Carpet Glossary

See "Crushing."

The temperature at which a carpet fiber changes from a solid to a liquid.

A color match between two materials in which the colors are identical under some lighting conditions but not under others. Metameric color matches are common when different pigments or dyestuffs are used to color the two materials.

See "Flame resistance tests".

Synthetic fiber that is extruded by a carpet manufacturer using polymer purchased from a fiber producer or chemical manufacturer. Type 6 nylon and polypropylene (olefin fiber) are commonly mill extruded. See "Olefin fiber" and "Nylon Type 6."

100 to 1,000 traffics per day. Could also include some directional and nondirectional traffic, some pivoting and little tracked-in dirt. See "Foot traffic units."

An advanced fiber cross section engineered by INVISTA. The smooth delta shape hides soil and minimizes soil buildup more than trilobal cross sections. (The trilobal has deep crevices that trap soil particles.)

Also called "carpet tile." Generally 18" x 18" squares cut from 6'-wide or broadloom carpet. Sizes may also be 36" x 36", 36" x 18", or 24" x 24."

A single filament of a man-made fiber usually of a denier higher than 14. Monofilaments are usually spun individually instead of through a spinnerette.

Multiple continuous filaments or strands of man-made fiber that are extruded together, usually from multiple holes of a single spinnerette. Multifilament yarns are texturized to increase bulk and cover, and are called "bulked continuous filament" (BCF) yarns.

A multi-color carpet made of (moresque) yarns which are produced by ply-twisting two or more singles yarns of different colors or shades. The moresque aesthetic can be achieved by using long space dyed yarns in a patterned carpet where tonal colors have been used in the space dyed yarns.

A woven or tufted carpet style having tufts of varying pile heights, resulting in a sculptured appearance, pattern or subtle shading. Today most multilevel loop styles are made on tufting machines equipped with servo motor controls. The servos allow for precise patterning and more exact yarn control/usage.