EPCH: Pashmina Certification Centre
- IBEF: Wool and woollen industry and exports (updated Aug 2026)