Since the start of the 2018/19 season to 2nd November, the EMI fell by 164 cents. There have been falls across all microns with the exception of the 32 Micron Price Guide, which has lifted by 6% (from a very low base). The largest fall has been recorded for the Merino Carding Indictor, which is 410 cents or 27% lower. Of the main fleece types, the biggest falls have been for wool of 16.5 micron and finer, which is down by 415 cents (or 14%) since the start of the season. The broad Merino wools (22 micron and 23 micron) have fallen by a lower proportion, down by 6% to 7%. These larger relative falls for the superfine wools have meant that the price differential for fine and superfine wool relative to medium Merino wool (21 micron) has fallen sharply., the price premium for 18 micron and 19 micron wool is now well below the recent peak of 12-18 months ago and also below the long-term average. In contrast, the price differential of 21 micron wool over 23 micron wool is now very low. The price discount for 26 micron wool is at a record level.

One key reason for the pull-back in the price premium for superfine wool is the increased availability of this wool. The latest AWTA test statistics shows that the volume of 18.5 micron and finer wool tested was 24% higher in the July-October period, while the volume of 19-24 micron wooltested was down by 23%.

Further details including a chart showing the trends in the price differentials of 18 micron, 19 micron, 23 micron and 26 micron wool compared with 21 micron wool is available in the full edition of the NCWSBA Weekly Newsletter. Available to NCWSBA members.