Cashmere Authentication: A B2B Buyer’s Field Guide to Verifying 100% Cashmere at Receiving

The single most common fraud in the cashmere industry in 2026 is the 100% cashmere claim that is actually a blend. The blend is usually 70% cashmere / 30% wool — a soft enough blend that the hand-feel is close to 100% cashmere, the price is meaningfully lower (the wool costs roughly 1/8 of cashmere), and the brand can sell it at the 100% cashmere retail price point with a meaningful margin lift. The blend is illegal under most consumer protection laws and the wool industry has been pushing for stronger enforcement, but the reality is that the fraud is widespread enough that a B2B buyer’s receiving QC is the only reliable line of defense.

This page is the field guide for the wholesale receiving team. It covers the 6 most common authentication methods, what each one catches, what each one misses, and how to combine them in a 30-minute receiving inspection. The methods are ordered from cheapest and fastest to most expensive and most accurate; the recommended workflow is to run the cheap methods first, escalate to the expensive methods only when the cheap methods give a suspicious signal.

The methods are not proprietary — every QC textbook for protein fibers covers the same set. The difference is doing all 6, in the right order, with the right documentation.

1. Method 1: The hand-feel test (free, 30 seconds)

The hand-feel test is the cheapest and the most subjective. A trained grader can tell a 100% cashmere garment from a 70/30 cashmere/wool blend in about 30 seconds, but the training is significant — typically 10+ years of working with cashmere yarn daily. The grader does not need a lab; the grader needs the experience.

What it catches:

Coarse wool blends (a 50/50 cashmere/wool feels distinctly woolly)
Synthetic blends (polyester, acrylic — these have a plastic feel)
Over-processed cashmere (cashmere that has been chemically treated to feel softer than it actually is, which is a sign of a low-grade fiber)

What it misses:

70/30 or 80/20 cashmere/wool blends (these are too close to 100% cashmere for hand-feel to reliably detect)
Cashmere/yak blends (yak is closer to cashmere in hand-feel than wool is)
Reclaimed cashmere (recycled cashmere fiber, which has been broken down and re-spun, feels different but is still 100% cashmere)

For a B2B receiving team that does not have a trained grader on staff, the hand-feel test is a useful first-pass check. If the hand-feel raises a flag, escalate to Method 2. If the hand-feel is positive, do not conclude that the garment is 100% cashmere — escalate to Method 2 anyway, because the hand-feel is not a definitive test.

2. Method 2: The visual inspection (free, 2-3 minutes per piece)

The visual inspection is also free but is more objective than the hand-feel. The 5 things to look for:

Fiber length. Cashmere fibers are typically 32-40mm. Reclaimed cashmere is shorter (15-25mm) and more variable. Pull a few fibers from an inconspicuous seam and measure the length. If the length is consistently 32-40mm, the fiber is virgin cashmere. If the length is short or variable, the fiber is reclaimed or blended.

Fiber diameter distribution. A true 100% cashmere garment will have a small percentage of guard hairs (the coarse outer fibers that the dehairing process removes imperfectly). The guard hairs are 25-30µm, vs the 14-16µm of the undercoat. The guard hairs are visible as occasional thicker fibers. A blend with wool will have a much higher percentage of thick fibers, and the thick fibers will be more uniform (wool is more uniform in diameter than cashmere guard hairs).

Color uniformity. A 100% cashmere garment will have very subtle color variation across the surface (because the natural fiber color is slightly variable). A blend with wool will have more uniform color (because wool is more uniform in dye uptake). This is a subtle signal and a trained grader can detect it; an untrained buyer probably cannot.

Weave or knit density. Cashmere is typically woven or knitted at a tighter density than wool blends. The visual density of a 100% cashmere garment is slightly higher than a 70/30 cashmere/wool blend at the same gauge. This is a small signal and a trained grader can detect it.

Label consistency. The 100% cashmere label should be consistent with the rest of the garment’s labeling. If the brand label says 100% cashmere but the country-of-origin label says something different, that is a red flag.

