Wool Felt Vs Fur Felt: What’s The Difference?

Wool felt vs fur felt. Let’s dive into why they’re different and which once could be better for your sewing projects?

Wool felt and fur felt have a few things in common. Both made from animal fur, they’re natural, biodegradable, and sustainable. The main difference is what they’re made of and how they’re used:

Wool felt: All-natural felt made from sheep’s wool.
Fur felt: All-natural felt made from smooth animal fur, usually rabbit.

To pick which one will work best for you, think of the texture, appearance, and durability you’re looking for.

Not sure how to choose between wool felt and fur felt? I’m here to help! My lifelong love for sewing started in middle school (although I admit, I’ve been inconsistent with my sewing habit) and through the years, I’ve picked up a few useful tips on working with fur and wool felt.

Read on for the full wool vs fur felt comparison!

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Wool Felt Vs Fur Felt

Wool Felt & Fur Felt Comparison

Let’s take a look at the differences between these felt types.

Texture

Fur felt has a finer and smoother texture compared to wool felt. It’s softer to the touch and doesn’t feel as scratchy as wool felt. This makes fur felt a lot more comfortable against the skin.

Neither wool felt or fur felt crease. Although if you leave them in an awkward position for two long the could get bend marks or indents in them.

Appearance

Fur felt, thanks to being made from smooth animal fur, can have a beautiful sheen to it.

Wool felt, made from coarser sheep’s wool, has a more matte appearance.

Durability

Fur felt is long-lasting than wool felt. It helps to understand what fur felt is and how it’s made, to see why it’s more durable.

The “fur” that is used in making fur felt is actually the downy under-fur of the animal (not the long, coarser fur you see on the animal). The under-fur naturally has a barb-like surface. When felted, it creates a fabric with fibers that are locked tightly together.

This produces a much stronger felt material, making it more durable compared to wool felt sheets made from sheared sheep wool.

Water Resistance

Wool felt and fur felt are naturally water-resistant.

In terms of cleaning, both types of felt are tricky to wash as they might shrink or get damaged from being exposed to water.

It’s still possible to wash wool felt at home if needed. It’s best to hand wash gently in cool water. Don’t rub the fabric when washing as you don’t want it to fuzz. Lay flat to air dry.

To clean light spots on fur felt, you can use a dry brush. If you need to remove stains, it’s best to get some help from professional cleaners.

Pricing

Fur felt is of a higher quality than wool felt. This makes it a lot more expensive.

The process of making fur felt is more difficult, as it’s harder to get fur from an animal (like from a rabbit) than it is to get sheep’s wool.

For making your own felt craft projects at home, wool felt for crafts makes more sense.

Availability

Wool felt sheets for crafts are easy to get hold of. You can buy them on online at Amazon and Etsy. You’ll find wool felt for sale at most craft stores too.

Fur felt is a specialty product. It’s not widely as available. If you need to use it in your crafts, ask your local fabric store for leads.

Wool Felt & Fur Felt: Best Uses

What Is Wool Felt Used For?

Wool felt is used to make common household items like:

Wool felt strips retain heat well. This is why wool felt is also used by manufacturers to make things like:

wool felt insulation pads
warm wool felt shoes
dryer seals

Wool felt is a great choice for crafting. Wool craft felt is more durable than synthetic craft felt, so it’s good for making toys for little ones or for peices you want to hand down through the genarations as heirlooms. You can make all sorts of things, for exmaple:

You can use wool felt to make reusable holiday decor too, from wool felt wreaths to wool felt trees. My personal favorite arethese cute ornaments because you can use up your wool felt scraps.

What is wool felt not used for? Usually, it’s not used to make garments. Wool felt cloth is pretty rigid and doesn’t drape well, so you’re not likely to find things like wool felt skirts and shirts.

What Is Fur Felt Used For?

Fur felt is a high-quality material and it’s mostly used to craft luxury items like top hats and other types of hats, waistcoats, jackets, shoes, and accessories.

Fur felt hats for men today are mostly made from rabbit fur like these rabbit fur felt fedoras.

Fun fact: Fur felt used to be made from beaver fur too. It has an even finer quality than rabbit fur (which is already pretty luxurious). You can still find beaver fur felt items at some designer stores today.

Fur Felt Vs Wool Felt Hats

Both types of felt are commonly used to make hats, so it’s common to compare between wool vs fur felt hats.

Hat designers will always recommend going with fur felt hats over wool felt hats if you’re looking for the better quality option between the two.

Fur felt hats are softer and lighter. They keep their shape better and last longer too.

Whichever material you end up choosing, these hats require a bit of care so make sure to learn about wool felt hat care and fur felt hat care.

More Types Of Felt

Wool Blend Felt

Wool blend felt is a blend of natural wool with synthetic fibers like acrylic or rayon. Sometimes it’s just called “wool felt” so if you’re specifically looking for 100% wool felt, make sure you check the label.

