Alpaca Fibres
Zoological information, Habitat and Fibre production
- Alpacas are domesticated animals and unlike Vicuña they are pretty friendly and peaceful.
- The Scientific name of alpaca is Vicuña pacos, and they belong to the family of camelids.
- The average lifespan it holds is of 15-20 years.
- They are native to the high Andes mountains, living at high altitudes and in temperate regions in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
- Among these countries, Peru holds the majority of the world trade for producing alpaca hair.
- The amount of fibre obtained per animal is around 3-5 kg as it produces single coated fleece.
- The annual production of alpaca hair fibres was of 4000-6500 tons during the year 2015.
- In a year, alpaca can produce 4-5 times more hair than a cashmere or pashmina goat.
Types of Alpaca fibres
- Huacaya and Suri are the two breeds of Alpaca, and each produces different fibres, and the cross breeds of these two species are known as Huarizo and Misti.
- Approximately, there are 3 million alpacas worldwide with 94% living in South America. The worldwide population of the alpacas is made up of 93% huacaya alpaca & 7% suri alpaca.
- The Huacaya breed produces a full coat that appears round, wooly, crimped, short, and dense.
- The Suri breed offers hair like long and straight dreadlocks, which is rare and carries excellent lustre.
- Therefore, they are sought after in many markets and are expensive.
- The huacaya fibres possess greater tensile strength and elongation at break property as compared to the suri fibres.
- Since the Huacaya fibres are naturally crimped, they are elastic, thus are preferred over suri fibres for knitting.
Table 1. Physical & mechanical properties and chemical composition of areca nut fibres
Physical & Mechanical properties [2,3]
Fibre Length
200-550 mm
Diameter
20-36 µm
Linear density
0.802 tex
Elongation at break
45%
Breaking strength
11.2 cN
Tenacity
14.23 cN/tex
Chemical composition [4]
Grease
1-3%
Dust/Vegetable matter
3-10%
Yield
87-94%
Suint
1%
Features of fibre
- The alpaca hair is lighter in weight, provides better insulation, higher pilling resistance and is soft and durable.
- It is naturally water repellent.
- It is flame resistant and odour resistant.
- It is finer than cashmere, warmer than goose down fibres, softer than cotton, smoother than silk, and more breathable than the other fibre-knitted fabrics.
- The alpaca hair fleece comes in more than 22 natural colours and huacaya alone can provide with 8 different natural coloured hair fibres.
- It wicks moisture away and resists piling thus, making it suitable for wearing in all seasons.
Uses
- It is preferably used to produce knitwear due to its outstanding natural properties.
- Also, woven products include clothing accessories like shawls, stoles, rugs, etc.
- It is blended with other fibres like wool, cotton, and silk to create a wider range of fabrics and other products.
- The garments such as sportswear, winterwear and other fashion garments are made out of alpaca hair are reigning over different American and European fashion markets.
