Tibetan vs New Zealand Wool Rugs: Wool Grades Explained

Neither is universally better. Rug sellers describe Tibetan wool as lanolin-rich, robust and springy, and New Zealand wool as soft, resilient and naturally stain resistant. The right choice depends on the design, the use and the evidence behind the label. We found no independent test comparing the two, so treat every grade claim as a claim until it is documented.

Raheem & Son states only that its rugs use imported high-end wool. We make no claim that any rug uses New Zealand or Tibetan wool, and you should ask any supplier, including us, to put the wool source for your order in writing. Shop the finished result in handmade rugs at RS LIVING.

The table shows how two rug sellers describe each wool. Both are marketing descriptions rather than measured data, and neither seller gives micron counts or staple lengths. A supplier that cannot document the wool for your order cannot support the claim.

Ask the supplier to name the wool source for your order in writing, with any fibre-test data they hold, such as micron count and staple length. Request a tuft card in the actual yarn. Treat a rug sold on a premium wool name with no documents behind it as unverified.

If you would like to see and feel yarn before you commit, our sample programme provides physical tuft cards. Discuss fibre requirements before sampling; it saves time for both parties.

Match the fibre to the use and specify more than the fibre. A hotel corridor and a bedroom ask different things of a pile, and construction, pile height and density change wear as much as origin does. Our rug specification checklist lists the lines to write down.

For the wider question of how to specify wool, read choosing the right wool for handmade rugs. For how fibres compare beyond wool, see rug materials compared.

Not in any way we can document. We found no published price comparison between Tibetan and New Zealand wool rugs of the same construction, so any premium a seller attaches to an origin name is their pricing, not a measured fact.

Construction, knot density, size and finishing move the price of a handmade rug far more visibly than a wool label. Ask for quotes on identical specifications if you want to compare wool sources fairly.

For a wholesale or private label order, put the wool source and the yarn sample you approved into the written specification, and send it with a bulk quote request. If your range includes flat-woven pieces, see our page on druggets made in India.

To plan the shipment, the container loading calculator gives an estimate of how many rugs fit in a container, and the rug size and weight converter converts sizes and weights. Importing guides are available for the USA, the UK, the EU, Canada and the UAE.

Last reviewed 29 October 2026. Seller descriptions: The Rug Company, fibres and techniques and Rugs On Net, what is special about Tibetan wool. These are retailers' own statements. We did not find independent test data comparing Tibetan and New Zealand carpet wool, and we removed earlier statements about wool breeds, micron counts and lanolin that we could not source.