What’s great about wool blend felt is that it has some of the softness and sturdiness of natural wool but it’s a much cheaper option than 100% wool felt.

Polyester Felt

Polyester felt is a synthetic felt fabric made from polyester fibers. It’s slightly thinner and not as dense as 100% wool felt. On the plus side, it’s budget-friendly and comes in a wide range of colors.

Here’s a full comparison of wool & polyester felt.

Rayon Felt

Rayon felt is a semi-synthetic craft felt. It’s made from natural materials like wood pulp. However, it’s put through heavy chemical processing that it ends up becoming a synthetic fabric.

If you’re looking for the softest craft felt, rayon is the way to go. It’s usually blended with wool or bamboo to get that nice smooth feel.

Acrylic Felt

Acrylic felt is similar in texture and appearance to polyester felt. It’s a synthetic felt made from acrylic.

The biggest difference when comparing acrylic felt vs polyester felt is sustainability. You can find polyester felt sheets made from recycled materials.

Wool Felt Vs Felted Wool

When you’re comparing wool felt vs fur felt, you might also come across another similar term: felted wool. This is not the same thing as wool felt.

Technically, wool felt and felted wool are made using the same material: raw sheep’s wool but the end product is different: wool felt is a non-woven fabric while felted wool is a woven fabric. The difference between felted wool vs felt is in the way they’re made.

Wool felt is made by agitating the raw wool for felt until the fibers interlock to form what’s known as wool felt.

Felted wool (you might also hear people call it boiled wool) is made with knitted wool fabric (think of your favorite knitted jumper) that’s agitated in boiling water until it shrinks and sticks together to form a soft, puffy fabric.

Sound complicated? We’ve all accidentally shrunk our wool sweaters in the wash. It’s the same concept! You can (intentionally) shrink your sweaters to upcycle them for crafts – here’s how you can turn old sweater wool to felted wool.

You can find out more about this topic in my boiled wool vs wool felt article.

Wool Felt Supplies Shopping Guide

Wondering where to buy wool felt squares etc? Amazon is your best bet! You can also find 100% wool felt rolls there and more. If you need an alternative on where to buy thick felt, check out Etsy as well.

Need location-specific shopping links? Here you go!

Wool felt Canada if you’re looking for wool felt in Vancouver and wool felt in Toronto
Wool felt UK and wool felt Ireland
Wool felt Australia if you’re looking for wool felt in Melbourne and wool felt in Sydney
Wool felt Singapore

Wool Felt Crafts Shopping Guide

If you’re wondering where to find paid patterns to start making your wool felt crafts, check out Amazon and Etsy.

PS. I include some free wool felt patterns in my sew felt animals article. You can also get some free wool felt projects ideas in my what to sew with felt article.

Looking for ready-made wool felt items? Shop for them here:

Wool Felt Vs Fur Felt FAQ

What Is Fur Felt?

Fur felt is a type of felt that is made from smooth animal hair. It’s usually made from rabbit fur (though it used to be made from beaver too, which is considered even higher quality). It’s a durable non-woven fabric that forms from matting the animal fur.

Are Wool Or Felt Hats Better?

Fur felt hats are more durable and will maintain their shape longer than a wool cowboy hat, if you’re comparing fur felt vs wool cowboy hats. Fur felt hats have a lush texture. It’s softer and lighter to wear. It also holds its shape better compared to wool.

Is Fur Felt Waterproof?

Most, if not all fur felt hats are shower-proof. You can wear them in light to moderate rain – they’re not likely to get damaged or get bent out of shape. Just be careful not to overdo it – using fur felt hats under heavy rain too often will probably damage the hat.

Can Wool Felt Hats Get Wet?

They are water resistant and therefore fine in a light rain shower. Wool felt hats don’t hold their shape as well as fur felt hats, so try to avoid exposing them to too much rain, if you can.

What Kind Of Felt Is Best?

Wool felt is the best kind of felt if you want something that’s long-lasting and beautiful. If budget is a concern then go for an acrylic or polyester craft felt, or a wool blend felt.

Whichever type of felt you choose, it’ll be a good material to work with for crafting at home. It’s soft and durable. and excellent for beginners.

If you’re wondering about fur felt vs wool felt hats specifically, then go for the fur felt if you want the best quality.

Wool Felt Vs Fur Felt: Wrap Up

I hope you’ve found this wool felt vs fur felt guide helpful! If you’re not sure which fabric to use, here’s a quick recap to compare the differences to decide which material is a better fit for your projects.

Wool felt, made from sheared sheep fur, is a versatile and widely available fabric that’s great for making wool felt toys, wool felt totes, wool felt art, and more.

Fur felt, usually made from the downy under-fur of rabbit and beaver, is soft and lush. It’s often the go-to choice for making luxurious items like hats and top hats, coats, jackets, boots, and more.

There’s so much more to explore with felt. What’s the best wool felt cutter to use? Which wool felt needles do you use? Will felt stick to felt? Check out my beginner-friendly guide on sewing felt!