"It’s not just the clothes...It’s a way of life!"

Ambassador Custom Clothing, Inc. has taken on the British Wool Textile Export Corporation’s code of practice. Our description of wool quality clears up confusion in the marketplace, caused by companies describing the same quality in different ways.

Adrian Berry, the President of Clissold, played a leading role on the committee which drafted the agreement and then arranged it’s implementation throughout the United Kingdom. The main benefit to consumers is consistent rating of the quality of wool fiber contained in cloths woven in the United Kingdom. For the whole of the last century, cloth woven in the United Kingdom has been acknowledged as the worlds finest.

The crafts of cloth making have been handed down from generation to generation culminating in today’s superfine fabric which combines all of that tradition with the cutting edge of technology and design. Clissold is proud and pleased to have played it’s part in this industry since 1910.

The following table has been extracted from this code which applies to cloths made in the United Kingdom but may not apply to cloths woven in other countries where the same high standards have not been accepted.

Wool Quality

Maximum Mean Fiber Diameter
in Microns

Super 80’s
Super 90’s
Super 100’s
Super 110’s
Super 120’s
Super 130’s
Super 140’s
Super 150’s

19.5
19.0
18.5
18.0
17.5
16.5
16.0
15.5


One micron is equal to one thousandth of a millimeter and the micron count refers to the diameter of the individual fibers from which the yard is spun - not to be confused with the thickness or count of the yarn itself. Once spun into the yarn, all of the above quoted qualities could be woven into the summer or winter weight fabrics.

The finer the wool fiber, the smaller the micron count. The smaller the micron count the rarer the wool and therefore the more expensive the cloth. Wools finer than 16.5 microns are a relatively new phenomenon brought about by technological advances in animal husbandry and wool growing, combing, and spinning that allow commercial production.

Work is taking place now to grow wool down to 14 microns but at the moment this can only be achieved in very small quantities which are not commercial.