What Percentage Wool Should a Coat Be? How to Read the Label
Published October 2026. Written by The Platinum Tailor, a family tailoring business making wool overcoats since 2012.
Quick answer
For a winter coat, wool should be the main fibre. Around 60% wool or more gives you real wool warmth and feel, 70 to 80% is very good, and 100% wool is the best for longevity. Below 50%, the coat is mostly synthetic and will feel and age like it. Be especially wary of coats called "wool look" or "wool feel", which can contain little or no wool. The other fibres in a blend are not automatically bad: polyester and nylon add strength and shape, cashmere adds softness, while acrylic is usually just a cheap stand-in for wool.
Every common blend, explained
| Wool content | Warmth | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| 100% wool | Excellent | The gold standard. Warm, breathable, lasts decades with care. Usually the most expensive |
| 80 to 90% wool | Excellent | Feels and performs almost exactly like pure wool. Often blended with cashmere or nylon |
| 60 to 75% wool | Very good | Wool still does the insulating. The rest adds shape and lowers the price. Good value |
| 50% wool | Fair | The tipping point. Noticeably less warm and more synthetic in feel |
| 20 to 40% wool | Low | Mostly synthetic. Often pills and loses shape within a season or two |
| "Wool look" or "wool feel" | Poor | Can be 0 to 10% wool. Check the label, not the name |
What the other fibres in a coat actually do
| Fibre | Why it is added | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Polyester | Strength, crease resistance, holds shape, lowers cost | Less breathable. More of it means more risk of pilling |
| Nylon / polyamide | Very strong, resists abrasion at cuffs and pockets | Synthetic feel in large amounts |
| Acrylic | Cheap, looks fluffy like wool | Poor warmth, pills badly. The one to avoid |
| Viscose | Softness and drape | Weak when wet, can pill |
| Cashmere | Softness and a little extra warmth | Expensive, delicate in high amounts |
| Alpaca, mohair | Warmth, lustre, softness | Price, can be hairy |
On pilling: textile research has found that the more polyester in a wool blend, the more it tends to pill, although good finishing and a dense weave reduce it a lot. A study summarised by Fibre2Fashion found pilling increased with polyester content and that finer yarns pilled less. A tightly woven overcoat cloth pills far less than a loose knit.
How to read a coat label in ten seconds
- Find the care label, usually sewn into the inside left seam or the lining. In the UK, clothes must list their fibre content by law.
- Look at the outer or shell line, not the lining. A label might read "Shell: 70% wool, 25% polyester, 5% cashmere. Lining: 100% polyester." Only the shell matters for warmth.
- Check wool is listed first and at 50% or more. Fibres are listed largest first.
- Note any acrylic. A coat with a lot of acrylic will not be warm for long.
- Ignore the marketing name. "Wool rich", "wool touch" and "wool look" are not regulated in the same way as the percentages.
Virgin wool, new wool and recycled wool
Virgin or new wool means the fibre has not been used in a garment before. The fibres are long and strong. Recycled wool is made by breaking down old wool garments or offcuts. It is a more sustainable choice, but the fibres are shorter, so recycled wool cloth can be less durable and is often blended with nylon or polyester to compensate. Neither is wrong, as long as you know what you are buying.
Is 70% wool good enough?
Yes, for most people. All of our wool overcoats are 70% wool, 25% polyester and 5% cashmere, so we have thought about this a lot. At 70%, wool is doing the insulating and gives the coat its drape and natural feel. The polyester helps the coat hold a crisp shape through the shoulders and front, resist creasing on a commute and keep the price at £140 to £160. The cashmere softens the handle at the collar and cuffs.
A pure wool coat of the same weight would be a little warmer, more breathable and would likely last longer. It would also cost a lot more. If you want a coat for twenty years and will spend several hundred pounds, buy pure wool. If you want a warm, smart, fully lined coat for daily wear at a sensible price, a 70% wool blend is a very good balance. Our guide to how much to spend on an overcoat covers the trade offs at each price.
Testing a coat without a label
- Scrunch it. Squeeze a handful of the front panel for a few seconds. Wool springs back with few creases. Mostly synthetic cloth stays creased or feels plasticky.
- Feel the weight. A good winter coat feels substantial on the hanger.
- Look at the surface. A high sheen can mean a lot of synthetic fibre. Wool has a soft, matte depth.
- Breathe through it. Wool lets some air through. Heavily synthetic cloth can feel airtight.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of wool is good for a winter coat?
Aim for wool as the main fibre, ideally 60% or more. 70 to 80% is very good and 100% is best for longevity. Below 50% the coat is mostly synthetic.
Is a 50% wool coat warm?
It is warmer than a fully synthetic coat but noticeably less warm than a coat with 70% or more wool. It can be fine for mild winters, especially if fully lined.
Is a wool polyester blend coat good?
It can be. When wool is the main fibre, polyester adds strength, shape retention and crease resistance and lowers the price. When polyester is the main fibre, the coat loses most of wool's benefits.
What does wool look mean on a coat?
It means the coat is made to look like wool. It may contain very little or no wool at all. Always check the fibre percentages on the care label.
Is 100% wool better than a wool blend?
For warmth, breathability and lifespan, generally yes. Blends with cashmere feel softer, and blends with polyester or nylon hold their shape and cost less. The best choice depends on budget and how long you want the coat to last.
Does acrylic in a coat matter?
Yes. Acrylic is a cheap imitation of wool that insulates poorly and pills badly. A small amount is not a disaster, but avoid coats where acrylic is a major fibre.
70% wool, 5% cashmere overcoats, fully lined, from £140. Free tracked UK delivery.
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