The visual inspection takes 2-3 minutes per piece. For a 5,000-piece PO, a 2-person team can inspect 100-150 pieces per day. The inspection is worth the time, but it is not a definitive test.

3. Method 3: The burn test (free, 5 minutes per fiber sample)

The burn test is the oldest cashmere authentication method. The procedure:

Pull 5-10 fibers from an inconspicuous seam.
Hold the fibers with tweezers.
Light the fibers with a match or lighter.
Observe the burn behavior.

What cashmere does when burned:

Curls away from the flame
Smells like burning hair (the sulfur in the protein)
Burns slowly, with a self-extinguishing behavior
Leaves a black, brittle ash that crushes easily between the fingers

What wool does when burned:

Curls away from the flame
Smells like burning hair (wool is also a protein fiber)
Burns slowly, with a self-extinguishing behavior
Leaves a black, brittle ash that crushes easily between the fingers

What cashmere and wool have in common: the burn behavior is identical. The burn test cannot distinguish cashmere from wool.

What synthetic fibers do when burned:

Melts (does not burn)
Smells like plastic or chemicals
Leaves a hard, plastic bead

The burn test catches synthetic blends. It does not catch wool blends. So the burn test is useful for ruling out polyester / acrylic / nylon blends, but it is not useful for the 70/30 cashmere/wool fraud that is the most common in 2026.

For the burn test, the procedure takes 5 minutes per fiber sample. A receiving team can run 10-20 samples per hour. If a sample burns with a plastic smell, escalate to Method 4 immediately. If a sample burns like a protein fiber, escalate to Method 4 anyway, because the burn test does not rule out wool blends.

4. Method 4: The microscope test (~$50, 10 minutes per fiber sample)

The microscope test is the cheapest laboratory method. A 100x to 400x stereo microscope is sufficient. The procedure:

Mount 5-10 fibers on a glass slide.
Examine under 100x magnification.
Observe the fiber surface.

What cashmere fibers look like under the microscope:

Smooth, with very fine surface scales (the cuticle)
The scales are barely visible at 100x, more visible at 400x
The fibers are slightly variable in diameter along their length (cashmere is a natural fiber with subtle diameter variation)

What wool fibers look like under the microscope:

Larger, more pronounced surface scales
The scales are clearly visible at 100x
The fibers are more uniform in diameter

What synthetic fibers look like under the microscope:

Smooth, with no surface scales
The fibers are perfectly uniform in diameter
Often have a characteristic shape (round, trilobal, etc.)

The microscope test catches wool blends and synthetic blends. It does not catch yak blends (yak is similar to cashmere in surface scale structure). The microscope test takes 10 minutes per fiber sample, plus the cost of the microscope (a used 100x stereo microscope can be purchased for $50-200). For a B2B receiving team, a 100x stereo microscope is a reasonable investment.

If the microscope test raises a flag, escalate to Method 5. If the microscope test is positive (the fibers look like cashmere), escalate to Method 5 anyway, because the microscope does not rule out yak blends and does not give a quantitative measurement.

5. Method 5: The chemical dissolution test ($150-300 per sample, 2-3 days)

The chemical dissolution test is the standard ISO method for fiber identification. The procedure:

Take a small fiber sample (typically 1-2g).
Dissolve the sample in a series of solvents (acetone, then sulfuric acid, then sodium hypochlorite).
Each solvent dissolves a specific fiber type and not others.
The remaining fiber after each dissolution is weighed, giving a quantitative breakdown of the fiber composition.

The chemical dissolution test catches all common blends: wool, yak, synthetic, and any combination. It is the most reliable test in this list, and the one that B2B buyers should use for the first PO from a new mill and for any PO where the hand-feel or microscope test raises a flag.

