Wool is a keratinous type protein base staple fiber. Keratin fibers are sub-divided into three categories, viz.

(1) Wool fibers which are grown by sheep. (2) Hair fibers which are grown by animals other than sheep. (3) Fur fibers which are grown by rabbit, mink, etc. Wool comprises about 33% keratin, 26% dirt, 26% suint (usually salts of sodium, potassium or fatty acids), 10% wool fats, and 5% mineral impurities. Keratin consists of more than 20 different types of amino acids. Wool is the protective gown of sheep. Sheep live in many parts of the world and varieties can be adapted to practically any climate. Australia produces nearly 1/3 of wool produced in the world, stands first in the production and export of raw wool, and there are as many as 152 million sheep which is about 12 times the total human population. The average yield of raw wool per year per sheep in most of the countries is about 2-5 kg. In spite of having about 4.3% of the sheep population, India produces only about 1.2% of wool produced in the world. This is due to low yield of wool by the Indian sheep.