MateriumTextiles
Wool, acrylic and blends: reading knitwear composition
Understand what a knitwear label describes and build a useful comparison of wool, acrylic and mixed-fibre garments.
Read as Markdown ↗Wool and acrylic are different fibre families that can both be used in knitwear. A composition label tells you which fibres are present; the knit, yarn and finish help explain how the garment feels.
Separate fibre from construction
Wool is an animal fibre; acrylic is a manufactured fibre. Woolmark describes wool’s natural structure, while CIRFS describes acrylic’s soft, lofty character and use in sweaters and blankets. Both references represent their respective industries.
A chunky loop or a fluffy surface describes construction and finish. It does not, by itself, establish the fibre content. Start your comparison with the composition tag and then look at the same area of each garment.
Read percentages before comparing garments
Consider a hypothetical label reading 60% wool and 40% acrylic. That is a blend, not pure wool, and those percentages do not tell you the garment’s warmth or service life on their own.
Record the full fibre list. If the garment has a separate lining, treat its composition separately. Keep the manufacturer’s care instructions with the label rather than choosing a wash programme from the largest percentage alone.
Use a repeatable observation routine
Lay the garment in even light and photograph the fabric, an existing seam and the tag. Note whether the yarn looks smooth or brushed, whether the fabric is densely knitted and where wear is visible.
Explore the texture in Materium, then compare the assessment with your label notes. This is particularly helpful when building a collection of known examples rather than trying to memorise a single visual rule.
Choose for the actual use
For an everyday jumper, compare fit, care requirements, repair options and the condition of the finished garment. For a design study, keep yarn structure and fibre content as separate fields in your notebook.
Save a scan of a labelled example in Materium and revisit it beside another knit. A small collection with clear provenance is more useful than treating softness or fuzziness as a fibre test.
Explore how Materium analyses patterns and material context, including the role of different information layers in a material investigation.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked 2026-11-01. Regional guidance is identified by location, with industry and supplier references labelled.
- Woolmark: wool fibre facts (wool industry reference)
- CIRFS: acrylic fibres (fibre industry reference)
Published by Materium with AI assistance. Read our source and editorial approach.