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Industry Expert Secrets to Finding the Perfect Rug

Rug Glossary

Axminster: The popular choice for duplicating antique oriental rug designs because of the flexibility in color and design. The pile is inserted one row of tufts at a time, each row representing a section of the overall pattern. The tufts are U-shaped and are anchored at the bottom into the primary backing which is simultaneously woven.

Aubusson: A French flat weave design, usually with a center medallion and pastel colors.

Bokhara: Drawing their name from what was once a trade center in Tukestan, Bokhara rugs traditionally are woven in northeastern Iran and Russia and are worked in the classic Turkoman "elephant's foot" octagon, or gul. This pattern is repeated in rows and columns, usually on a deep red field, but is also seen in rust, tan, orange, light and dark blue, green, aqua, and gold.

Border: The design which forms the outside edge of a rug and surrounds, or frames, the field.

Bordered Rug: A rug with a solid or patterned border surrounding a solid field.

Chain Stitch: A crochet stitch used in rug construction that consists of successive loops to lock the final weft in place at the end of a rug.

Contemporary: Designs that are characterized by stark contrasts, bold use of color and geometric or free-form style elements. Contemporary patterns are often architectural or modern, but also include retro designs as well.

Cut and Loop Pile: A combination of cut ends and loops of pile yarn creating a variety of surface textures.

Cut Pile: Pile yarn loops are cut after insertion for the face of a carpet fabric.

Dhurrie: A flat-woven rug made in India, usually of wool, and noted for their geometrical or whimsical designs.

Drop-stitch: A technique in machine-made rug construction where a line is "dropped" simulating carving in handmade designs and adding a textural element.

Flat-weave: Any rug woven without a knotted pile such as a dhurrie.

Field: The largest portion of a rug, typically the center, surrounded by the border(s). The field may be solid or contain medallions or an overall pattern.

Foundation/Ground: The backing of the rug composed of the warp and weft threads and often made of cotton, wool, or silk.

Fringe: Extension of the warp threads on two opposite sides of the rug. Fringe can also be attached to a finished rug to simulate warp threads.

Hand: The tactile aesthetic qualities of carpet and textiles; how it feels to the hand.

Hand-Hooked: Yarn is pushed through a canvas cloth with a hooking needle to form a loop pile.

Hand-Knotted: Tying or knotting pile yarns around woven backing fibers (warp and weft). The resulting face of the rugs is then sheered to a pre-determined height to give the pile uniformity. The more knots per square foot the more valuable the rug.

Hand-Tufted: Using a tufting gun, pile yarns are forced through a primary backing material known as a scrim. This process forms a looped pile, and if left uncut the rug is referred to as hand-hooked. If the loops are sheered off to create a cut-pile look, it is referred to a hand-tufted.

Hand-Carved: The cutting, or carving, of lines or design patterns in a rug during the finishing process to create texture and dimension. This process is simulated in some machine-made rugs with a drop-stitch.

Heat Set: A stage in the yarn production process whereby two or more yarn fibers are twisted together and then heated to ensure the yarns remain joined. This process allows each yarn point to become fixed permitting greater design flexibility and appearance retention.

Knots: The portion of the yarn that is attached, or knotted, to the backing material. In cut-pile, machine-made rugs, the knots are comprised of two points. In other words, the face yarn is looped in a "U" shape under the backing materials which, when finished, will form two points and one knot.

Loop Pile: A woven or tufted carpet construction having a pile surface consisting of uncut loops.

Medallion: The large, enclosed portion of a design, usually in the center of the rug field. Common shapes are octagons, hexagons, and diamonds.

Pile: The visible surface of a rug, consisting of loop and/or cut yarn tufts. Also known as "face" or "nap".

Pile Height: The height of face yarns from the backing to the tip of the piece of yarn.

Ply: One or more yarns are twisted together to form a larger piece of yarn. Ply count indicates the number of single pieces that have been twisted together, e.g. two-ply or three ply.

Points: The tip end of a pile yarn and refers to the number of yarns that make up an area rug. The more points per square meter the denser the construction, and the denser the construction, the more detail an area rug will have.

Polypropylene: A petroleum-based fiber which is formed into yarns by a process of extrusion, whereby pre-dyed polypropylene pellets are melted down and extruded into a continuous fiber.

Savonnerie: A popular French-designed area rug with a hand-knotted construction of pastel colors and featuring a floral center medallion set on an open field and framed by broken borders. Many modern Indian and Persian rugs are inspired by this style.

Side-woven: A machine-made, wilton construction in which the rug is woven side to side rather than top to bottom. This process allows for a wide range of colors to be used, even up to 54 by Sphinx, and an added benefit is the ability for fringe to be "incorporated" in the rug.

Traditional: Modern-day representations of time-honored European and Asian designs reminiscent of Oriental or Persian motifs.

Transitional: A design style blending contemporary with traditional. Sometimes referred to as casual, transitional designs tend to be more popular with customers looking for the elegance of a traditional design with less formality."

Tribal: Characterized by style elements common to a specific culture of ethnic group these designs utilize earth tones such as yellow, gold, red, and brown. Tribal designs combine these elements in very exacting and structured designs offering their own interpretations.

Twist Level: The number of revolutions an individual yarn is spun around itself determines the twist level. A high twist level, or greater number or revolutions, allows the tuft to twist back upon itself and provides enhanced performance characteristics.

Warp: The parallel yarn strands that run vertically on a loom, and are often cotton, wool, or silk. Warp threads that extend beyond the face of the rug form the fringe.

Washing: A chemical solution used after weaving to soften a rug's colors and increase its luster. Sometimes referred to as herbal wash.

Weft: Yarns that are woven horizontally through the warps and form the face of the rug.

Wilton Loom: Automated looms popular for producing authentic Oriental rug designs. The wilton loom is capable of making intricate designs in a variety of weights and colorations at a fraction of the time it takes to weave handmade rugs.

Wool: Noted for luxury and softness, wool has a high build and is available in many colors. It's natural ability to repel water and resistance to breaking and compressing makes it a popular fiber choice in rug production.

Worsted: Before wool is spun into yarn, it is combed then worsted so that only longer pieces of fiber are left for final spinning. This process yields a high quality wool yarn.


Source: Rug Lingo 101 - Training Guide, Sphinx by Oriental Weavers

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