Soft commodities · WOOL

Wool price

Wool currently trades at US$1,880 per 100 kg (≈ €1,599 · £1,401) — effectively at the 12-month high. Over the past 12 months it has gained 56.28%, with the annual range running from US$1,197 to US$1,897. 24-hour movement is minimal (±0.00%).

US$1,880 / 100 kg
≈ €1,599 ≈ £1,401 Unchanged 24h 98% within the 52-week range
FX Editorial Team · Data updated: · Editorially verified
Wool (WOOL) price today US$1,880 / 100 kg, ↑ +0.00% (24h)

Wool chart

Interactive chart and 30-day overview

7 days
▲ +0.21%
+US$4.00
30 days
▲ +3.01%
+US$55.00
1 year
▲ +56.28%
+US$677.00
52-week range
US$1,197 98% US$1,897
Wool (WOOL) 30-day price chart — USD, EUR, GBP

The Wool chart shows how the wool price has moved over time. The interactive view lets you switch the timeframe (from 7 days up to MAX), the currency (USD / EUR / GBP) and overlay moving averages. Click any two points to measure the percentage change between those dates.

How is wool priced?

Wool is priced per 100 kg on European exchanges — the legacy quintal-based unit common in EU agricultural pricing. The unit makes per-tonne and per-kilogram conversion straightforward.

At US$1,880 per 100 kg, one tonne is worth US$18,800 and one kilogram US$18.80. Most international wholesale trade now references the metric tonne, but the 100 kg unit persists in EU spot markets.

What drives the price of wool?

The main demand driver for wool is the Chinese textile industry. According to the IWTO (International Wool Textile Organisation), China absorbs about 75% of global apparel-grade wool imports. Chinese spinning and weaving mills are the world’s main wool processors, and some premium Italian, British and Japanese suiting mills rely on semi-finished yarn from China. The weekly AWEX auction price is therefore directly affected by the Chinese textile cycle and the yuan/Australian dollar exchange rate. When Chinese textile exports weaken or Chinese mill yarn inventories fill up, buyers step back and the EMI can correct quickly. The global apparel-wool market is about ~1.1 million tonnes in clean fibre equivalent. Compared with global polyester production of about 65 Mt, it is a narrow but high-value premium segment.

Supply is dominated by the size and condition of the Australian sheep flock. ABARES (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics) estimates that Australia accounts for about 25% of global apparel-wool output, or roughly 280 kt a year in clean fibre equivalent. In the fine merino premium segment, that is effectively a market-leading share. New Zealand (~120 kt) is also a significant producer, but most of its clip is coarser carpet wool. Meat & Livestock Australia publications regularly show that the Australian sheep flock, and therefore wool supply, is structurally sensitive to prolonged drought, especially in inland New South Wales and Victoria. It is also sensitive to lamb-meat pricing: when lamb is relatively expensive compared with wool, farmers shift towards meat production and flock sizes can fall for years.

Over the longer term, the market is shaped by competitive pressure from synthetic fibres. Polyester (PET) and acrylic are direct substitutes for wool in carpets, upholstery textiles and entry-level clothing. They are cheaper, easier to mechanise and can be pre-dyed. Wool’s share of the global textile-fibre market is now only around 1%; mass-market textiles are dominated by polyester and cotton. Wool’s defence is premium and sustainability positioning. Superfine merino (16–18.5 μm) is used by Italian luxury suiting mills such as Loro Piana, Ermenegildo Zegna and Reda, and by high-end menswear brands such as Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli and Burberry. Fashion’s shift towards natural fiber, ESG requirements and regulatory pressure over microplastic pollution support wool demand among premium buyers. In mass-market apparel, however, synthetics remain dominant.

How to invest in wool

Wool has no public futures contract. Neither XTB nor eToro offers a direct wool CFD, because physical trade is based on Australian auctions through AWEX rather than a standardised exchange contract. For a European retail investor, wool exposure is therefore usually indirect, through shares in the premium apparel and luxury value chain. The most direct listed exposure is the Italian luxury knitwear company Brunello Cucinelli (BC.MI), whose business model is built on cashmere and superfine merino and is sensitive to wool-price movements. Burberry (BRBY.L) represents the British wool tradition, including gabardine and coat fabrics. LVMH (MC.PA) owns Loro Piana, a major merino-wool fabric producer. Two regulated brokers with English-language platforms:

30-day price history

Chart and daily closing prices

Wool (WOOL) 30-day price chart — USD, EUR, GBP

Daily close

30 trading days

Date Price (USD) Price (EUR) Price (GBP) Daily change
21 May 2026 US$1,880 €1,599 £1,401 ▲ +0.21%
14 May 2026 US$1,876 €1,595 £1,398 ▼ −0.53%
10 May 2026 US$1,886 €1,604 £1,406 ▼ −0.58%
4 May 2026 US$1,897 €1,613 £1,414 ▲ +0.11%
25 Apr 2026 US$1,895 €1,612 £1,412 ▲ +3.84%
20 Apr 2026 US$1,825 €1,552 £1,360 —

