Grading a used cashmere sweater
Grading a used cashmere sweater is stricter than ordinary knitwear because the fibre is fine and the price is high. Buyers expect softness, so the grade turns on pilling, moth holes, and felting from a hot wash — cashmere pills fast, so honest pilling assessment separates a premium piece from a tired one.
What to check
- Softness and loft vs. a felted, flattened hand from washing
- Pilling density — cashmere pills quickly, so grade the amount
- Moth holes, the most common and value-killing cashmere flaw
- Elbow and cuff thinning where the fine yarn wears through
How to grade it, step by step
- 1
Feel the hand
Cashmere should feel soft and lofty. A stiff, flattened, or felted hand means it was washed hot and caps the grade regardless of how it looks.
- 2
Grade the pilling
All cashmere pills; judge how much. A quick de-pill returns light pilling to near-new, but permanent matted pilling lowers the grade.
- 3
Search for moth holes
Backlight the sweater and inspect the front, elbows, and underarms. Even one moth hole is a significant hit on a cashmere piece.
Graded examples
| Grade | Why |
|---|---|
| 10 (NWT) | Tags attached, soft loft, zero pills or holes. |
| 7 (Very Good) | Soft hand, light de-pillable pilling, no holes. |
| 4 (Poor) | Felted from a hot wash with two moth holes. |
Every grade sits on the GradeThread 1.0–10.0 scale.
Flaws to watch on this garment
Frequently asked
- Why is a moth hole such a big deal on cashmere?
- Because cashmere is a premium fibre bought for its condition, a single moth hole is highly visible and hard to repair invisibly. Buyers discount holed cashmere sharply, so even one hole moves the grade down more than the same hole would on a cheaper acrylic knit.
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