Wool Bale - Wool Packs

Wool Packs

Packaging of wool has not changed much for centuries except that the early wool packs were made from jute, prior to the use of synthetic fibres. Jute packs were relatively heavy, weighing several kilograms each. In the 1960s polypropylene and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packs were manufactured and used to make wool bales. Loose fibres from these packs caused contamination of the wool in the bale and led to nylon becoming the regulation fabric used in Australia, In South Africa woven paper was tested but discontinued in 1973 due to poor wet strength and high cost. Regulation standard white nylon packs now have a 280 mm label sewn onto the top flap of the wool pack for inclusion of the farm brand, wool description, bale number, woolclasser stencil number and bin code. Each bale of wool packs contains 50 packs that measure 70 x 70 x 98cm and have 46cm flaps.