Mongolian wool comes from sheep. Mongolian cashmere comes from the soft undercoat of goats raised on the same grasslands. Cashmere is finer and softer against skin, and far scarcer. Wool is thicker, tougher and holds its shape against wind and wear. Choose cashmere where your skin is sensitive and wool where the piece works hard.
People compare the two because the labels share a word. Mongolian wool and Mongolian cashmere ship from the same region, so the name tells you where a fibre was grown, not which animal it came from or how fine it is. The fibre content line on the label tells you that. Here is how to read it, and which of our pieces uses which fibre and why.
What is the difference between Mongolian wool and cashmere?
The difference is the animal and the thickness of the fibre. Wool is sheared from sheep as one thick fleece. Cashmere is the fine down a goat grows under its coarse outer hair for winter, and Wikipedia's entry on cashmere wool notes that it is collected during the spring moulting season, when the goats shed that winter coat. The same entry gives the average yearly yield as 150 grams per goat.
A sheep gives its fleece in kilograms. A goat gives a handful of down a year, and only the fine part of it counts as cashmere. That gap in yield, more than anything about warmth, is why a cashmere piece costs several times what the same weight of wool does.
Is Mongolian cashmere different from other cashmere?
Mongolian cashmere is cashmere from goats raised in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, and it has to meet the same fineness rule as any other cashmere. Under the US labelling rule quoted in Wikipedia's cashmere entry, a product sold as cashmere must have an average fibre diameter that does not exceed 19 microns. So "Mongolian" describes where the herds graze, not a separate, finer grade. Two cashmere pieces from the same region can still feel different, because fineness, fibre length and how tightly the yarn is spun vary from lot to lot. Read the fibre content before the region. Our 100% Cashmere Bed Socks are listed as 100% goat cashmere on the maker's product sheet and knitted in Inner Mongolia, at 40 g a pair. The Cashmere-Blend Cloud Beanie is a blend with 31 to 50% goat cashmere, and we say so on the page rather than calling it cashmere.
Is Mongolian wool itchy compared with cashmere?
Coarse wool can itch and fine cashmere does not, and the dividing line is fibre thickness. Wikipedia's wool entry says coarse fibres, especially those at or above about 30 to 32 micrometres, can cause mechanical irritation and itching. Cashmere sits well under that line by definition. Wool varies widely, so a soft lambswool and a rough outer fleece can share the word "wool" on a label.
Where the piece sits on your body matters as much as the fibre. A forehead, a jawline and the back of the neck notice prickle first. Hands and shoulders over a coat notice it least. Our longer guide to whether Mongolian cashmere is itchy covers skin tests and blends in more detail.
Wool and cashmere side by side
Wool wins on toughness and price, and cashmere wins on softness against skin. The table puts the main differences in one place.
| Property | Mongolian sheep wool | Mongolian cashmere |
|---|---|---|
| Animal | Sheep, sheared | Goat undercoat, combed in spring |
| Fineness | Varies widely by grade and breed | Average 19 microns or finer to be sold as cashmere in the US |
| Yield | Kilograms per fleece | About 150 g per goat per year |
| Feel on skin | Can prickle on sensitive skin, coarser grades most | Soft, no prickle from the fibre itself |
| Wear and shape | Springy, resists rubbing, holds shape | Softer structure, pills more where it rubs |
| Best used for | Hoods, blankets, outer layers | Socks, beanies, pieces against bare skin |
Neither column is "better". They are suited to different jobs, which is why the most useful pieces often pair them.
Which fibre does each of our pieces use, and why?
We use wool where a piece faces wind and friction, cashmere where it touches bare skin, and a blend where it does both. Every page lists the fibre content, so you can check this yourself.
The Wool Balaclava Hood is 100% wool from Inner Mongolia, ribbed, 100 g, with a drawstring at the chin. It is pulled over a coat and rubbed by a collar every day, which is work wool does well. The page also says plainly that if wool usually itches you, this one may too. The Alashan Cashmere-Blend Beanie is 10% cashmere and 90% wool in a double-layer knit, 70 g: mostly wool for body and wind, with cashmere from Inner Mongolia to soften the hand. The Cloud Beanie carries more cashmere, between 31 and 50%, for foreheads that feel every wool hat. The bed socks are all cashmere because bare feet under a duvet meet no wind and little friction.
How do you tell which one you are buying?
Read the fibre content line, then the weight, then the care label, in that order.
- Fibre content in numbers. "100% cashmere", "10% cashmere, 90% wool" and "cashmere blend" with no percentage are three different products. A missing percentage is the warning sign.
- Weight. A heavier knit of the same fibre is warmer and wears longer. Our pages list grams for every piece.
- Care. Both fibres want a cool hand wash or dry cleaning and a flat dry. Wool can take up a lot of water, almost one third of its weight according to the same Wikipedia wool entry, which is why a wet wool piece should dry flat instead of hanging.
For the regional story behind the fibre, our guide to Mongolian wool covers where it comes from. If you are choosing between a blend and pure cashmere, cashmere blend vs pure cashmere goes through the trade-offs. The full range is in the wool edit.
FAQ
Is lambswool the same as Mongolian wool?
Lambswool is wool from a sheep's first shearing, usually softer and finer than later fleeces. Mongolian wool describes where the sheep are raised. A piece can be both, as our Brushed Lambswool Long-Scarf is: 100% lambswool from Inner Mongolia. Neither term is cashmere, which comes from goats, so check the fibre line if softness against skin is what you need.
Does cashmere pill more than wool?
Usually yes. Cashmere fibres are finer and shorter than most wool, so friction lifts loose ends into small balls more easily, mostly at cuffs, collars and wherever a bag strap rubs. It is a sign of a soft fibre, not a fault. A cashmere comb run lightly across the surface lifts the pills off without thinning the knit.
Can you wear a wool hood or beanie if you have sensitive skin?
Often, if you choose the fibre for the spot it touches. A blend with more cashmere is gentler on the forehead than all-wool, and a thin cotton or silk layer under a wool hood keeps the fibre off the jaw. If wool reliably makes you itch, start with the piece that has the most cashmere in it.
Is "Mongolian cashmere" a guarantee of quality?
No. It tells you the region, and every piece sold as cashmere in the US already has to meet the same fineness limit. Quality within that limit depends on fibre length, how the yarn is spun and how dense the knit is. Look for the fibre percentage, the weight in grams and an honest note about pilling.