The cost is $150-300 per sample, and the turnaround is 2-3 business days at an ISO 17025 lab. For a B2B receiving team, the standard practice is:

1 sample per colorway per size for any PO above $5,000
1 sample per dye lot for any PO above $20,000
1 sample per production batch for any PO above $50,000

For the 8,000-piece hotel case study referenced in our 2026 program retrospective, the chemical dissolution test was run on 12 samples (6 colorways × 2 batches) at $200 per sample = $2,400 total. The 12 samples all came back as 100% cashmere. The $2,400 was a small percentage of the program cost and was the highest-leverage QC investment in the program.

6. Method 6: The laser micron test ($150-300 per sample, 2-3 days)

The laser micron test is the quantitative test for fiber diameter. The procedure:

Take a small fiber sample (typically 0.5-1g).
The lab prepares a fiber snippet and measures the diameter using laser diffraction.
The lab reports a mean diameter, a standard deviation, and a distribution.

For 100% cashmere, the expected mean is 14-16.5µm with a standard deviation under 4µm. Anything outside this range is a red flag.

The laser micron test catches most blends (wool is typically 20-25µm, yak is 16-19µm, synthetic is variable but usually not in the cashmere range). It is the most quantitative method, and the one that B2B buyers should use for any program that is targeting the premium cashmere market (where the 14-15.5µm grade is the standard).

The cost is $150-300 per sample, and the turnaround is 2-3 business days. For a B2B receiving team, the standard practice is to combine the chemical dissolution test and the laser micron test into a single QC submission. Most ISO 17025 labs offer both tests, and the combined cost is $250-450 per sample with a 3-5 business day turnaround.

7. The recommended receiving workflow

For a B2B cashmere receiving team, the recommended workflow is:

Hand-feel test on 10% of the shipment. If a single piece raises a flag, escalate that piece to Method 2.
Visual inspection on the 10% sample. If a single piece raises a flag, escalate that piece to Method 3.
Burn test on 1% of the shipment. If a single sample burns with a plastic smell, escalate to Method 5 (chemical dissolution) to confirm the synthetic content.
Microscope test on 1% of the shipment. If a single sample shows clear wool scales, escalate to Method 5.
Chemical dissolution + laser micron on 1 sample per colorway per size. This is the definitive test; if the first 1-2 samples pass, the rest of the lot is likely fine.

The total cost of this workflow, for a 5,000-piece PO with 6 colorways and 4 sizes, is:

Hand-feel: 30 minutes per receiving specialist × 2 specialists × 0.5 days = 1 person-day. Cost: $200-400 in labor.
Visual: 2-3 minutes per piece × 500 pieces = 16-25 hours. Cost: $400-600 in labor.
Burn: 5 minutes per sample × 50 samples = 4 hours. Cost: $100-200 in labor.
Microscope: 10 minutes per sample × 50 samples = 8 hours. Cost: $200-400 in labor.
Chemical dissolution + laser micron: $300-450 per sample × 24 samples = $7,200-10,800.

Total: roughly $8,200-12,400 per 5,000-piece PO. This is 1-2% of the typical PO value, and it is the most cost-effective QC investment a B2B cashmere buyer can make.

8. The documentation that should accompany every test

For every test result, the B2B receiving team should keep a documentation record that includes:

The lot number and dye lot
The colorway
The size
The piece number (if a specific piece was tested)
The test method
The test result
The lab name and certification number
The test date

This documentation is the QC traceability chain that the brand can show to a consumer, a regulator, or a customs broker. It is also the documentation that the brand can use to escalate a quality issue to the mill, with the test results as the basis for the conversation.

The documentation should be kept for at least 5 years (the typical consumer warranty window for cashmere garments). For programs with longer warranties (some European luxury brands offer 10-year warranties), the documentation should be kept for the warranty period.

