Side by side
Flannel vs Wool
Comparing flannel and wool is comparing a finish to a fiber. Wool is the raw material, the fleece of the sheep, which can be woven or knitted into countless cloths. Flannel is one of those cloths: a soft fabric, traditionally wool, that has been brushed or napped to raise a fuzzy surface and give it warmth and softness. So flannel is often made of wool, but it can also be made of cotton, and not all wool is flannel.
Flannel
No. 025plain or twill, napped · first documented 1600s
Wool
No. 127the fleece fiber, woven or knitted · first documented Antiquity
The differences
| Aspect | Flannel | Wool |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A specific cloth defined by its soft brushed nap. | A fiber, the fleece of the sheep, woven or knitted many ways. |
| Fiber | Traditionally wool, but also commonly cotton. | Always wool, by definition. |
| Surface | Soft, napped, slightly fuzzy, with the weave often blurred. | Depends on the cloth; can be smooth worsted or napped woolen. |
| Typical use | Shirts, soft suits, sheets, sleepwear. | Everything from suiting to coats to knitwear, across many cloths. |
Which to choose
They are not really alternatives. Wool is the fiber; flannel is a soft napped cloth that is often, but not always, made from it. A wool flannel is both. A cotton flannel shirt is flannel but not wool, and a worsted suit is wool but not flannel.
Common questions
- Is flannel always made of wool?
- No. Flannel is traditionally wool, and wool flannel is the classic suiting and shirting cloth, but flannel is also very commonly made of cotton, especially for shirts and sheets. Flannel names the soft napped finish, not the fiber.
- What makes a fabric flannel?
- The brushing or napping. A cloth becomes flannel when its surface is raised into a soft fuzzy nap, often blurring the weave, which traps air and makes it warm and soft. The base can be wool, cotton, or a blend.
- Is a flannel shirt wool?
- Often not. Many flannel shirts are cotton, brushed for softness and warmth. Wool flannel shirts exist and are warmer, but the word flannel on a shirt refers to the napped finish, not necessarily to wool.