Resources
Commercial carpet glossary, from Axminster to wicking
Plain definitions for the words on carpet specs, warranties and cleaning quotes: how carpet is built, what it is made of, what holds it together, how it is cleaned and what goes wrong.
Why carpet vocabulary matters to a facility manager
A carpet spec sheet, a manufacturer’s warranty and a cleaning quote can describe the same floor in three different vocabularies. Knowing what unitary backing, tuft bind or encapsulation means turns those documents from fine print into decisions you can make with confidence, whether you are approving a purchase, filing a claim or choosing how a lobby gets cleaned.
The terms below are grouped by topic and listed A to Z inside each group. Where one of our guides covers a subject in depth, the definition links to it.
Construction and pile terms
- Axminster: A woven carpet made on a loom that places each tuft individually, which allows detailed, many-colored patterns.
- Broadloom: Carpet produced in a roll format and installed wall to wall, as opposed to modular tile.
- Carpet tile: Carpet cut into modular squares or planks with a firm backing, so single units can be lifted and swapped. Our carpet tile care guide covers its upkeep.
- Cut pile: Pile whose loops are sheared so the yarn ends stand upright, giving a plush, soft surface.
- Cut-and-loop: A pile that mixes cut tufts and loops at different heights to form a pattern.
- Density: How closely the pile yarn is packed. Denser pile stands up better to crushing.
- Face weight: The weight of pile yarn per square yard, not counting the backing.
- Gauge: The spacing between tufting needles across the carpet’s width. A finer gauge places rows of tufts closer together.
- Level loop: Low, tight loops all of one height. A durable, easy-to-vacuum construction for busy floors.
- Multi-level loop: Loops of two or more heights that create a sculpted or patterned surface; also called textured loop.
- Pile height: The length of the pile measured from the backing. The 2010 ADA Standards limit carpet on accessible floor surfaces to a pile height of 1/2 inch.
- Stitch rate: The number of tufts per inch along the length of the carpet.
- Tuft bind: The force needed to pull a single tuft out of the backing, tested under ASTM D1335. Higher tuft bind resists snags and sprouting.
- Tufted: Carpet made by needles pushing pile yarn through a primary backing.
- Wilton: A woven carpet made on a jacquard loom, with yarns that run continuously through the body of the carpet.
- Woven: Carpet whose pile and backing are formed together on a loom, as with Axminster, Wilton and velvet weaves.
Fiber terms
- Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6: The two nylon types found in commercial carpet, named for their chemical structure. Both are known for springing back under foot traffic.
- Olefin (polypropylene): A synthetic that absorbs very little water, so water-based spills sit on the surface, but it attracts oily soil.
- Polyester: A synthetic fiber family that includes PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and triexta. Like olefin, it attracts oily soil.
- Solution-dyed: Fiber colored while the polymer is still molten, so the color runs all the way through each strand instead of sitting on the surface.
- Spun yarn: Yarn twisted from short staple fibers. Some shedding is normal in new spun-yarn carpet and does not shorten its life.
- Triexta: The name the Federal Trade Commission approved in 2009 for PTT fiber, a subclass within polyester.
- Wool: A natural fiber used in woven carpet. Brintons’ care guidelines rule out cleaners above pH 7.0 on wool and wool blends.
Backing and installation terms
- Attached cushion: A cushion permanently bonded to the carpet back by the manufacturer; also called cushion-back.
- Direct glue-down: Installing carpet by adhering it straight to the floor with no separate pad. Unitary carpet goes down this way.
- Hardback: Carpet tile with a firm, dense backing layer that keeps each unit flat and stable.
- Moisture barrier: A backing layer that stops liquid passing through to the floor, which keeps spills near the surface and eases cleaning.
- Power-stretching: Tensioning broadloom over tack strip with a power stretcher during installation, or later to remove ripples. Work for an installer or flooring company.
- Primary backing: The fabric the pile yarn is tufted into.
- Secondary backing: A woven or nonwoven fabric laminated to the back of tufted carpet for strength and stability.
- Unitary backing: A heavy back coating that locks the tufts in place without a secondary backing. Installed only by glue-down.