9. What the test results actually mean

For a 100% cashmere claim, the expected test results are:

Hand-feel: soft, with no woolly or plastic feel
Visual: subtle color variation, occasional guard hairs, tight density
Burn: protein fiber burn (smells like hair, self-extinguishing, black brittle ash)
Microscope: smooth surface with fine scales
Chemical dissolution: 100% cashmere (no residual fiber after the cashmere-specific dissolution)
Laser micron: 14-16.5µm mean, <4µm standard deviation

For a 70/30 cashmere/wool blend:

Hand-feel: slightly woolly, with reduced softness
Visual: more uniform color, more uniform fiber diameter, less density
Burn: protein fiber burn (cannot distinguish)
Microscope: clear wool scales
Chemical dissolution: ~70% cashmere, ~30% wool
Laser micron: 17-22µm mean (the wool pulls the average up)

For a 50/50 cashmere/wool blend:

Hand-feel: distinctly woolly
Visual: very uniform, very dense wool appearance
Burn: protein fiber burn
Microscope: very clear wool scales
Chemical dissolution: ~50% cashmere, ~50% wool
Laser micron: 19-24µm mean

For a synthetic blend (e.g. 70% cashmere / 30% polyester):

Hand-feel: plastic or synthetic feel
Visual: very uniform, sometimes with a sheen
Burn: melts, smells like plastic, leaves a hard bead
Microscope: smooth, perfectly uniform diameter
Chemical dissolution: ~70% cashmere, ~30% synthetic
Laser micron: 14-18µm mean (synthetic fiber can be made at any diameter)

For a yak blend (e.g. 80% cashmere / 20% yak):

Hand-feel: close to 100% cashmere
Visual: subtle differences only
Burn: protein fiber burn
Microscope: close to cashmere
Chemical dissolution: 80% cashmere, 20% yak
Laser micron: 15-17µm mean (yak is slightly thicker than cashmere)

10. The escalation protocol

If any of the 6 tests gives a suspicious signal, the escalation protocol is:

Confirm with a second test. Run the same test on a different sample from the same piece, or a different piece from the same lot. If the second test confirms the first, escalate.
Run Method 5 or 6. The chemical dissolution test and the laser micron test are the definitive tests. Run one or both.
Quarantine the lot. The lot should be held in a separate warehouse area, not mixed with the passing inventory. The cost of the quarantine is the cost of a few days of warehouse space.
Contact the mill. Provide the test results and the documentation. The mill’s response window is typically 5-7 business days for an investigation, and 14-30 days for a resolution.
Resolve. The resolution is typically one of: a re-do of the lot at the mill’s cost, a credit for the lot, or a renegotiation of the price. The brand should not accept a “the test is wrong” response — the mill’s response should be based on the mill’s own testing of the same lot.

The escalation protocol is slow. A typical escalation takes 30-45 days from the first suspicious signal to the resolution. This is why the receiving workflow matters — the first 4 methods (hand-feel, visual, burn, microscope) are all done at the receiving warehouse, and the suspicious signal is caught within 1-2 days of the lot arrival. The lab tests (chemical dissolution, laser micron) take 2-3 business days, and the mill’s investigation takes 5-7 business days. The total is 8-12 days for a fast escalation, or 30-45 days for a full escalation with a re-do or a credit.

11. The 5 takeaways

For a B2B cashmere receiving team, the 5 takeaways from this field guide:

1. The hand-feel and visual tests are not enough. They catch obvious blends, but not the 70/30 cashmere/wool fraud that is the most common in 2026. The chemical dissolution test is the only reliable test for the 70/30 blend.

2. The burn test catches synthetic blends but not wool blends. Do not use the burn test as a definitive test. It is a useful first-pass test for synthetic content, but it does not replace the chemical dissolution test.

3. The microscope test is a useful first-pass test for wool blends. It catches obvious wool blends, but not the 70/30 blend. Escalate to the chemical dissolution test if the microscope is suspicious.

4. The chemical dissolution test and the laser micron test are the definitive tests. A B2B receiving team should run both, on 1 sample per colorway per size, for any PO above $5,000.

5. The QC cost is 1-2% of the PO value. The 1-2% is the most cost-effective insurance a B2B cashmere buyer can buy. Skipping the QC is a false economy.

For a 30-60 minute conversation about your own receiving QC program, we are happy to walk through the test methods, the cost, and the documentation. The recommended workflow for a 5,000-piece program is $8,000-12,000 in QC cost, which is roughly 1-2% of the typical PO value.