The short version: Judge a wool coat in four checks: the composition label (how much wool, and whether it is recycled), the cloth weight (over 400 g/m² is a true winter coat), the fibre’s fineness, and the make — shoulder, lining, buttons, seams. A thin 100% wool coat can be colder than a heavier blend.
Coat season is when the price gap in a shop is widest and hardest to read. Two camel coats on neighbouring rails can look alike and differ by several hundred pounds, and the label on each will say “wool”. This guide is the set of checks we run before paying for one: what the law makes a brand tell you, what it doesn’t, and what you can only learn by holding the coat. None of it needs specialist knowledge, only five minutes and a willingness to turn the coat inside out.
What should the label on a wool coat tell you?
The composition label is the one fact on a coat that the law guarantees, so start there. In the European Union, Regulation 1007/2011 on textile names requires products to be labelled with the name and percentage by weight of every fibre, listed from the largest share to the smallest. Small amounts — up to 5% of a single fibre, or up to 15% in total — may be grouped as “other fibres” only where they cannot easily be stated at manufacture, and the total percentage must still be shown.
In the United States, the Wool Products Labeling Act goes further on wool specifically. A wool product must state the percentage of wool, the percentage of recycled wool, each non-wool fibre that makes up 5% or more, and everything else combined, plus the country where it was processed or manufactured. A product sold simply as “wool” must be 100% wool, apart from ornamentation of 5% or less.
Read the label in this order. One. The wool percentage. Two. Whether any of that wool is recycled — under US law, recycled wool is fibre that has been woven or felted and then returned to a fibrous state, and it has to be declared separately. Recycled wool is not a defect, and reusing fibre has obvious merit, but it is a different raw material from new wool, and the price should reflect which one you are getting. Three. What the rest is. A coat that says “wool and cashmere” in large letters and “5% cashmere” on the label is a wool coat with a marketing line attached.
We have argued before that the composition label is the only verifiable fact on a garment. A coat is where that matters most, because the fibre is most of what you are paying for.
How heavy should a winter wool coat be?
For a coat that keeps you warm in a northern winter, look for cloth over about 400 grams per square metre. The French menswear publication Bonne Gueule uses a simple grid: over 400 g/m² is heavy, 350 to 400 medium-heavy, 300 to 350 medium, and under 300 a lightweight or mid-season coat. Its guide is blunt that a thin 100% wool coat will not keep you warm near or below zero.
There is a catch in how brands quote weight. Many give it per linear metre of cloth rather than per square metre, which makes the number look bigger, because coating fabric is usually woven 140 to 160 centimetres wide. Bonne Gueule’s rule of thumb is to divide a linear-metre figure by about 1.5 for a rough square-metre estimate: its example of 410 g/m² at 150 cm wide works out at about 615 g per linear metre. It treats anything quoted at 600 g or more as almost certainly linear.
Most shops don’t print a weight at all. In that case, use your hands. Lift the coat off the hanger and feel how much it pulls. Pinch the cloth: a dense coating feels springy and holds its shape, while a thin one folds flat like a shirt. Hold a layer up to the light; you should not see much through it.
Is a wool blend worse than 100% wool?
Not automatically. A small share of nylon or polyester in a thick coat is not a reason to walk away. Bonne Gueule compares a 100% wool coat at 350 g/m² with an 80% wool, 20% polyamide coat at 430 g/m²: both contain about the same amount of wool, and the heavier blend is the warmer of the two, with a straighter fall, while the pure wool drapes more softly. The problem is the opposite case — a coat that is mostly synthetic with a little wool for the label. Bonne Gueule notes that a high polyamide or polyester share insulates poorly, and it is common in entry-level coats.
The useful rule: judge the amount of wool, not the percentage on its own. A heavy coat that is 80% wool can beat a light coat that is 100%.
Does the fineness of the wool matter?
Yes, for comfort, and it explains why some wool coats itch and others don’t. Softness is measured by fibre diameter, in microns — a micron is one millionth of a metre — and the finer the fibre, the softer it feels, according to The Woolmark Company. Woolmark says the prickle people associate with wool comes from coarse fibres, not from wool as such, and that Merino is finer than all other wools and finer than a human hair.
