The Difference Between Sheepskin Rug & Lambskin Rug

Lambskin Rugs

• Baby-care lambskin rugs have been especially selected to ensure that there are no loose fibers that could be swallowed and become a choking hazard for babies or toddlers. The hides are tanned so that they may be fully machine-washed and dried. Longer-fibered sheepskin rugs are not recommended for use with babies and young children.

Sheepskin Rugs

• Sheepskin rugs are available in various sizes depending upon how and where they will be used. Rugs fashioned from single, one and one-half, and two pelts are commonly used as floor coverings but may also be seen draped across chairs or couches to act as fashionable accent pieces. Rugs are available in contemporary rectangular shapes or in classic natural-shaped pelts that have been matched and joined to form larger area rugs.

Fiber and Texture

• Sheepskin and lambskin rugs are also categorized according to the length of the wool found on the pelt. Longwool pelts, commonly obtained from shearlings, have not been trimmed and feature a typical fiber length of about 2.5 inches. The typical lambskin pelt has been clipped to a shorter length. The wool fibers in baby-care lambskins are only about 1.2 in. long. Sheepskin is usually quite shaggy in appearance, while lambskin is more evenly textured.

Options

• The length and width of sheepskin and lambskin rugs are measured at their longest points. Sizes range from one pelt to 12 pelts arranged and sewn together side-by-side and end-to-end. Ivory white and unbleached natural colors are standard, but sheepskin rugs may be special-ordered in a wide variety of colors to suit any decor. Also available are woolskin rugs -- an artificial material made by weaving lambswool into a fabric backing. These rugs have no tanned leather component and are therefore not as costly as genuine sheepskin.