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Mill Services

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Processing Prices and Information, from June 2024

For more information, or to request an appointment to bring your fleeces in for processing, send an email to info@highlandwool.scot. Please include breed, amount (max 25kg), estimated date of shearing, and a short description of what you'd like done with your fleece.  

It is important that you read the policies below! We are a small mill, on a working farm, and much of the processing (sorting opening washing) is done by hand. If you've never had your fleece processed by a mill before, if you have had it processed by a larger mill using larger equipment, or have only ever prepped it for sending to the Wool Board - it's crucial for you to know how we differ, if we're going to be able to deliver a beautiful result for you. 

We are a new mill, learning as we go. But one lesson we've learned already, is that we have to work together, if this mill is going to be a success for us all!​​

Washing & Carding

100gram batts or flatts

£30/kg

Skirting & Picking

By occasional arrangement only

£50/hour

We'd encourage you to try our DIY option instead!

Washed & Fluffed

Packed into bags

£22/kg

Changeovers

Cleaning equipment between breeds/colours within your order

£15/changeover. 

Optional.

Washed Only

Available by arrangement, at limited times of year

£20/kg

(Please note: this service is not available at this time)

DIY Prep

Supervised DIY prepping of your fleece in our skirting room

£15/hour

  • Our geographical remit is currently Highlands & Islands. These areas have priority booking. If you live outside this area in Scotland, we may still be able to book you into any scheduling gaps. Please contact us directly if you live outwith this area, and see below for delivery requirements.

  • We will accept as little as a single fleece for processing. However, we will charge for a minimum of 2kg.

  • Prices are charged on incoming (unprocessed) fibre weight in kilos. From February 2025, VAT will be added at the standard rate at the time of invoicing (currently 20%). A deposit of 20% will be required before work can commence on your order.

  • A changeover fee of £15 will be charged for orders consisting of different breeds/colours. This covers staff costs for cleaning pertinent machinery, and can be waived by prior agreement, but in that case, client takes responsibility for cross contamination of fibres or colours within their order. All machinery is well cleaned between clients.

  • Clients are responsible for delivering fleece for processing, and for arranging return of the finished product. We will deliver weights and sizes of packed product with your final invoice. If you would like your product shipped to you in vacuum bags, to save on your shipping costs, please include a suitable number of bags with your fleeces. Client is responsible for arranging shipping. Alternatively, you are welcome to make an appointment to visit Highland Wool at The Hirsel in Ardgay to pick up your finished product.

  • Upon receipt, we will weigh and assess your fleece, and will discuss any issues with you. We reserve the right to refuse any fleece we deem to be unsuited to our processing. For this reason, we ask that first-time clients bring their fleece to us in person, so weighing and assessing can be done in your presence. If you've worked with us before, and are familiar with our process, you are welcome to ship prepped fleece to us, per agreement.

  • We have limited storage, therefore reception dates are carefully scheduled. We may refuse any unscheduled deliveries.

  • Wool will lose weight during processing. Prepping your fleece well, skirting it and minimising vegetation matter (VM) or areas of poor, damaged and marked fibre before bringing it to us will reduce your processing costs and fibre/weight loss during processing. If you don’t have the space to do this work yourself, contact us about our supervised DIY skirting/picking options. We will charge just £15 per hour (min 1 hour) to cover staffing for this service. Alternatively, you can volunteer to work on someone else’s fleece, and receive your training in return. Important note: our processing is largely 'hands on', we have very little heavy equipment, in contrast to large mills you may have used before. If you send us a VM heavy fleece, you are likely to receive VM heavy batts in return. Please contact us if you have any questions about this - the mill is a community effort, and we need to work together to deliver the best possible outcome and value for your fleece.

  • We wash, we don’t scour. We use very hot water and environmentally friendly detergent, plus human energy. Therefore, though the fleece will be clean of dirt and manure, and as clean of VM as we can manage (depending on how well it's been prepped before reception), there is likely to be (depending on breed) lanolin present in the finished product. For this reason, we do not re-add oil or conditioning agents to our finished product.

  • We cannot card long staple fleeces yet. We may be able to wash and fluff them for you, at the above prices. Please contact us to discuss your needs.

  • We do not process prewashed fibre.

  • We only process sheep fibre. We do not blend or dye.

  • No fleece will be accepted if it has been treated with chemicals in the past 3 months.

  • Labelling: Product will be returned without labels, for you to package at home.

  • Completion dates are approximate, we will contact you near the agreed date to confirm actual completion date.

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