Are boiled wool and loden the same?

They are close relatives and both are fulled Alpine wools, but not the same. Boiled wool is knitted then felted, so it keeps some stretch, while loden is woven then fulled and napped, so it is firmer and more weatherproof.

Why are both so warm and weatherproof?

Because fulling mats the wool fibers together, closing up the cloth so it traps air and resists wind and rain. Both boiled wool and loden rely on this felting, which is why they outperform an unfulled wool of the same weight in cold, wet weather.

Which has more stretch?

Boiled wool, because it begins as a knit, and knitting gives a fabric stretch that fulling reduces but does not entirely remove. Loden begins as a woven cloth and so has very little give.

Side by side

Boiled Wool vs Loden

Boiled wool and loden are close Alpine cousins, both dense, warm, weatherproof wools made by fulling, and both at the heart of traditional Tyrolean and Austrian clothing. The difference is in the starting cloth. Boiled wool begins as a knit, then is felted dense. Loden begins as a woven cloth, then is fulled and napped. One is a felted knit; the other a fulled weave.

Boiled Wool

No. 140

knitted wool, fulled until dense · first documented Middle Ages

Loden

No. 076

woolen twill, fulled and brushed · first documented Middle Ages

The differences

Aspect	Boiled Wool	Loden
Starting structure	Knitted, then boiled and agitated until it felts and shrinks.	Woven, then heavily fulled and the nap raised and cropped.
Give	Retains a little of the knit's stretch and softness.	Firmer and more rigid, with little stretch.
Surface	Dense and slightly spongy, close to a soft felt.	Smooth, water-shedding, with a characteristic green most often.
Typical use	Tyrolean and Austrian jackets (the Janker), slippers, structured knitwear.	Loden coats and capes, hunting and country outerwear.

Which to choose

Both are felted Alpine wools, but boiled wool starts as a knit and keeps a little give, while loden starts as a woven cloth and is firmer and more weatherproof. For a soft structured jacket, boiled wool; for a rigid water-shedding coat, loden.

Common questions

Are boiled wool and loden the same?: They are close relatives and both are fulled Alpine wools, but not the same. Boiled wool is knitted then felted, so it keeps some stretch, while loden is woven then fulled and napped, so it is firmer and more weatherproof.
Why are both so warm and weatherproof?: Because fulling mats the wool fibers together, closing up the cloth so it traps air and resists wind and rain. Both boiled wool and loden rely on this felting, which is why they outperform an unfulled wool of the same weight in cold, wet weather.
Which has more stretch?: Boiled wool, because it begins as a knit, and knitting gives a fabric stretch that fulling reduces but does not entirely remove. Loden begins as a woven cloth and so has very little give.

Full entry: Boiled Wool Full entry: Loden

Sources & References

1.Boiled wool, Wikipedia
2.Fulling, Wikipedia
3.Loden cape, Wikipedia
4.loden, Wiktionary