CARPET FIBERS

The esthetics and performance of carpet is 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 string. These are twisted and heatset 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   - Stainmaster Nylon , Anso Nylon , Wear-Dated 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   - P.E.T.

Used in residential and a few commercial applications, polyester has good color clarity, colorfastness, and resistance to water-soluble stains. All of Mohawk's staple polyester yarn comes from our 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.

SmartStrand

SmartStrand carpet is made from DuPont Sorona renewably resource polymer. This marks the first time that a luxuriously soft carpet offers durability and stain protection, while also making less of an environmental impact. The superior stain resistance of SmartStrand carpet is engineered into the fiber and will never wear or wash off.

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.

Fiber Performance in Carpet

* assuming nylon is treated with a stain resistant chemical.
** assuming treatment with a soil resistant chemical.

Fiber Types and Characteristics