Cashmere and merino are the two fibres most people compare when they want a fine sweater. They are both natural, both warm, both much softer than ordinary wool. They are also different enough that one is usually the right choice and the other is not. Here is the comparison, point by point.
What each fibre is
Merino is sheep's wool from the merino breed, raised mostly in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The fibres are 17 to 24 microns thick depending on grade; "superfine" and "ultrafine" merino are at the lower end. Cashmere is the down undercoat of the cashmere goat, combed out once a year, mostly in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. The fibres are 14 to 19 microns, with Mongolian cashmere typically at 15 to 16.
Softness
Cashmere is softer. Partly because the fibres are finer, partly because they have fewer surface scales than sheep's wool, so there is less to catch on skin. Superfine merino is close, and some people cannot tell the two apart on the forearm. On the neck, most people can.
Warmth
Cashmere is warmer for its weight, by a clear margin. A cashmere sweater at 300 grams keeps you as warm as a merino sweater that weighs noticeably more. Merino, though, handles sweat better: it absorbs moisture and keeps insulating when damp, which is why it is the fibre for base layers, hiking and sport. Cashmere is for a heated room, an office, a cold car, a walk. Not for a run.
Durability
Merino lasts longer. The fibre is more elastic, so a merino sweater keeps its shape at the elbows and cuffs for years, and it stands up to more frequent washing. Cashmere stretches more slowly and recovers more slowly, and the fibre is more delicate. A well-made cashmere sweater that is washed properly and folded lasts ten years and more; a merino sweater will forgive more mistakes along the way.
Pilling
Both pill. Cashmere pills more in the first few wears, then settles. Merino pills less at first and more steadily. In both cases the fix is a fine-toothed comb, and in both cases long-fibre yarn pills less than short-fibre yarn; see our care guide for the routine.
Price
Merino is cheaper, usually by a factor of two to four for an equivalent sweater. A merino sheep gives several kilograms of wool a year; a cashmere goat gives about 150 grams of usable down. That difference is in the price, and it is not going away.
Which to buy
- For warmth without weight, softness on bare skin, and a piece you will look after: cashmere.
- For daily hard wear, travel, sport, or a sweater that goes in the machine every week: merino.
- For a third option: yak down, which sits between the two. Softer and warmer than merino, denser and less pilling than cashmere, and only in natural brown. Our yak wool guide explains it.
About blends
Merino-cashmere blends exist and are a fair compromise: usually 70 to 90% merino with cashmere added for softness. Read the percentage. A blend with 10% cashmere feels like merino with a slightly softer hand; it does not feel like cashmere.
We sell only pure fibres, 100% cashmere or 100% yak wool, all knitted in Mongolia, so the label tells you exactly what you are getting. If cashmere is the answer, the Pine roll-neck and the Kherlen crew-neck are the two most straightforward pieces in the women's collection; for men, the Orkhon crew-neck is thin enough to go under a jacket.