Cashmere Fiber Identity, Processing and Trade Evidence

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-13Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$4.8B

Producing countries tracked

6

Grading systems

2

Active supply risks

6

Trade corridors

5

Latest reviewed evidence

U.S. Public Law 109-428 provides that a wool product represented as cashmere must use the fine dehaired undercoat fibers of a cashmere goat, must not exceed a 19-micron average fiber diameter, must contain no more than 3 percent by weight of fibers whose average diameters exceed 30 microns, and may have a coefficient of variation around the mean no greater than 24 percent. These are U.S. labeling-identity boundaries for wool products, not a universal trade grade, an actual lot result, supply volume or price.

U.S. cashmere average-fiber-diameter ceiling

19

microns, maximum · Public Law 109-428, applicable to products manufactured from 2007-01-01

U.S. cashmere over-30-micron fiber-share ceiling

3

percent by weight, maximum · Public Law 109-428, applicable to products manufactured from 2007-01-01

U.S. cashmere fiber-diameter coefficient-of-variation ceiling

24

percent, maximum · Public Law 109-428, applicable to products manufactured from 2007-01-01

FAO Kyrgyz local-goat cashmere diameter range

13

microns, lower bound; upper bound 16 · FAO case study published 2010; location-specific, not a current global benchmark

FAO Kyrgyz local-goat combed-cashmere yield range

120

grams per goat, lower bound; upper bound 150 · FAO case study published 2010; location-specific, not a current global benchmark

Raw fleece, dehaired fiber, carded fiber and yarn are separate products

Cashmere goats produce a fine undercoat beneath coarse guard hair, so greasy or raw fleece cannot be compared directly with dehaired fiber without a measured recovery basis. The U.S. tariff schedule separates fine cashmere-goat hair not carded or combed under heading 5102.11 from carded or combed cashmere-goat hair under 5105.31. Atlas retains processing stage, clean weight, dehairing yield, carding or combing state and any conversion basis instead of treating all cashmere descriptions as one product.

Cashmere identity and fineness claims need lot-linked measurement

Public Law 109-428 ties the U.S. cashmere label to fine dehaired undercoat and quantitative diameter boundaries. A claim still needs a representative sample, a stated fiber-diameter method, laboratory, sample preparation, result distribution and test date. Atlas does not infer compliance from the seller name, goat location, soft handle, color or a generic certificate detached from the lot.

Cashmere, wool, mohair and cashgora remain distinct

EU Regulation 1007/2011 reserves listed textile-fiber names for fibers matching the Annex I descriptions and identifies cashmere as hair of the cashmere goat, separately from sheep wool and Angora-goat mohair. A later European Commission decision likewise explains that sheep wool and fine hair of Kashmir or similar goats are distinct tariff items. Atlas records fiber composition and animal source explicitly and does not transfer one material's tests, origin claims or value to another.

Fineness and yield evidence do not establish a delivered cashmere price

FAO's dated Kyrgyz case study reports 13-to-16-micron inner down and 120-to-150 grams of combed cashmere per local goat, illustrating why fineness, color, guard hair and recovery matter. Those observations are location- and period-specific, not current global supply or a tradable quote. A delivered estimate still needs permitted current observations for the exact processing stage, color and grade, clean or greasy weight basis, laboratory evidence, origin, package and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Is all goat hair cashmere?

No. The U.S. cashmere labeling rule requires fine dehaired undercoat from a cashmere goat and applies quantitative diameter boundaries. Common goat hair, guard hair, mohair and cashgora require their own identities and evidence.

Can raw cashmere fleece be compared directly with dehaired cashmere?

Not without a measured recovery basis. Raw fleece can contain coarse guard hair, dirt and vegetable matter; dehairing changes clean yield, composition and value. Atlas keeps processing stage and weight basis explicit.

Does a 19-micron average alone prove a cashmere lot qualifies?

No. Under the cited U.S. rule, animal source, dehaired-undercoat identity, the share of fibers above 30 microns and diameter variation also matter. A lot claim further requires representative sampling and method-linked results.

Which fields make cashmere offers comparable?

Animal source, collection and processing origin, greasy, washed, dehaired, carded or combed form, color, mean diameter and distribution, coefficient of variation, over-30-micron share, staple length, guard hair, vegetable matter, recovery yield where relevant, test and chain-of-custody evidence, package and lot, quantity, weight basis, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.