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Some Helpful Definitions:
accent rug - A small rug sometimes called a throw rug.
acrylic - Manmade fabric that is soft and lightweight with a wool-like texture. Offers the appearance of wool at a lower cost. Sometimes blended with other fibers, most often appears in bath rugs and mats.
all-over - A rug pattern in which the field has no central medallion.
arabesque - A rug with an ornate linear design of intertwined floral and geometrical figures.
area rug - A rug used to define a specific area, such as an area for conversation. An area rug may accent a room’s color palette and/or set the tone or mood for an entire room.
berber - A rug that is woven or tufted wool and is left in its natural color (white, beige, brown, or charcoal).
binding - An edge-finishing treatment, non-woven binding is sewn along the edge of a rug to protect it from unraveling.
blend - A weave of two or more different fibers. The predominate fiber is always mentioned first.
border - The frame for the field of a rug. Generally, it is the widest of the framing elements and is located next to the guard bands or stripes.
braided rug - A type of rug constructed by braiding yarns in a continuous tube around a soft fiber core. Braided rugs are usually shaped in ovals or circles.
colorfast - Ability of a printed or dyed fabric/fiber to resist color loss as a result of cleaning, sun exposure, or atmospheric impurities.
cotton - Natural fiber manufactured from seeds of the cotton plant. Fabric is soft, and absorbent. Cotton is strong and cleans easily.
cut-and-loop construction - Type of construction in which a rug is formed with a combination of looped and cut yarns. This process creates many patterns. These patterns in combination with color, create a distinctive sculptured effect.
Dacron® - Registered trademark for the DuPont Company’s brand of polyester.
denier - Standard measurement for the fineness of a thread. A higher denier number indicates a stronger fabric.
density - Referring to the closeness of the tufts or knots, the denser the pile, the better your rug will wear.
dhurrie rug - A rug that is usually wool or cotton, has a flat weave, and is reversible. Most are imported from India.
embroidery - Ornamental design sewn into fabric with a needle and thread.
fabric - Cloth produced by weaving or knitting natural or synthetic fibers.
fiber - Natural or synthetic, the type of fiber used in your rug will help determine its appearance and performance.
field - In rugs, the area in the center surrounded by a border, which may contain a central medallion or motif.
flat weave - No knots are used in this rug making process. Weft strands are passed through warp strands.
flokati - A rug that is woven or knitted with tufts of sheared goat’s hair is usually left in its natural color (cream or brown).
Fortrel® - Registered trademark for the Celanese Corporation’s brand of polyester.
fringe - The excess warp threads extending from the end of the rug, which add a decorative trim.
gauge - The number of ends of surface yarn per inch counting across the width of the rug. For example, 1/8th gauge is read eight needles per inch. One of the factors used to determine a rug’s density.
guard - Decorated bands, which surround and enhance the main border of a rug.
guard stripe - A thin stripe used to highlight guards and to separate them from the beginning of the field.
hand - Refers to the touch and feel of a fabric/fiber.
handmade - Constructed by hand, rather than machine made. Rugs that are hand-knotted, hand-tufted, hand-hooked, hand-loomed, etc.
hand-hooked - Rug making process by which the pattern is stenciled onto backing material. Then, yarn (typically wool) is pulled from the back of the rug toward the front to form a pile of loops using a hand-held hook. When the hooking is complete, backing is attached to anchor the stitches.
hand-knotted - Rug making process by which weavers knot pile yarns around warp fibers. More valuable rugs tend to have a higher number of knots per square inch.
hand-loomed - Rug making process by which a person, rather than a machine, operates the loom.
hand-tufted - Rug making process by which the pattern is stenciled onto backing material. Then, yarn is inserted into the backing using a hand-held tufting tool. When the tufting is finished, a backing is attached to anchor the stitches. The pile of a hand-tufted rug has a cut pile surface.
heat-set - Twisted yarns are treated with heat to give them a permanent wave. This type of construction results in long wear and resilience.
jute - Coarse, rope-like natural fiber often used in rugs and carpet backings.
Kilim - A tapestry-like flat-weave rug that originated in Romania.
knot density - The number of knots per square inch. The higher the number, the stronger and more durable the rug.
latex - Rubber-based synthetic polymer frequently used as a coating or backing to hold woven fabrics or tufted rugs stable.
loom - Frame or machine used for interlacing two or more sets of threads/yarns to create a rug.
loop construction - A rug that is formed with uncut loops of yarn.
machine made - Rug constructed by a machine that is typically controlled by a computer.
medallion - A large design found in the center in some rugs.
motif - A theme in a single or repeated design or color that can be found throughout the rug.
multi-level loop construction - A type of rug construction in which various levels of looped pile are woven or tufted to create texture or a pattern.
nap - A mechanical finish which results in fibers being raised from the fabric face for a raised fiber surface.
natural fiber - Fibers such as cotton, silk, and wool that are derived from natural sources.
nylon - Synthetic fiber produced from petroleum products. Wear and soil resistant, and easily cleaned, nylon is resilient and withstands heavy traffic and the weight and movement of furniture.
olefin - Predominant machine-woven synthetic fiber. Affordable, strong, and colorfast with a soft wool-like feel. Resists wear and stains.
