It is easy for the consumer to become impressed with the look or feel of an inexpensive carpet which may present these characteristics for a very short period of time.  The information below is intended to make you a better informed consumer.

This information has been compiled by a leader in the carpet inspection and evaluation industry.  ITEL Inc.

The link below will go directly to their site in a separate browser.

ITEL, Inc. (Independent Testing and Evaluation Laboratory)
  8933 Western Way, Suite 20 Jacksonville, Florida 32256
  phone: (904) 363-0196 fax: (904) 363-2379
  

We are proud to offer their scientific evaluation services.  For information regarding these services, please forward a request via email.  [email protected]

Tufted
Tufted carpet accounts for more than 95 percent of broadloom on the market today. Prior to the development of the tufting process in the 1950's carpet was a luxury item. Ninety-two percent of carpet in the country is tufted in and around Dalton, GA. Fifty percent of carpet in the world is tufted in and around Dalton, GA. It is in Dalton that the tufting process was developed and perfected.

Woven
Woven carpets have been produced for centuries. Woven carpets are produced on a loom. The yarns are inter-twined down the length of and across the carpet. There is no latex adhesive in a woven carpet. Woven carpets can be from 1 1/2 to 3 times the price of a tufted carpet, with other dimensions being equal. The primary advantage to a woven carpet is the detail of color patterns that can be achieved. Woven carpets account for approximately one and one half percent of today's carpet market.

Needlepunch
Needlepunched carpets are typically found at the lower price end of the carpet spectrum. This construction is most popular with indoor-outdoor carpets and with synthetic turfs. The face yarns of a needlepunched product are punched through a primary backing material with a series of barbed needles. There is no latex adhesive used in the process. The needlepunched process is highly water resistant and when used with a water resistant fiber (such as olefin) produces a carpet which can stand up to water.

Bonded
Bonded carpets are quite rare. They are more common in European carpet tiles. There are only about six or eight commercial carpet styles produced in this country using bonding. The face fibers are adhered to a primary backing using a very strong epoxy adhesive.

   FIBERS   

Nylon
Nylon is the predominant fiber in the carpet market today. It is the most expensive synthetic (until Corterra's appearance). Nylon's greatest strength is its resilience or the ability to bounce back from foot traffic. Nylon's greatest weakness is the fact that it readily stains. This has lead to treatments such as Stainmaster® and Scotchguard® which are discussed in the <>section.

Polyester
Polyester is a fiber which can be manufactured from recycled two liter soda bottles. The extrusion process is basically the same as that described for nylon. Polyester is anywhere from about $3-5 per square yard less expensive than nylon depending on the dimensions of the carpet. Polyester looks and feels great, as does nylon. One cannot be distinguished from the other.    The advantage of polyester over nylon is that is has greater natural stain resistance. The disadvantage is that it is not as resilient and could be subject to crushing in a high traffic situation. There is a resurgence of polyester on the market today from many mills and they are marketing the product as "kid proof" and "family friendly". These claims address the staining problem but do not address the resilience issue

Olefin (Polypropylene)
Olefin is also known as polypropylene. It is the least expensive carpet fiber. It has enjoyed tremendous growth in market share during the 1990s because of the popularity of the of the berber style carpet. Many early synthetic berbers were made with 100% olefin yarn. Olefin's greatest weakness is the fact that it is the least resilient of carpet fibers. The large loops of olefin in a berber will crush down in a high traffic pattern. Many modern berbers are a blend of olefin and nylon which improve the resilience but also make the carpet more expensive. Olefins greatest strength is that it is virtually stain proof. Olefin fibers are extruded from a combination of white and colored chips which produce a colored yarn. The color is built into the yarn.

Acrylic
Acrylic is the oldest synthetic and has been on the market since the '60s. It was only made by one fiber manufacturer (Solutia) under the tradename "acrylan" but is no longer produced. Acrylic is the synthetic fiber that looks and feels most like wool and is most often blended with wool.

Wool
Wool has been the most prestigious of carpet fibers for decades. It is the most expensive fiber by far. A wool yarn must be staple. There is no such thing as a continuous filament sheep.

Cotton
Cotton is trying to make a comeback. At the floor covering industry trade show in January 1998, the Cotton Council had several styles of cotton and cotton blend carpets on display. Cotton has very poor resilience and stain resistance. The cotton manufacturers are attempting to overcome the shortfalls with new stain protections and by blending cotton with other fibers (wool, nylon) to give greater resilience. Cottons greatest strength is that is has a very soft and natural feel.

   BACKING   

Primary
Primary backing is a narrow woven mesh of synthetic fiber through which the face yarns of a tufted carpet are sewn.

