British Wool's grading system — each tile is a breed, with its grade number and fleece micron range. Tap a breed to open its page.
Rarest first, by Defra's estimated pedigree breeding females (2026). marks breeds on the UK Breeds at Risk list. The figures count pedigree-registered sheep only, so big commercial breeds like the Swaledale have far more ewes in total. Breeds with no Defra figure (mostly crossbreds and some imported breeds) are listed last.
Oldest first. Dates are approximate: for old native breeds they show roughly when the type is first known, not a founding date; crosses show when the cross became common.
Grade numbers and micron ranges are transcribed from British Wool's "Periodic Table of British Sheep Breeds" poster (britishwool.org.uk). A micron (µm) is a thousandth of a millimetre — the lower the number, the finer and softer the fibre. Ranges shown as "35+" are open-ended. Breed notes are general summaries. Breed photos are from Wikimedia Commons; each one is credited on its breed's page.