Carpet manufacturing involves many processes and the industry jargon can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Here is a useful list of terms with explanations of what they mean.
80:20
The 80% wool/20% nylon mix developed by Brintons in the 1950s; the softness of wool combined with the strength of nylon creates the perfect carpet yarn.
axminster
Brintons is the world's leading manufacturer of axminsters. Axminster is a weaving process that offers great pattern definition and therefore most axminster carpets are patterned. to learn more about axminster carpet construction click here.
berber
Traditionally berbers were made from natural-coloured wools, but what we refer to these days as a berber is a heather with a 'homespun' appearance.
brinset
Plain carpet is prone to show random shading effects beyond those you'd normally expect from foot traffic. Brintons developed the Brinset process, which is used during manufacture to eliminate the risk of these effects. Brinset guarantees against permanent random shading effects in domestic installations on all Brintons cut pile products for up to 2 years following the installation of the carpet.
heather
Carpet yarn made from more than one fibre colour, giving a flecked, multicoloured effect.
pile
The pile is the bit you stand on. 'Total pile weight' refers to the amount of yarn used to make the carpet. Deep pile carpets feel more luxurious, while more rows of yarn are harder-wearing.
sqm
SQM or square metre refers to a piece of carpet that is 1m width x 1m length. Carpets are often priced per square metre however you need to consider that the carpet width will influence how this is cut/supplied.
tog
Carpets and underlays can resist the transfer of heat to a lesser or greater degree and this "thermal resistance value" can be measured as a "tog" value. This is an important consideration when fitting carpet onto underfloor heating systems. For our complete list of tog values click here.
twist
A type of carpet that uses yarn with a higher twist than usual, to create a textured surface.
velvet
Straighter than twisted yarn, with the cut ends at the top, giving a soft, velvety surface.
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wilton
The oldest method of weaving, offering limited colour choice but a variety of textures. Ideal for producing textured plains. To learn more about wilton carpet construction click here.
woven
A traditional process where the pile and backing yarns are woven together, offering unrivalled strength and stability. You can spot a woven carpet by the warp and weft threads on the reverse. Both axminster and wilton carpets are woven.
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