Cleaning and maintenance terms
- Bonnet cleaning: An interim method that spins a damp absorbent pad over the carpet to lift surface soil. Some manufacturers warn that bonnet or rotary cleaning can void a warranty, so check yours first; the methods comparison explains the tradeoffs.
- Encapsulation: A low-moisture interim method in which a cleaning polymer surrounds soil and dries into brittle particles that the vacuum removes.
- Entrance matting: Scraper and wiper mats placed inside and outside doors to stop soil and water at the threshold. See the entrance matting guide.
- Hot-water extraction: Restorative cleaning that rinses the pile with heated solution and pulls it back out with strong suction. Often called steam cleaning.
- Interim maintenance: Light, fast-drying cleaning between deep cleans that keeps traffic areas looking even.
- pH: The scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a solution is. Some carpet warranties and care guides set a pH limit for cleaning products.
- Pile lifting: Using a machine to raise crushed pile and pull out deep, dry soil before cleaning.
- Protector: A treatment applied after cleaning that helps fibers resist soil and lets spills blot up before they soak in.
- Restorative cleaning: Deep cleaning that removes the soil and residue interim cleaning leaves behind; hot-water extraction is the usual method.
- Seal of Approval (SOA): The Carpet and Rug Institute’s voluntary testing program for vacuums, cleaning solutions, extractors and interim systems.
- Spotting: Treating individual spills and stains between full cleanings. The spill response guide sets out the first steps.
Carpet problem terms
- Cellulosic browning: Brown discoloration that appears when over-wetting draws natural matter up from a jute or other plant-fiber backing.
- Crushing: Loss of pile thickness from foot traffic and furniture.
- Delamination: Separation of the primary and secondary backings, which can follow when broadloom is not power-stretched during installation. A repair issue for an installer.
- Filtration soiling: Dark gray lines along walls, under doors and at stair edges, where moving air pulls fine soil through the carpet.
- Fuzzing: A frayed, hairy surface where fiber ends work loose, and rubbing a spot hard is one way it starts.
- Matting: Pile yarns untwisting and tangling together, usually in traffic lanes.
- Pile reversal: The permanent form of shading, also called pooling or watermarking. CRI notes its cause is unknown and does not treat it as a defect.
- Rapid resoiling: Carpet that dirties again quickly after cleaning because sticky or oily residue was left in the pile.
- Rippling: Waves or buckles in broadloom caused by humidity, inadequate cushion or installation; fixed by restretching.
- Shading: Patches that look lighter or darker because the pile leans in different directions; grooming evens ordinary shading.
- Sprouting: A single tuft rising above the pile. Snip it level with scissors; never pull it.
- Traffic lane: A gray or flattened path where foot traffic concentrates soil and wear. See traffic lane restoration.
- Wicking: A stain or soil reappearing as carpet dries, because liquid carries it from the backing up to the fiber tips.
- Yellowing: Discoloration from oily materials tracked in, such as asphalt sealer from parking areas.
A few useful answers
Common questions.
What is the difference between interim and restorative carpet cleaning?
Interim cleaning, such as encapsulation or bonnet passes, works on the top of the pile and dries fast, keeping traffic areas even between deep cleans. Restorative cleaning, usually hot-water extraction, rinses soil and residue out of the full depth of the pile.
Is triexta a type of polyester?
Yes. The Federal Trade Commission named triexta in 2009 as a subclass within the polyester generic fiber category, covering PTT fiber.
What is the difference between gauge and stitch rate?
Gauge is the spacing of the tufting needles across the carpet’s width, and stitch rate is the number of tufts along each inch of length. Together they show how closely the tufts sit.
What does pile reversal or shading mean on a warranty?
It describes patches where the pile lies in a different direction, so light reflects differently and the area looks darker or lighter. The Carpet and Rug Institute does not treat it as a defect, and warranties such as Milliken’s hospitality package list shading among conditions that are not defects.
What is the difference between crushing and matting?
Crushing is a loss of pile thickness from foot traffic; matting is yarn untwisting and tangling. CRI treats them as separate conditions, and neither is a defect unless the warranty covers it.