Editing Cashmere wool (section)

== Production ==
[[File:Shawl makers in Kashmir (1867).jpg|thumb|right|An 1867 [[William Simpson (Scottish artist)|William Simpson]] painting depicting men manufacturing [[shawl]]s using pashm wool]]
[[File:Cashmere Factory Gobi 26.JPG|thumb|Cashmere factory in [[Ulaanbaatar]]]]
[[China]] has become the largest producer of raw cashmere, estimated at 19,200 metric tons (in hair) per year (2016). [[Mongolia]] follows with 8,900 tons (in hair) as of 2016,<ref>[http://nso.mn National Statistical Office of Mongolia], 2015.</ref> while [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], [[Kyrgyzstan]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Toigonbaev |first1=Sabyr |title=The finer, the better |url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/cashmere-kyrgyzstan-distributed-global-scale-primary-producers-however-do-not-get-fair-price |work=D+C Development and Cooperation |volume=42 |issue=4 |date=18 March 2015 |access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref> and other Central Asian republics produce lesser amounts. The annual world raw production is estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000 tons (13,605 and 18,140 tonnes) (in hair). Pure cashmere, resulting from removing animal grease, dirt and coarse hairs from the fleece, is estimated at 6,500 tons (5,895 tonnes). Ultra-fine Cashmere or [[Pashmina]] is still produced by communities in [[Kashmir]] but its rarity and high price, along with political instability in the region, make it very hard to source and to regulate quality. It is estimated that the average yearly production per goat is {{convert|150|g|lb}}.

Pure cashmere can be dyed and spun into yarns and [[knitted]] into [[Sweater|jumpers]] (sweaters), [[hat]]s, [[glove]]s, [[sock]]s and other clothing, or woven into [[fabric]]s then cut and assembled into garments such as outer [[coat (clothing)|coats]], [[jacket]]s, [[trousers]] (pants), [[pajamas]], [[scarf|scarves]], [[blanket]]s, and other items. Fabric and garment producers in [[Scotland]], [[Italy]], and [[Japan]] have long been known as market leaders. Cashmere may also be blended with other fibers to bring the garment cost down, or to gain their properties, such as elasticity from wool, or sheen from silk.

The town of [[Uxbridge, Massachusetts]], in the [[United States]] was an incubator for the cashmere wool industry. It had the first power looms for woolens and the first manufacture of "[[satinet]]s". Capron Mill had the first power looms, in 1820. It burned on July 21, 2007, in the [[Bernat Mill]] fire.

In the United States, under the U.S. [[Wool Products Labeling Act]] of 1939, as amended, (15 U. S. Code Section 68b(a)(6)), a wool or textile product may be labelled as containing cashmere only if the following criteria are met:
* such wool product is the fine (dehaired) [[down hair|undercoat]] fibers produced by a cashmere goat (''Capra hircus laniger'');
* the average [[diameter]] of the fiber of such wool product does not exceed 19 [[micron]]s; and
* such wool product does not contain more than 3 percent (by weight) of cashmere fibers with average diameters that exceed 30 microns.
* the average fiber diameter may be subject to a [[coefficient of variation]] around the [[mean (average)|mean]] that shall not exceed 24 percent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. § 68) |url=https://www.ftc.gov/node/119457 |website=Federal Trade Commission |access-date=13 January 2009}}</ref>