Sheepskin Rug Test

Sheepskin rug test

When comparing sheepskin rugs there are many different types out there so it’s good to have a little knowledge of what to buy. Here are a few pointers to guide you along with a direct comparison.

Here are two of my own, both have their uses and neither are thin haired.

The Pile

Sheepskin pile basically means how many fibres are in a square inch and the thickness of each fibre. It depends what you are looking for and I think long pile looks great and is extremely soft but if you are walking on it everyday it will likely get tangled and will need to be brushed out. So if you are looking for something which is going to get a lot of usage then you should look to buy short pile.

Short Pile (as shown above) is good for sitting on
Long (as shown above) is good for lying on, having as a rug, or draping over something like a bed or back of a sofa.

I mentioned earlier that you should also be aware of thick and thin fibres. This comes down to the quality and how the skin was treated. Good quality will have a thick lushness to it, a good test is to see how many hairs you can hold it up by. The better quality the less hairs you will need to elevate the rug before they are pulled out (Of course I’m not suggesting you go round the shops pulling out chunks of wool).

Both Sheepskin rugs you can see are both used on a daily basis in my home so I apologise on the colour of the short haired one as this is the one I use on my office chair. I picked up the yellow sheepskin from a shop in Suffolk for £20 he sold this to me as it wasn’t a good shape and neither was it a very nice colour. It suits me for the purpose.

You can see the density of the fibers and the short length.

The other sheepskin rug is much bigger, fuller shape with longer hairs and is sold for £119.99. This is my personal favourite as I love the long hairs which gives it an extra softness.

Extra Large Sheepskin Rug with long hairs, full shape and very soft.

When making your choice be careful not to buy the thin haired as it will likely not last very long. It should last for a very long time, so buy sheepskin rugs right, do the test.