Coat labels rarely give a micron figure, but some brands name the fibre (“Merino”, “Super 120s” on some tailoring cloths) or the mill. A named mill and fibre is a brand telling you something it can be held to. The same logic sits behind our profile of a cashmere label built on named mills. In the shop, rub the cloth against the inside of your wrist or your neck. If it prickles there, it will prickle all winter.
What should you check on the make of the coat?
Construction is what separates a coat that lasts ten winters from one that looks tired after two, and five checks cover most of it.
One. The shoulder. The seam should sit at the end of your shoulder bone with a jacket underneath, and the collar should lie against the back of your neck when you stand normally. A coat that gapes at the collar or pulls across the back in the shop will not improve.
Two. The lining. Look for a full lining that is cut with a little ease — often a pleat down the centre back — so it moves with you rather than dragging on the outer cloth. Check that it is stitched neatly at the hem and cuffs, and that it doesn’t pull when you reach forward.
Three. The buttons. Buttons should be sewn on with a short stem of thread (a shank) so they sit above the cloth instead of crushing it. Horn or corozo buttons are a sign someone cared; thin plastic on an expensive coat is a sign someone cut a corner.
Four. The seams and pattern. Turn the coat inside out. Seams should be straight and finished cleanly, without loose threads. On a check or herringbone, see whether the pattern lines up across the front, the pockets and the back seam.
Five. The collar and pockets. The collar should roll smoothly and spring back when you fold it. Pocket corners should be reinforced, and pocket bags should be in a sturdy cloth, not the thinnest lining in the coat.
These are the same forensic habits we set out in our guide to judging a basic, scaled up to the most expensive thing most people buy each winter.
Where should you buy a good wool coat?
The checks above work anywhere, but some routes reward them more than others. Vintage and estate shops are one of the best places to find heavy coating, because a well-made wool coat can last decades; inspect the lining and look carefully for moth damage. Independent designers and coat makers often state cloth, weight and mill openly, and are worth a direct question by email. Accessible-luxury labels such as Toteme and Cuyana sit in a price band where these checks matter most, because the price makes a promise the coat has to keep. Selective mainstream luxury — a coat specialist rather than a logo house — makes sense when you want one coat for a decade. Skip the mid-tier mass market entirely: it is where thin cloth and high synthetic shares are most often sold at prices that suggest otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of wool should a good coat have?
There is no legal threshold for “good”. Look at weight as well as percentage: a heavy coat with 70–80% wool and some nylon can be warmer than a thin 100% wool one. Be wary when wool is a minority of the fibre content.
Is recycled wool bad?
No. Under US law it is wool fibre recovered from woven or felted products and returned to a fibrous state, and it must be labelled separately from new wool. It is a different raw material, so judge the coat’s weight and feel, and expect the price to reflect it.
Is a heavier coat always better?
Only if you need the warmth. Over about 400 g/m² suits cold winters; 300–350 g/m² suits milder climates and layering. Heavier cloth also drapes differently, so try the coat on with what you will wear under it.
Why does my wool coat itch?
Usually because the fibres are coarse. Woolmark attributes prickle to fibre diameter rather than to wool as a material, which is why finer wools such as Merino feel soft against skin.
How can I tell coat quality when shopping online?
Read the full composition and look for a stated cloth weight, and check whether it is per square metre or per linear metre. Look for close-up photographs of the lining, buttons and seams. If none of that is shown, ask the brand — or buy only where returns are easy.
The honest takeaway
A good wool coat is not hard to recognise once you know where to look: a label you can read, cloth with some weight to it, fibre that doesn’t prickle and a make that holds up inside out. Every one of those can be checked before you pay, and none of them depends on the name on the hanger.
The next move is yours.
Sources: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, Article 9 · US Federal Trade Commission — Wool Products Labeling Act · The Woolmark Company — soft Merino wool · Bonne Gueule — the importance of thickness in a wool coat