Oriental rug - Hand-knotted pile rug woven in complex floral or geometric pattern.
pattern - An element of design. The arrangement of shapes, lightness/darkness, or relief that make a design.
pattern repeat - The measurement between a point in a design and the next point where the design begins again.
pile - Cut or looped yarns that form the top surface of a rug. Rounded loops are called uncut pile. Cut loops are called cut pile.
pile density - The closeness of the weave or tufts of a rug. The greater the density, the more durable the rug.
pile weave - Refers to the structure of knotted carpets and rugs. Usually, wool, silk, or cotton is knotted around the warp.
pilling - The tendency of fibers to work into small balls.
ply - Refers one unit of yarn or to the combining and twisting of two, three, or four yarns.
polyester - Synthetic fiber often used as a blend with other fibers such as cotton or rayon. Known for its minimum care qualities, and soft hand when used in thick, cut pile textures. Stain resistant.
polypropylene - See olefin.
rag rug - Plain weave rug that is woven with wide strips of fabric.
ramie - Natural fiber characterized by its strength and dyeability. Also known as grass cloth.
rayon - Synthetic silk-like fiber made of regenerated cellulose.
resilience - The ability of a fabric or flooring to return to its original shape.
rosette - A motif resembling an open rose.
rug - A floor covering that varies in size, shape, and construction. Rugs are used for various purposes and may be used purely for decoration.
rug pad - Padding placed under a rug to reduce wear, tear, and slippage.
runner - A long, narrow strip of rug, designed for use in stairways and hallways.
Scotchguard® - Registered trademark for 3M Company’s stain-repellent finish.
selvage - The edge of a woven fabric, finished with a narrow tape-like weave to prevent unraveling.
serging - An edge-finishing treatment, yarn is sewn along the edge of a rug to protect it from unraveling.
Shetland wool - A fine full-bodied wool with a heavy hand. Pulled from the undercoats of Shetland sheep.
shirazi - Process in which wool or cotton is wrapped around the lateral warp threads to form a firm edge.
silk - A natural fiber reeled from silkworm cocoons.
sisal - Natural, coarse, rope-like fiber, used in woven rugs. Produced by the agave plant in Yucatan.
sprouting - Refers to the loose ends that will pull up on a rug, particularly a braided one. They should be cut with sharp scissors rather than pulled.
synthetic fibers - Manmade fibers, such as polyester, are easy to care for and usually are a good value.
tapestry - A thick fabric with a reversible design made by weaving colored threads on a warp. Usually depicts a picture or design.
tea wash - Procedure used to give a rug the appearance of age and soften its color.
texture - The smoothness or roughness of a surface as it appears to the eye or feels to the hand.
throw rug - See accent rug.
tubular braids/tubular core - In braided rugs, yarns are woven around a soft inner core for full, cushioned comfort.
tufted - A rapid and economical method by which rug may be produced. Rug yarns are pushed through a primary backing and then secured with an adhesive backing. How far the yarns penetrate beyond the face of the backing will determine the height of the pile.
twist - Refers to the winding of yarn around itself. The more winds/turns per inch, the tighter the twist. A rug with tighter yarn twist is less bulky and more durable. The twist is held in place by the heat setting process.
uncut pile - See pile.
warp - Yarns running lengthwise in fabric, parallel to the selvage. Filling, or weft, yarns are passed crosswise through them in the weaving process. These threads of yarn, upon which the weaver ties the knots, run the entire length of the rug.
weave - To construct a fabric or rug by interlacing strips or strands of material. Woven rugs are more durable and have better pattern definition than those created by tufting.
weft - Threads of yarn that run across the width of a rug between the warp threads to hold the knots in place. Also called filling yarns.
wool - A natural fiber produced from the fleece of sheep. Is an excellent insulator. Noted for its softness.
worsted - Tightly twisted yarn spun from combed, stapled spun from combed, stapled wool fibers of the same length. Produces a compact, smooth weave with no nap.
woven - See weave.
yarn - A strand of twisted threads of natural or synthetic materials used in weaving, knitting, sewing, and the like. Some popular rug yarns are nylon, olefin, wool, and cotton.
yarn-dyed - Woven from pre-dyed yarn, resulting in more durable and pronounced coloring.
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