The latest on the Australian wool market Season 2025/2026 Week 46, direct from the Elders wool team.
The Australian wool market this week has fallen for the second consecutive selling series, driven by weakness in the merino fleece sector.
The sale was again relatively small, with just 29,705 bales available to the trade. This was the smallest sale since November.
On the opening day all three centres were in operation. The Micron Price Guides (MPGs) for merino fleece dropped by between 4 and 32 cents. Strength in the crossbreds was reflected in their MPGs which added between 2 and 42 cents. The increases in this sector prevented a larger fall in the benchmark Eastern Market Indicator (EMI), which dropped by 8 cents for the day.
On the second day only Sydney and Melbourne were selling, and the market performed in a very similar manner to the previous day. The merino fleece MPG movements ranged between plus 3 and minus 14 cents. While the crossbred sector again strengthened, helping to reduce the damage to the EMI, which dropped by 2 cents.
Although the market has softened marginally over the previous two selling series, it is worth noting that the market remains in a very strong overall position, when viewed over the previous five years.
Looking at the Southern Percentile rankings, which rank the MPGs over the previous five years, 19.0 and 21.0 micron are currently 99. This means over that time they were below this price 99 per cent of the time. The Southern Merino Carding Indicator (MC) has a 100 percentile.
Another thing worth noting is that although there have been 49,191 fewer bales sold through the auction system this season, the dollar amount of the wool offered is higher. Season to date there has been 2,287 million dollars’ worth of wool sold, this is 546 million dollars more than last season.
Next week’s offering is forecast to increase. There is expected to be 31,334 bales on offer in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.
Table showing wool prices to 14 May 2026
Graph showing Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) to 14 May 2026
For full details of auction sales, download the reports below.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is given for the purpose of providing general information only, and while Elders has exercised reasonable care, skill and diligence in its preparation, many factors (including environmental and seasonal) can impact its accuracy and currency. Accordingly, the information should not be relied upon under any circumstances and Elders assumes no liability for any loss consequently suffered. If you would like to speak to someone for tailored advice relating to any of the matters referred to in this article, please contact Elders.