Price difference caused by raw material cost of knitted sweaters

2026-08-17 12:03:49

Raw materials are the core of the cost of knitted sweaters, accounting for over 60% of the total cost. The price difference of fibers of different materials and grades can vary by tens of times, which is the main reason for widening the price gap.

1. Material category: from synthetic fiber to cashmere, with a price difference of tens of times

The raw materials for knitted sweaters on the market are roughly divided into four levels, corresponding to completely different cost levels:

Low price synthetic fiber models: mainly made of synthetic fibers such as acrylic and polyester, with extremely low cost and a hand feel that can imitate the texture of wool, but they are not breathable, prone to static electricity, and have poor warmth retention. They are the core materials for low-priced sweaters priced at tens of yuan;

Entry level wool style: ordinary coarse wool, with a cost 3-5 times that of synthetic fibers, has the warmth and breathability of natural wool, but the fibers are thicker and easy to tie when close to the body;

Mid to high end fine wool products: Made from fine wool materials such as Merino wool and sheep wool, the fiber fineness is much better than ordinary wool, with a soft and skin friendly feel, and the cost is 2-3 times that of ordinary wool;

High end cashmere style: Goat cashmere is known as the "soft gold", with scarce production and high collection costs. The unit price of raw materials is more than ten times that of ordinary wool, making it the core material for high-end sweaters priced over a thousand yuan.

2. Fiber grade: fineness, length, purity, each corresponding to cost

Also known as' pure wool ', the price can vary several times, with the core difference being in the fiber grade:

Fiber fineness: The industry uses "count" to measure fiber thickness. The higher the count, the finer the fiber, the softer the feel, and the higher the cost. The difference in raw material prices between regular coarse wool and ultra-fine Merino is more than three times;

Fiber length: Long fiber raw materials are evenly and smoothly woven, making sweaters less prone to pilling and long-lasting in shape; Short fibers, shed hair, and regenerated hair are inexpensive, but the fibers are short, prone to shedding hair and pilling, resulting in significant differences in quality;

Purity ratio: The cost of 100% pure wool and "wool blend" is vastly different. Some low-priced products claim to be "wool blended", but the actual wool proportion is less than 10%. Essentially, they are still synthetic sweaters with extremely low costs.