Secondary
Secondary backings are found on almost all tufted carpets. The two classes of secondary backings are natural (or jute) and synthetic. Jute backed carpets are getting increasingly rare on the market today. Because of the difficulties associated with water and jute back, we do not recommend that they ever be put back down on a floor. The most common synthetic back is the woven polypropylene mesh. Other specialty backs are cushion and unitary. A cushion-backed carpet has a built-in pad attached. A unitary backed carpet has no specific secondary back. It is designed for a direct glue-down application.

    FINISH   

Saxony
Saxony is the style that is typically thought of when discussing cut pile carpet. It is distinguished by smooth pile yarns reaching the carpet surface very evenly. A saxony carpet is distinguished by the fact that it exhibits a high degree of shading. Shading is the propensity for a carpet to look two different shades of color when the face is brushed in one direction and then the other.

Textured Saxony
Textured saxony is created to minimize the shading characteristics of a cut pile carpet. Where a saxony is made with straight, smooth yarns, a textured saxony is made with yarns that are crimped during the heat setting process. The crimped yarns do not come to the surface of the carpet in straight allignment. The random texture of the yarns, diffuses the light reflecting from the carpet surface, enabling it to minimize shading. Textured saxonies are now more popular than the saxony but do not wear any better nor are they more expensive. Textured saxonies are also marketed under the name "trackless". The difference between the two is totally one of styling preference. These two styles account for over 50% of residential styles

Pindot
A Pindot carpet is one with rows of dots that are different from the primary surface yarns in either texture or color (or both). The pin dot has no better wear or performance but will be slightly more expensive than the saxonies. Again the difference is styling preference.

Velvet/Velour
Velvet/velour carpet is different than most in that the yarns are not twisted. The yarns come straight to the surface of the carpet which will make a smooth, uniform appearance (hence the name velvet). There are few velvets on the residential market. The lack of any twist in the yarns typically insures a low pile height.

Frieze (pronounced: free-zay)
Frieze carpets are also known as "twist frieze" in some markets. They present a deeply textured, three dimensional appearance. They are distinguished by yarn bundles that are tightly twisted and individually distinguishable from a distance. The yarns are actually overtwisted to the point that they kink. Most yarns lay over and do not stand up straight. Frieze carpets are the best wearing cut-pile style. The frieze is predicted to be the next "big" carpet style. Many new frieze styles were on display at the National Floorcovering Show in Las Vegas. Friezes will be more expensive because of the extra processing of the yarns and because they are currently very high on the demand list.

Level Loop
A carpet style having all the pile in a loop form of identical height.

Textured Loop
Textured loop carpets contain loops that randomly vary in height. The surface of carpet gets a textured or more rugged appearance.

Multi-Level Loop
Multi-level loop carpets are sometimes referred to as sculptured berbers. They contain a geometric pattern that looks as though it has been carved out.

Multi-Level Cut & Loop
Multi-level cut and loop carpets are more typically known as sculptured carpets. They contain a higher cut pile and a lower area of loops. This style of carpet was very popular in the 1980's. Each mill still has several styles of MLC&L carpet.

Berbers
A generic industry term describing a loop-pile construction style of carpet comprised of large, bulky yarns. The majority of today's berber style carpets are tufted from nylon, polypropylene or nylon/polypropylene blends, although some wool is still foun

Others
Shag carpets were very popular in the 1970's. They are distinguished by a pile of typically one inch or longer. Many shag carpets are still on peoples' floors. Although most people think of a shag as severely dated, they are making a comeback. Modern shags are found in whites, off-whites, pastels and black. Many modern shags are being sold through designers and decorators which will boost their average $40/sy price up even further. The period coloration of a 70's shag is a reminder that color has no effect on value. The appealing color that attracts a woman to a modern, stylish carpet has no more effect than the sometimes outrageous colors found on old shags.

    OTHER DIMENSIONS   

Face Weight
Face weight is the weight of yarn in one square yard of carpet. It is not the weight of the entire piece of carpet (which is total weight).

Pile Height
Pile height is the distance from the tip of the tuft down to the primary backing.

Gauge
Gauge is the distance between the centerpoints of adjacent needles on the sewing bar that tufted the carpet. Only a tufted carpet will have a gauge.

Stitch Rate
Stitch rate is the number of times in an inch the needle tufted a yarn bundle. 

Pad Weight
Pads made of new urethane and used or scrap urethane (re-bond) are specified by pounds per cubic foot (e.g. 5 lb. means 5 pounds in one cubic foot). Pads like felt are specified by ounces per square yard ( e.g. 44oz would be 44 ounces of felt in one square yard).

Stain Repellants (Scotchguard®)
Scotchguard® type applications are a florochemical protective coating designed to keep stains and soil away from the carpet fiber.

Stain Blockers (Stainmaster®)
The Stainmaster® type treatment works within a nylon fiber. The stainmaster chemical is introduced to the fiber just after the dying on a typical carpet. The stainmaster is designed to fill up the dye sites which are found along a nylon filament. By filing the dye site, the site can not accept any molecules (stain) in the future.

Fiber Chart