Around 85% of Australian wool is sold through the auction system. Auctions, which are overseen and regulated by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), allow wool to be presented in a consistent manner to buyers, facilitating straight-forward but competitive sales. Prior to sale, a representative “grab sample” of each lot is displayed on the show floor along with its core test results and additional measurements (e.g. chemical residue).

Core tests objectively measure the most important wool characteristics, namely fibre diameter, staple length, staple strength, yield, vegetable matter content and colour. These test results are available for all Australian wool sold at auction.

Some wool companies have their own wool description or typing systems; however, since July 1995 Australia has used a common product description called the Australian Wool Exchange Industry Description (AWEX ID).

The AWEX ID is a system of visually assessing the attributes of a bale or line of wool to a standardised description. For wool sold at auction in Australia, the AWEX ID is used to supplement information that may be provided by objective measurements. Thus, when wool attributes have not been measured (e.g. staple length and staple strength or colour) or when objective measurements are not available additional visual indicators are available. To review the AWEX ID descriptors visit: AWEX ID

The prime codes used in the AWEX ID system represent the general characteristics of the wool, i.e. Breed (Australian Superfine, Merino, Crossbred, Downs and Carpet) in combination with the Wool Category (Fleece, Pieces, Bellies, Locks and Crutchings) Style (ranging from Choice and Superior through to Average and Inferior) and Vegetable Matter Type (Burr, Seed, Shive, Noogoora/Ring, Bathurst Burr and Bogan Flea).

Therefore  a major advantage in sourcing Australian Merino wool is that it is clearly described using both objective measurements and a standardised visual appraisal system. This combination provides buyers with information to help assess its suitability for it’s intended purpose - “fit for purpose”.