Australian Merino wool is well-known in the wool market for its top quality, and the bulk of it is used in apparel where softness is a key factor for consumers. However, the ethical issue of mulesing is driving textile manufacturers and retailers to purchase non-mulesed wool from other sources instead of Australian mulesed wool. Australian Soft Rolling Skin (SRS) wool, grown on non-mulesed sheep, has been perceived to have a softer handle than ordinary Merino (OM) of the same diameter. In this research, three different methods were deployed to objectively compare the softness of SRS and OM wool. The force required to pull a bundle of clean wool through a series of parallel pins, that is, the pulling force, was used to evaluate the combined effect of fiber bending rigidity and surface friction. SRS wool resulted in lower pulling force than OM wool, with a difference of 15 cN/ktex (approximately 12.5%). According to the Resistance to Compression test results, SRS wool (4.5–5.7 kPa) was easier to compress than OM wool (5.4–6.5 kPa). The modified Resistance to Compression method showed different compression profiles for the two types of wool, and the slope of the decreasing curve (SDC) was used to study the softness property, with lower SDC values representing softer handle. These results confirm that over a fixed diameter range the SRS wool was more compressible and flexible, and this should result in a softer handle for clothing made from the fiber.

澳大利亚美利奴羊毛以其顶级品质在羊毛市场上广为人知，其中大部分用于柔软度是消费者关键因素的服装。然而，混纺的道德问题正在促使纺织品制造商和零售商从其他来源购买非混纺羊毛，而不是澳大利亚混纺羊毛。澳大利亚软轧皮 (SRS) 羊毛生长在非骡子羊身上，被认为比相同直径的普通美利奴 (OM) 羊毛具有更柔软的手感。在这项研究中，采用了三种不同的方法来客观比较 SRS 和 OM 羊毛的柔软度。将一束干净羊毛拉过一系列平行销所需的力，即拉力，用于评估纤维弯曲刚度和表面摩擦的综合效果。SRS 羊毛的拉力低于 OM 羊毛，差异为 15 cN/ktex（约 12.5%）。根据抗压测试结果，SRS 羊毛 (4.5–5.7 kPa) 比 OM 羊毛 (5.4–6.5 kPa) 更容易压缩。改进的抗压缩方法显示了两种羊毛的不同压缩曲线，并且使用递减曲线 (SDC) 的斜率来研究柔软度特性，较低的 SDC 值代表更柔软的手感。这些结果证实，在固定直径范围内，SRS 羊毛更具压缩性和柔韧性，这将使由纤维制成的衣服具有更柔软的手感。改进的抗压缩方法显示了两种羊毛的不同压缩曲线，并且使用递减曲线 (SDC) 的斜率来研究柔软度特性，较低的 SDC 值代表更柔软的手感。这些结果证实，在固定直径范围内，SRS 羊毛更具压缩性和柔韧性，这将使由纤维制成的衣服具有更柔软的手感。改进的抗压缩方法显示了两种羊毛的不同压缩曲线，并且使用递减曲线 (SDC) 的斜率来研究柔软度特性，较低的 SDC 值代表更柔软的手感。这些结果证实，在固定直径范围内，SRS 羊毛更具压缩性和柔韧性，这将使由纤维制成的衣服具有更柔软的手感。