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Title / Demonstrate knowledge of natural textile fibres
Level / 3 / Credits / 10
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard are able to: demonstrate knowledge of: the origins of natural textile fibres; animal fibres and vegetable fibres in terms of their properties and characteristics; and natural fibre identification.
Classification / Textiles Manufacture > Core Yarn Processing
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
1This unit standard recognises knowledge of natural textile fibres, it builds on the knowledge covered by Unit 19841, Demonstrateelementaryknowledge of the operations, processes and products of textile manufacturing. Unit 5877, Demonstrate knowledge of manufactured textile fibres, covers the range of synthetic and man-made fibres.
2Information to support the learning required for this standard can be obtained from papers and articles published by AgResearch. These may be obtained by contacting AgResearch and searching using the keyword Textiles.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Demonstrate knowledge of the origins of natural textile fibres.
Evidence requirements
1.1The range of natural textile fibres is classified by generic type and source.
Rangegeneric type – animal fibres, vegetable fibres;
source – wool, hairs, furs, insect (silk), seed, bast, leaf.
Outcome 2
Demonstrate knowledge of animal fibres in terms of their properties and characteristics.
Rangewool, goat fibres (mohair, cashmere, angora), cameloid fibres (alpaca, vicuna, llama), insect fibres (silk).
Evidence requirements
2.1The principal animal fibres are described and compared in terms of their elementary characteristics.
Rangecharacteristics – animal breed, fibre fineness, fibre length, crimp and scale structure for wools and hairs, fibre formation of silk.
2.2The principal animal fibres are described and compared in terms of their properties and textile end uses.
Rangeproperties – strength and elasticity, moisture absorbency and regain, thermal properties, dye affinity, reaction to chemicals;
end uses – two end uses that illustrate the typical textile use of the fibre.
Outcome 3
Demonstrate knowledge of vegetable fibres in terms of their properties and characteristics.
Rangecotton, linen, jute, ramie.
Evidence requirements
3.1The principal vegetable fibres are described and compared in terms of their elementary characteristics.
Rangecharacteristics – types (for cotton), fibre fineness, fibre length, fibre structure.
3.2The principal vegetable fibres are described and compared in terms of their properties and textile end uses.
Rangeproperties – strength and elasticity, moisture absorbency and regain, thermal properties, dye affinity, reaction to chemicals;
end uses – two end uses that illustrate the typical textile use of the fibre.
Outcome 4
Demonstrate knowledge of natural fibre identification.
Evidence requirements
4.1Tests used to identify natural textile fibres are described in terms of the way the test is carried out and the characteristic results for each natural fibre.
Rangefibres – wool, cotton, cashmere, mohair, linen, jute;
tests – visual, chemical, physical.
Replacement information / This unit standard and unit standard 5877 have been replaced by unit standard 29448.This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 20 December 1995 / 31 December 2019
Revision / 2 / 8 August 1997 / 31 December 2019
Revision / 3 / 18 July 2000 / 31 December 2019
Revision / 4 / 10 October 2001 / 31 December 2019
Revision / 5 / 11 December 2003 / 31 December 2019
Review / 6 / 23 April 2008 / 31 December 2019
Review / 7 / 19 May 2016 / 31 December 2019
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0030
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
CompetenzSSB Code 101571 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut