There are two sources of carpet fibre - Natural and Man-Made.
All carpet results from the conversion of raw fibre. With a few exceptions, this fibre is spun into yarn and this yarn is then made into carpet through one of three methods - weaving, tufting and bonding. More about yarn spinning.All carpet fibres have something special to offer, whether it is warmth, cleanability, hard wear, fire retardance or even price. Your carpet will perform longer and look better depending upon which fibre you select and how much is packed into the carpet.
Fibres are sometimes blended together to give the optimum performance at the best possible price.
Types of Carpets
Wool
The oldest and most popular of the natural fibres.
Exceptionally suited to carpets because it combines hard wear with lasting good looks.
Wool does not support combustion and under normal conditions does not conduct static electricity.
Man-Made Fibres
Popular since the early 1950's, great advances have been made in the performance of man-made carpet fibres.
Main benefits of man-made fibres.
Acrylic
Not as hard wearing as Nylon and less fire resistant than wool, Acrylic is a fibre with good bulk and resilience.
Polyamide (Nylon)
Many different brand names, such as Anso, Timbrelle. A tough fibre and with stain resistant treatments is less prone to soiling than earlier nylon carpets. More flammable and prone to static than wool. Nylon is often added to wool to increase resistance to wear especially in lower pile weights and densities.
Polyester
Used in luxury Saxony styles, less resistant to flattening than some fibres but wears well. For a selection of Polyester carpets.
Polypropylene
Hard wearing and not as resilient as other fibres. It is very easy to clean but will scar if exposed to flame.