Alpaca Rugs: How the Fibre Compares to Wool
Alpaca is softer and warmer than most rug wool and carries almost no lanolin, but it has less crimp, so a pile of alpaca springs back more slowly. In the Gulf it suits air conditioned rooms, where its warmth is welcome and traffic is light.
In short
- Alpaca fibre comes from the alpaca, a relative of the llama, and it is smooth, soft and warm with very little natural grease.
- Compared with wool, alpaca feels softer and warmer but has less crimp, so an alpaca pile recovers from pressure more slowly.
- Compared with cashmere, alpaca is usually a little thicker and smoother, with more sheen, while cashmere feels finer and more matt.
- Rugberry makes alpaca to your measure as Alpaca Bloom, hand knotted, and in stock sizes offers the Cashmere Blend Rug and the Plush Wool Rug for softness and warmth.
What is alpaca fibre?
Alpaca fibre is the fleece of the alpaca, a camelid related to the llama. It is sheared like sheep's wool and spun into yarn for knitwear, blankets and, more rarely, rugs.
The fibre is smooth, with low scales, and many alpaca fibres have a partly hollow core. That core traps air, which is why alpaca feels warm for its weight. The Alpaca collection shows it in a rug.
How does alpaca compare with wool?
Alpaca is softer, smoother and warmer than wool, while wool is springier and easier to look after. The differences come from three features of the fibre.
- Less grease. Alpaca has very little lanolin, so it feels clean and dry, but it lacks the slight resistance to soiling that wool gets from its natural oils.
- Less crimp. Wool's fine waviness makes it bounce back. Alpaca is straighter, so a pile can stay pressed for longer after furniture is moved.
- Smoother scales. Alpaca prickles less on skin and has a gentle sheen, while wool reads more matt.
For a living room that sees daily feet and furniture, choose wool over alpaca, because wool's crimp keeps the pile even for longer.
How does alpaca compare with cashmere?
Alpaca and cashmere are both soft speciality fibres, but cashmere is generally finer and alpaca a little smoother and shinier. Cashmere feels like a dense, matt velvet, while alpaca has a slipperier, silkier hand.
In rugs both are usually blended with wool for strength, because neither has the crimp to hold a pile upright on its own for years. The table puts the three side by side.
| Wool | Alpaca | Cashmere | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Softness | Soft with body | Very soft, smooth | Very soft, fine |
| Warmth | Warm | Very warm for its weight | Very warm |
| Spring after pressure | High | Lower | Lower |
| Natural grease | Lanolin present | Very little | Little |
| Sheen | Matt | Gentle sheen | Soft, matt |
Alpaca trades a little spring for a lot of softness and warmth. Choose the room before the fibre.
Does an alpaca rug suit a hot climate?
An alpaca rug suits cool, air conditioned rooms, and is a poor match for hot, open ones. In a Gulf summer, a warm fibre underfoot on a shaded terrace or in a room without air conditioning simply feels heavy.
Alpaca does take up some moisture from humid air, as wool does, but with little natural grease it can feel damp to the touch sooner in humid coastal air. Good airflow and a dry floor help.
It is a better fit in a bedroom or a study kept cool all year, or a home in a cooler climate. Because alpaca has little lanolin, humid weeks also call for prompt blotting of spills and good airing.
How do you look after an alpaca rug?
Look after it much as you would a fine wool, with extra care over spills. Vacuum on suction only, without a rotating brush, which can fuzz a smooth fibre.
- Blot spills at once with a dry cloth, since alpaca has little natural grease to slow a stain.
- Lift furniture feet with cups, as an alpaca pile recovers slowly from heavy dents.
- Turn the rug every few months so sunlight and wear spread evenly.
What can you choose from Rugberry?
Rugberry makes alpaca to measure, and two stock lines give much of the same softness and warmth in ready sizes.
Alpaca Bloom is hand knotted in alpaca, weightless and warm and noticeably softer than wool, about 16 to 18 mm thick, made entirely to your measure in any size and colour. The Cashmere Blend Rug in taupe is handloom woven in wool and cashmere, fine, dense and very soft underfoot, from AED 4,900 in 5x8 ft (150x240 cm). The Plush Wool Rug in wheat is handloom New Zealand wool with a deep, quiet pile, warm in tone and in feel, from AED 3,400. For an even, everyday softness, the hand tufted Ivory Wool Rug holds its shape well.
Before ordering Alpaca Bloom for a specific room, order a 1x1 ft (30x30 cm) swatch for AED 200 and feel it underfoot. Our post on the softest rug fibres compares more options.
Frequently asked questions
Is alpaca warmer than wool?
Yes, alpaca is generally warmer for its weight because many of its fibres have a partly hollow core that traps air. In a rug that warmth suits cool or air conditioned rooms more than hot ones.
Is alpaca good for people who find wool itchy?
Alpaca is smoother and has very little lanolin, so many people find it gentler on skin than coarse wool. On a floor the difference matters most where you sit or lie on the rug.
Does Rugberry sell alpaca rugs?
Yes. Rugberry makes Alpaca Bloom, a hand knotted alpaca rug, entirely to your measure. A 1x1 ft (30x30 cm) swatch is AED 200.
Choose warmth for cool rooms and spring for busy ones. Material first.
