Cashmere Quality Grades Explained

Last updated: October 1st, 2016 Cashmere is a very unique and special material. It is probably one of the most precious natural fabrics in the world. When we use the term cashmere we usually talk about clothes made from cashmere wool. The most popular pieces of clothing are scarves and sweaters, but many manufacturers use it to produce shawls, hats, gloves etc. There are even carpets produced from cashmere.

In the past, only people that belong to the upper classes of society had the chance to buy cashmere because this material was very expensive and hard to get. Today, the situation is a little bit different.

Although cashmere is still an expensive type of fabrics, it is much easier to buy some item made of cashmere thanks to the Internet. Both men and women enjoy wearing these products and they are especially useful during the winter period.

However, it is worth mentioning that the quality of cashmere fabrics is not the same in each product. Some people use the price tag in order to determine the quality of cashmere, but the truth is that there are many other factors that can tell you about the quality.

The rest of this article is about the quality grades of cashmere products.

Introduction to cashmere grades

The purity/fineness of the hairs found on the fiber and the length of hairs are the main elements used to determine the quality of cashmere. Based on these elements, experts have determine three distinctive quality grades.

Quality Grade C

As you probably could have guessed by the name, this cashmere fiber has the lowest quality. The fiber is thick – their diameter is around 30 microns. Of course, they are much cheaper than cashmere graded as type B or type A.

Quality Grade B

Grade B is almost twice thinner than grade C – the diameter of the fiber is about 19 microns. This is a good grade, but those who want to wear the best must choose grade A cashmere.

Quality Grade A

Cashmere fibers that are classified as grade A are the thinnest and longest which means that they come with the best quality. Their diameter is very small and it can go as low as 14 microns. In addition, they are up to 36 mm long. The cashmere products made from grade A fiber last for a very long period of time.

Although these cashmere quality grades are often part of the label, there are many products that don’t state the quality and what is even worse – some of them use fake gradations.

So, how can someone tell whether they are looking at a high-quality cashmere product? The answer is simple – by checking the three basic elements of each product made of cashmere explained below.

Additional ways to determine the quality of cashmere

To start with, one of the best ways to determine the quality of this luxurious material is to use your fingers. Simply touch the cashmere product and feel it. Cashmere that comes with high quality and unique texture is made of long fibers, so you should feel incredible softness and pleasant sensation on the tips of your fingers. Cashmere items that don’t have grade A quality, have shorter and thicker fibers and although they might not be rough, they are still less soft.

Furthermore, you can also test the stretching capability of the material. As we have mentioned before, cashmere is very durable and should remain in the same shape for a long period of time.

Pull the product gently for a short period of time. After that, check whether there is some kind of deformation on the product or everything remains the same. The latter option is possible only in high-quality cashmere products.

Finally, you can try the color test too. If cashmere fibers are treated inadequately (if in the process of production, the manufacturer has used low-quality dye or improper method), the fabrics will become rough. This is a very common occurrence in black and dark colored pieces of cashmere clothing.

Those who don’t have much experience with cashmere should choose lighter colors because these dyes cannot produce such damage as dark colors and shades.

Keep in mind that, the price is also a significant indicator about the quality. In case you are looking at a cashmere product that is incredibly cheap, there is a great chance that the product is fake or has very low quality.

At the end, let’s not forget that Cashmere Mania is featuring only the best cashmere pieces from the best retailers, so you know that you’re buying high-quality cashmere. Subscribe below if you want to get more posts like this via email.