Wool FAQ

Why is there no wool futures contract? +
Global wool trading is conducted through auctions, mainly at the weekly AWEX (Australian Wool Exchange) sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle. The quality parameters of each lot — fibre diameter, staple length, clean yield and wool-grease content — vary so widely that a standardised exchange contract would not accurately reflect the physical market. Pricing is therefore negotiated at auction by micron category. The global benchmark is the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI), the weighted average price of weekly auction sales, quoted in Australian cents per kg of clean fibre.
What is the AWEX EMI? +
The Eastern Market Indicator is the weekly weighted average price published by the Australian Wool Exchange for sales of clean merino and crossbred wool at the eastern Australian auction centres of Sydney and Melbourne. The EMI is quoted in Australian cents / kg clean. “Clean” refers to fibre after scouring, with wool grease and impurities removed. It is treated as a reference price by the Reserve Bank of Australia, ABARES and the IWTO. A Western Market Indicator (WMI) also exists for the Fremantle auction.
What does micron count mean? +
The micron count measures the diameter of a wool fibre in micrometres. It directly determines quality and price. Superfine merino is usually 16–18.5 μm and is used in premium suiting fabrics, including by Loro Piana and Zegna, and in luxury knitwear such as Brunello Cucinelli. It commands a substantial premium. Fine wool of 19–22 μm is a general apparel grade. Above 23 μm, the fibre is typically used for carpet, upholstery and technical textiles. AWEX auction reports classify every lot by micron category, making it the market’s most important quality measure.
What is Australia’s share of the global wool market? +
According to ABARES and the IWTO, Australia produces about 25% of global apparel-grade wool output, or roughly 280 kt a year in clean fibre equivalent. In the fine merino premium segment, Australia is the market leader and close to a global monopoly. New Zealand is also a significant producer (~120 kt), but most of its clip is coarser carpet wool. China produces more wool overall (~360 kt), but its quality is mostly coarse fibre for carpet use and does not compete in the premium merino segment. The global apparel-wool market is about ~1.1 million tonnes in clean equivalent.
Why is China’s textile industry important for wool prices? +
The IWTO estimates that China absorbs about 75% of global apparel-wool imports for processing. Chinese spinning and weaving mills are the world’s main wool processors, and some European, including Italian and British, premium fabric producers use semi-finished yarn from China. The Chinese textile cycle, Chinese mill yarn inventories and the yuan/Australian dollar exchange rate are therefore the main short-term drivers of the EMI. When Chinese textile exports weaken or mill inventories fill up, buyers tend to wait at auctions and the EMI can fall quickly.
Why has polyester displaced wool? +
In the global textile-fibre market, polyester (PET) has a share of more than 50%, acrylic is significant, and wool accounts for only around 1%. Polyester and acrylic are direct substitutes for wool in carpets, upholstery textiles and entry-level clothing. They are cheaper, can be pre-dyed, are easier to mechanise and resist creasing better. Wool has lost the mass textile market. Its defence is premium and sustainability positioning: superfine merino is a raw material for luxury suiting fabrics and high-end menswear, where synthetic fibre is not a like-for-like substitute.
How does drought in Australia affect wool prices? +
The Australian sheep flock, especially in inland New South Wales and Victoria, is structurally sensitive to prolonged drought. When pasture deteriorates, farmers may be forced to cull animals, and the flock can remain smaller for years. Meat & Livestock Australia data also show that lamb-meat pricing matters. When lamb is relatively expensive compared with wool, farmers shift towards meat production, reducing wool supply. Both effects appear in the EMI with a lag, because rebuilding a flock takes several years. This makes wool-price cycles long and hard to reverse.
Which shares can provide exposure to wool? +
Because there is no direct wool CFD, a European retail investor can build exposure through individual shares in the premium apparel and luxury value chain. The most direct is Brunello Cucinelli (BC.MI), an Italian luxury knitwear company based on superfine merino and cashmere, with direct wool-price sensitivity through gross margins. LVMH (MC.PA) owns Loro Piana, a major merino-fabric producer, giving it a less direct but visible exposure. Burberry (BRBY.L) represents the British wool tradition, including gabardine and coat fabrics. In all three cases, company-specific risks — fashion trends, retail sales and Chinese luxury demand — have a major effect on share prices.

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Data sources: AWEX — Australian Wool Exchange (EMI Auction Reports) · International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) · ABARES — Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics · Meat & Livestock Australia — Sheep & Wool Markets