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Daniel Carter
Mrs. Maxwell
British Literature
3rd November 2011
The Carpet Industry
Carpet is something taken for granted every day, it is walked on and feels warm
underneath ones feet, right? This may be true, however this carpet has been designed,
manufactured and installed by professionals that make a living out of something so simple.
Throughout history carpets have evolved from fine Persian carpets walked on by princes to
carpet many people have in their living rooms today. Carpets have been around for thousands of
years and have been manufactured by many huge civilizations such as the Egyptians, the
Chinese and many more. The industrial world would not be where it is today without Carpets.
The economies of many countries rely heavily on the carpet industry. For being a simple product
carpet has an elaborate history involving the different types of carpet weaving, the different
materials used to manufacture carpet, the difference between carpets from different regions of
the world, the installation process and many other suprises. Carpet weaving has differed in many
ways since the beginning.
The oldest carpet was discovered in a frozen tomb and is estimated to be over 2,000 years
old, the carpet was made with a knotting technique that was used all throughout the middle ages

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(Read). Woven Carpet is manufactured on a loom and is woven to be either plush or berber
(About Carpet). Plush carpet has a cut pile, meaning the woven material comes straight up and
appears to be cut (Carpet). Whereas berber carpet comes out of the backing and re-enters at
another point, some call this looped carpet (Carpet). A more technologically advanced carpet is
the needlefelt carpet which is produced using the electrical attraction between individual fibers
(About Carpet). This provides for a very strong, durable carpet. Tufted carpet is made by having
the pile injected into a backing material which is then also attached to another backing material
(Carpet). This is the most common type of carpet used in the United States. The Axminster
process is a very efficient way of producing carpet, it uses a loom to feed yarn into a backing
(Axminster Carpets). These looms are electronically operated and are capable of incorporating
many colors into a piece of carpet. The Axminster process is fairly new in terms of history and is
much more efficient than any other process; this is why it is used by the carpet industry giants
such as Brintons Carpets and Thai Peng (Burrows). Carpet has a number of ways to be produced
however what materials does it take for this to be possible?
The Axminster process requires an 80 to 20 ratio, 80% wool and 20% nylon (Burrows).
Many fibers can be used in the manufacturing of carpet, these fibers are often chosen according
to cost, appearance, durability and ease of manufacturing (About Carpet). 90% of the
commercial market uses nylon, wool or polypropylene these are both very cost effective
materials compared to others (About Carpet). Nylon is a material that can be dyed very easily
and is very durable, this accounts for the wide use of nylon in carpet manufacturing (Carpet).
Polypropylene is another fiber that is used in many carpets throughout the world. This fiber is

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very inexpensive and is very durable, however it is not easily dyed which means vibrant colors
cannot be used in the dyeing process (Carpet). Wool is a common material in carpet
manufacturing. Wool is commonly combined with nylon to make the ultimate carpet, the
combination is extremely durable and is easily dyed making it the perfect combination, (About
Carpet). Polyester is a material used in mid to low priced carpeting. Polyester came into play
when the price of raw materials rose in early 2000 (Carpet). Polyester is stain resistant and very
inexpensive however it has a tendency to crush and mat down very easily making it not a very
durable carpet (Carpet). Materials used and weaving styles differ depending on the region of the
world in which they came from.
Carpet has been a product produced all over the world for many centuries by all different
cultures. The Egyptians have been making carpet for a very long time. Egyptian carpets have
very geometric designs and are usually woven with wool (Carpet Manufacturing Process).
Chinese rugs and carpets have been manufactures since early 17th century, the carpets were made
for Emperor Ch’ung Chen (About Carpet). Turkey also is a major country for carpet production.
Turkish carpets have elaborate patterns, motifs and use exuberant colors, these carpets are said to
be second finest in the world (About Carpet). The finest carpets in the world originate from Iran,
(About Carpet). Iran is the largest producer of carpet in the world, accounting for one third of the
worlds carpet, (About Carpet). Another major contributor to the carpet industry is Great Britain.
The town of Kidderminster which lies 20 miles east of Birmingham City has served as a carpet
weaving center for Great Britain (Burrows). Axminster carpets are the main production of
Kidderminster today but are relatively new to the carpet industry (Burrows). As well as the

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manufacturing the carpet there is some other turmoil to go through before the process is
complete, this turmoil is installation.
The installation of the carpet is what makes a good carpet look great. Carpet is commonly
made to be in widths of 15ft and 12ft (About Carpet). Obviously carpet cannot be manufactured
to fit an exact area perfectly; cuts and seams will have to be made. A seam is where two separate
pieces of carpet can be put together to look like one whole piece. Carpet is fitted to the floor of a
space on top of a rubber underlay using nails, gripper rods and adhesives, (50 Random Facts
about Carpet). Some carpets in the United Kingdom are made to be very thin with a width of 27
inches, typically used in pubs and clubs (About Carpet). Carpet that does fit a space exactly is
called “wall to wall” carpet (About Carpet). The carpet industry has many other aspects to it
some that are very surprising.
The term carpet comes from the Latin word “carpere” which means to pluck (50 Random
Facts about Carpet). This was used because carpet is made with plucked fibers (50 Random
Facts about Carpet). The popular term “Carpe Diem” has the same root as carpet, meaning pluck
or seize the day (50 Random Facts about Carpet). Many people have the trouble of
distinguishing the difference between a rug and a carpet. The official rule is that anything over
the size of 40 square feet is considered a carpet anything under that is a rug (50 Random Facts
about Carpet). Red carpets are commonly used to represent royalty. A long, thin red carpet is
usually rolled out for people of importance to walk on, this first came into use with Agamemnon
around 480 B.C. (50 Random Facts about Carpet). Carcinogens from cigarettes are captured in
carpet and have been known to cause lung cancer in cats, dogs and children (50 Random Facts

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about Carpet). It’s not only carcinogens that get caught up in carpet. Fleas, dust, skin flakes, and
even diseases can be contained in carpet for over four months, (50 Random Facts about Carpet).
The carpet industry is very elaborate.
So carpet is warm under your feet and feels comfy, but there is so much more to this
simple product. This industry has contributed a lot to the economy of the United States and many
other countries. The carpet industry has evolved in many ways such as; carpet being hand woven
to being made with a loom, and the use of a seaming machine instead of two pieces of carpet
being sewed together. Different materials used, the different types of weaving, the installation
process and many more aspects contribute to the giant carpet industry which contributes to a
major portion of the US economy. Is it not crazy how something so simple can consist of so
many aspects?