THE minimum bale weight for non-specialty wool will lift to 120 kilograms effective January 1 next year.
The Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) board confirmed the change after deliberation in the latter half of 2014.
Following feedback, it was considered the initial suggestion of a jump from 110kg to 130kg was too great.
The board's decision will not be trialled and the existing maximum bale weight of 204kg was unchanged.
AWEX chief executive officer Mark Grave said the decision should benefit both wool growers and exporters as handling and shipping low weight bales was costly, given all post sale costs were on a per bale basis.
"If you can press the same amount of wool into less bales then that's a benefit to the grower," Mr Grave said.
"Productivity and efficiency through the supply chain should always be an aim and from farmgate, to export, to warehousing - they all had the potential to improve."
"Having a minimum that we think is achievable is critically what it's all about."
Analysis found 1.9 per cent of bales weighed between 110kg and 119kg and these bales impacted on 9.1pc of lots, according to AWEX.
"The buyers were very strong about wanting to reduce their handling costs and that's a good motivation (to review the minimum weight) if ever there was one," Mr Grave said.
Reducing softer bales did have side benefits, and these included ease of handling, coring and testing of wool, he said.
"Weight alone, the actual kilograms won't improve the safety on it's own, it has to be a well pressed bale," Mr Grave said.
"There's a difference between throwing wool in a bale and pressing it properly.
"A tightly packed bale should hold its structure well."
This year AWEX will focus on educating and preparing the industry for change, Mr Grave said.
"Part of the program in the next 12 months will be communicating with producers, contractors and pressers about how they can do a better job (with introducing the change)," he said.
"It's a bit like introducing the new wool pack; it's a good example of the industry through the supply chain working together to achieve as much benefit as possible for all."
"We needed to have the support of buyers, brokers and everybody involved behind this; it requires different thinking and you have to plan ahead and make sure they're on top of it so there's no left-over wool and can meet that 120kg target."
Mr Grave said it was "premature" to discuss increasing the minimum bale for non-specialty wool weight further.
Single bale lines of specialty superfine fleece wool, (Australian superfine (ASF4) or better), 18.5-micron and finer, may have a minimum gross weight of 90kg.
The change will start from 2016 to coincide with the release of the 2016-18 Code of Practice.