Cashmere vs merino: which wool should you buy?

Updated 2026-10-22 · 7 min read

Both are wool. Both are warm. One comes from a goat, the other from a sheep, and that single fact explains almost every difference in price, hand-feel and how long the garment lasts. Here is the honest comparison, including the parts brands usually leave out.

The short answer

If you want one sentence: buy merino for the things you will wash and wear hard, and cashmere for the things you wear closest to your face.

What each fibre actually is

Cashmere is the fine undercoat a cashmere goat grows to survive a Himalayan winter. Each goat yields a few ounces a year, which is why the fibre is expensive before it is even spun. Merino is the fleece of the merino sheep, a breed selected over centuries for fine, long, crimped fibre — and because a sheep produces a full fleece rather than a few ounces, merino is far cheaper per kilo at the same fineness.

Both are measured in micron (one thousandth of a millimetre). Below about 19 micron a wool feels soft against skin; above about 23 micron most people notice it. Our ribbed sweater uses extra-fine merino at 19.5 micron; the brushed cashmere scarf is a 15.5 micron yarn, brushed after weaving to lift the fibre.

Warmth for weight

Cashmere traps more air per gram because its fibres are finer and crimp more tightly. A 200 g cashmere sweater is roughly as warm as a 280–300 g merino one. That is why cashmere is the better choice when you need warmth without bulk — under a coat, under a blazer, in a scarf that has to fold into a bag.

Merino wins a different contest: it manages moisture better. The fibre can absorb a large share of its weight in vapour and release it, which is why merino is the standard for base layers and travel clothing. Cashmere is warm but does not like being sweated into.

Durability and pilling

Finer fibre means less resistance to abrasion. A cashmere knit worn under a seatbelt and a tote strap every day will thin at those points long before a comparable merino knit will. Expect three to five seasons of regular wear from a good cashmere sweater, and five to eight from a good merino one, given the same care.

Pilling is normal on both, and it is not a defect. Short fibres work their way to the surface and knot. Cashmere pills in the first month and then largely stops once the loose fibre is gone; merino pills less overall, and long-staple merino pills least. A fabric shaver used gently once a month is the correct response — not returning the garment.

The one thing worth refusing: cashmere blended with a large proportion of nylon sold as pure. It feels soft in the shop and goes limp in a month. Check the label — 100% cashmere, or a small elastane addition at cuffs and hems, is what you want.

The itch question

Itch is mechanical, not allergic, in almost every case: coarser fibres do not bend enough and poke the skin. At 19.5 micron and below, most people can wear wool directly against the neck. If you have reacted to wool before, merino at 17–18 micron is the safer entry point, and cashmere is softer still, though its lightness means it is rarely used for a heavy knit.

Which to buy for which piece

• Scarf: cashmere. It folds small, sits against the neck, and the brushed surface is the whole point. Ours is $69 and sizes generously at 200 × 35 cm.
• Everyday sweater: merino. It will be washed more than you plan, and merino forgives that. Our ribbed merino sweater is $89.
• Base layer: merino, always. Moisture management matters more than softness here.
• Investment coat: neither alone. Outerwear wool is a different animal — a denser, stronger weave such as the double-faced recycled wool in our oversized coat, because a coat has to hold its shape under its own weight.
• Hat or cap: wool melton. Our wool cap uses an Italian melton that resists the felting you get from softer yarns.

Care

• Wash less than you think. Wool is naturally odour-resistant; airing overnight replaces most washes.
• When you do wash: cold water, wool cycle, a pH-neutral wool detergent, no fabric softener, no bleach.
• Never wring. Roll in a towel, press out water, dry flat and reshape while damp.
• Store folded, never on a hanger, for knits. Hangers stretch the shoulders.
• Cedar blocks or lavender sachets in the drawer; moths eat protein fibre, not "old clothes".

Common questions

Is cashmere warmer than merino?

Per gram, yes, by roughly 30–50%. Per garment it depends on the weight. A heavy merino sweater will out-warm a thin cashmere one.

Can you machine wash cashmere?

Some yarns are treated for it, but the safe answer is hand-wash cold or use a wool cycle at 30°C in a mesh bag with no spin above 400 rpm. Never tumble dry either fibre.

Why is cashmere so much more expensive?

Supply. A goat yields about 150–200 g of usable fibre a year against 2–4 kg from a sheep, and the fine undercoat has to be separated from the guard hair by hand or machine combing.