The average staple length of merino fleece wool is 84 rnm. Subjective classification of diameterstyle groupings from one selling centre into "long", "medium", and 'short' produces differences of 7-8 mm between adjacent length categories. Sale lots wilhin thesclength categories vary by ± I4mtn (95"o confidence interval), so there is considerable overlap even between "long" and 'short' wools. Individual staples within a sale tot vary by ±25 mm about the mean (95 "j, confidence interval). These estimates vary significantly with diameter and style category and among selling centres.
Results are presented for the standard deviation of fiber diameter in sale lots of merino and crossbred fleece wools and skirtings. There is a strong positive association between standard deviation and average fiber diameter in all cases. In merino fleece wools, there are smaller increases associated with wools of poorer style and shorter length.
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