Carpet Fibers
Carpet Fibers are very important on how your carpet will respond to your lifestyle. Carpet fibers are similar to the fabric in your clothing. The type of fiber used, the construction of the cloth, and the color all play a role in the styling, cost and performance of that garment.
All carpet yarn is manufactured from either a staple or continuous filament (BCF) fiber. Staple fiber is a series of short, 6 to 7 inches in length, strings spun together to form one continuous filament. Several of these are twisted together to form a strand of yarn. BCF fiber is a continuous filament manufactured as one long strip. These are twisted and heat set together to form a strand of yarn. Both of these processes create yarns that produce carpet products with distinctly different looks and characteristics.
A Description of Common Carpet Fibers
Nylon
The most frequently used carpet fiber, highly desirable due to its exceptional durability, versatility, and reasonable pricing. It can be dyed in an endless variety of colors and made into numerous styles and textures. Nylon is commonly used in residential and commercial applications.
Polyester
Used in residential and a few commercial applications, polyester has good color clarity, colorfastness and resistance to water-soluble stains. Mohawk has a staple polyester yarn that comes from state of the art plastic bottle recycling facility. This "food-grade" PET polyester fiber might be considered to be better quality than "carpet-grade" polyester fiber.
Polypropylene
Also known as Olefin, this fiber resists fading, generates low levels of static electricity, is favorably priced, and can be engineered in outdoor applications. Due to its manufacturing process, polypropylene inherently resists stains. When used in specific carpet constructions, this yarn will perform as well as most resilient fibers.
Wool
The most expensive of the fibers listed here, it is a natural fiber with moderate soil and stain resistance. Durable, luxurious "hand", reduced visible soil due to fine, light-scattering characteristics.
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