How to read this glossary
These definitions are editorial working definitions written for normal readers. They focus on the terms most likely to appear in alpaca product pages, sourcing claims, and educational content.
Animal and fiber terms
- Alpaca: a domesticated South American camelid raised mainly for fleece.
- Fleece: the fiber shorn from the animal.
- Huacaya: the more common fleece type, usually described as fuller and crimpier in look and hand.
- Suri: a rarer fleece type associated with longer, more lustrous locks and stronger drape.
- Micron: a unit commonly used in technical fiber discussions to describe fineness.
- Handle: the tactile feel of a textile in the hand.
Apparel terms
- Baby alpaca: a trade term usually referring to finer alpaca fiber, not a guarantee that the fiber came from a baby animal.
- Blend: alpaca mixed with other fibers in yarn or fabric.
- Knit: textile made from interlocking loops, common in sweaters and accessories.
- Woven: textile made by interlacing yarns, common in wraps, scarves, and coatings.
- Pilling: small fiber balls that can appear on the surface of knitwear through abrasion.
Toy and décor terms
- Plush: a soft textile surface commonly used for stuffed toys.
- Needle-felted: shaped by tangling loose fiber with barbed needles.
- Fiber art: handmade figures or objects built from yarn, roving, felt, or mixed textile methods.
- Hide-based figure: a decorative alpaca object made with hide or fur rather than plush textile.
- Age grading: the intended age range stated for a toy or children’s product.
Standards and sourcing terms
- Traceability: the ability to follow a material through stages of the supply chain.
- Chain of custody: the documented path that a claimed or certified material takes through processing and sale.
- Country of origin: the country required on many apparel labels; not always the same thing as where the fiber was first grown.
- Certification scope: the stage or stages of the supply chain actually covered by a standard or audit.