Denier – the amount of yarn per area of carpet
Density – the amount of pile yarn per area or carpet, or the closeness of the tufts. Higher density carpet has better resistance to crushing and matting.
Double-Glued Seams –double-glued seams attach carpet to bare floor to prevent delamination and edge ravel. Installers should double-glue seams to prevent fuzzing.
Face Weight – the number of ounces of fiber per square yard in the face of the carpet.
Fiber – the fundamental unit of carpet. Fibers are made from nylon, polyester, cotton, acrylics, wool and other materials.
Flocked – carpet made of tufts of wool or cotton fiber.
Fuzzing – this occurs when fluffy particles appear on carpet surfaces and is caused by fibers that loosen because of wear or snags.
Heatsetting – the process of heating or steaming yarns to hold their twist. Most nylon, olefin and polyester carpets are heatset.
Matting – the usually irreversible flattening of carpet yarn, caused by traffic or dirt.
Needle Punched – needle punched carpet is stitched into back material.
Pile – a column of carpet fiber.
Pile Reversal – (or shading) a feature of cut pile carpet where traffic bends the carpet fiber in different directions creating an impression of light and dark areas.
Soiling – occurs when dirt particles build up in carpet fibers. Regular vacuuming and cleaning will prevent soiling.
Texture Retention – (or carpet memory) is the ability of tufts to retain their shape under traffic.
Tufted – tufted carpets are pieces of yarn embedded in backing material.
Twist – the winding of yarn around itself. More twist improves carpet performance, especially in a cut pile carpet.
Twist Level – the number of turns per inch of yarn.
Woven – a carpet formed by interlacing strands of fiber into a yarn.
Yarn – is made up of fibers that are twisted together to form a continuous strand.
Yarn Count – reflects the amount of yarn packed into a given area.
