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Bens' Carpeting Information
Understanding Carpet Loops and Piles
by Don Vandervort
A carpet's basic qualities depend on its construction: whether the pile is cut, looped or both cut and looped. To understand how carpets differ, it helps to know how they are made.
Over 90 percent of today's carpet is tufted by machines that are like huge sewing machines that stitch rows of face yarn tufts to a synthetic fabric, called the "primary backing." During tufting, a mechanical "looper" catches the yarn to create loops, resulting in a "loop-pile" carpet. To make a "cut-pile" carpet, blades shear off the loops, leaving yarn ends standing up straight, like a grass lawn. A "cut-and-loop" carpet has a combination of both intact and cut loops. Use the following definitions as a guide:
Cut Pile Carpets.
Cut pile carpets have a luxurious look and feel and represent 60 percent of carpets sold. A cut-pile carpet's "hand"--the look, texture and feel--is a result of the fibers chosen for the yarn and the yarn's gauge ("denier") and twist. The more tightly twisted the yarn, the better the performance as a rule, because the yarn retains its shape over time. Most cut-pile yarns are heat-set to hold their shape (the same way a hair permanent heat-sets a hairstyle).
Saxony.
Saxony carpet has a level surface of cut pile; yarns have varying twists.
Traditional Saxony.
Traditional, or Straight Set Saxony carpet does not have crimped yarn resulting in a smoother surface.
Textured Saxony.
Textured Saxony carpet has crimped yarns and, as a result, a little more texture.
Freize.
Pronounced "fre-zay", this carpet is a somewhat rare, rugged, nubby style with tightly twisted yarns. (In recent years, the term has been adopted by textured saxonies.)
elvet.
Velvet carpet has a short, very tight pile and is smooth, level and uniform with a formal look. When you walk on it, footprints tend to show.
Loop Pile Carpets.
Loop pile carpets tend to be more durable than cut-loops because yarn tips are not exposed. With these, yarn wears on the sides, not the ends, and the twist is automatically maintained.
Berber.
Berber carpet has a nubby texture as a result of complete loops. Most loop piles are now called Berbers, in reference to the rugs made by the nomadic Berber tribes of Africa.
Low-Level Loop.
This type of carpet, often preferred in commercial installations, provides a particularly smooth surface.
Multi-level Loop.
These carpets provide striking patterns or a sculptured look.
Cut-and-Loop Pile Carpets.
Cut-and-loop pile carpeting offers a variety of looks and patterns by combining complete and cut loops.
Sculptured.
Sculptured carpet offers bold patterns and colors.
Tracery.
Tracery or Carved Saxony carpets are subtler and merely suggest a pattern.
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