Wool Bale Definition | Apparel Search

A wool bale is a standard sized nylon wool pack of wool compressed by the mechanical means of a wool press — the regulation required method of packaging for wool, to keep it uncontaminated and readily identifiable. A bale of wool is also the term of reference for a container of raw wool, much in the same way that a gallon of oil is the term of reference for crude oil.

A wool bale is a standard sized nylon wool pack of wool compressed by the mechanical means of a wool press. This is the regulation required method of packaging for wool, to keep it uncontaminated and readily identifiable. A "bale of wool" is also the term of reference for a container of raw wool, much in the same way that "gallon of oil" is the term of reference for crude oil.

Wool has been pressed into bales for many years and has been transported by camel, horse or bullock wagons, rail, boats and later by trucks.

The early wool packs were made from jute, prior to polyethylene being introduced. Loose fibers from these packs caused contamination of the wool in the bale and then nylon became the standard.

The wool presser takes the wool from the wool bin and presses it into wool bales. Very early wool presses were primitive affairs made from wood boards and had a wire winch mechanism to compress the wool and also hollow logs where the wool was tramped into a pack. During the late 1800's various forms of the Koertz wooden wool press became the standard. There were also the steel Ajax wool presses, too. Nowadays power operated, self pinning wool presses with inbuilt scales have made a major contribution to shearing shed productivity.

It takes about 60 skirted fleeces to fill a wool bale, depending on the size and age of the sheep. The presser closes the bale with eight metal bale fasteners, before weighing the bale, if the press does not have an inbuilt scale. Bales should weigh between 110 kg and 204 kg, unless the wool is under 18.6 microns, in which case they may be a minimum gross weight of 90 kg. The presser is respondsible for completing the wool book and then branding the bale with the owner's brand, contents description, number and wool classer ID.

After the wool is sold at auction bales are usually dumped i.e. pressed to a higher density, still in the original wool pack, for shipment to overseas mills. Three bales that have been dumped and tied with a metal band are known as a tri pack.

From Jute Packs to Nylon and Power Presses

Wool has been pressed into bales for many years and transported by camel, horse or bullock wagons, rail, boats and later by trucks. The early wool packs were made from jute, prior to polyethylene being introduced; loose fibers from these packs caused contamination of the wool in the bale, and then nylon became the standard pack material. The pressing machinery evolved alongside: very early wool presses were primitive affairs made from wood boards with a wire winch mechanism to compress the wool, and hollow logs where the wool was tramped into a pack. During the late 1800s various forms of the Koertz wooden wool press became the standard, alongside the steel Ajax wool presses; nowadays power operated, self pinning wool presses with inbuilt scales have made a major contribution to shearing shed productivity. The wool presser takes the wool from the wool bin and presses it into the bales, working to the pace of the shearing team.

Why the Bale Is a Unit of Trade

Standardisation is the bale's real function. A buyer on another continent can bid on a bale by its brand, contents description, number and wool classer ID, confident of its weight range, its fastenings and its freedom from pack-fiber contamination — the bale turns a variable farm product into a tradable lot. The references behind the practice are the standard wool texts: Sheep Management and Wool Technology by J B D'Arcy (1986), The Shedhand's Manual by Rosalind Martel (1989), and Cottle's Australian Sheep and Wool Handbook (1991). From the shearing shed floor to the dumped tri pack on a ship, every step recorded on this page exists so that greasy wool can be classed, pressed, sold, shipped and milled with its identity intact.

Common Questions

How much wool goes into a bale?

It takes about 60 skirted fleeces to fill a wool bale, depending on the size and age of the sheep. Bales should weigh between 110 kg and 204 kg, unless the wool is under 18.6 microns, in which case they may be a minimum gross weight of 90 kg.

How is a bale finished and identified?

The presser closes the bale with eight metal bale fasteners, before weighing the bale if the press does not have an inbuilt scale, completes the wool book, and brands the bale with the owner's brand, contents description, number and wool classer ID.

What happens to bales after auction?

After the wool is sold at auction, bales are usually dumped — pressed to a higher density, still in the pack — for shipment to overseas mills. Three bales that have been dumped and tied with a metal band are known as a tri pack.

Wool Bale