Antistatic - The ability of a carpet system to dissipate an electrostatic charge before it reaches the threshold of human sensitivity.

Average Pile Yarn Weight - Mass per unit area of the pile yarn including buried portions of the pile yarn. In the U.S., it is usually expressed as ounces per square yard.

Backing - Fabrics and yarns that make up the back of the carpet as opposed to the carpet pile or face. In tufted carpet:

• Primary backing - A woven or nonwoven fabric in which the yarn is inserted by the tufting needles.
• Secondary backing - Fabric laminated to the back of the carpet to reinforce and increase dimensional stability.

Berber - Loop-pile carpet tufted with thick yarn, such as wool, nylon or olefin. Often having random specks of color in contrast to a base hue, this floor covering has a full, comfortable feel, while maintaining an informal, casual look. Currently, this term has expanded to describe many level or multi-level loop carpet styles.

Broadloom - A term used to denote carpet produced in widths wider than 6 feet. Broadloom is usually 12 feet wide, but may also be 13'6" and 15 feet wide.

Bulked continuous filament (BCF) - Continuous strands of synthetic fiber formed into yarn bundles of a given number of filaments and texturized to increase bulk and cover. Texturizing changes the straight filaments into kinked or curled configurations. Continuous filament fibers produce less "fuzz" than a staple yarn.

Construction - The manufacturing method (i.e. tufted, woven) and the final arrangement of fiber and backing materials as stated in its specification.

Cushion - Any kind of material placed under carpet to provide softness and adequate support when it is walked upon. Carpet cushion provides a softer feel underfoot and provides added acoustical and insulation benefits and longer wear life for the carpet. In some cases, the carpet cushion is attached to the carpet when it is manufactured. Also referred to as "padding" or "underlay," although "cushion" is the preferred term.

Cut Pile - A carpet in which the face is composed of cut ends of pile yarn. Still one of today's most popular constructions, its durability is achieved with factors including the type of fiber, density of tufts, and the amount of twist in the yarn.

• Plush / Velvet -- Smooth, level surfaces; formal atmosphere, "velvet."
• Saxony -- Smooth, level finish, but pile yarns have more twist so that the yarn ends are visible and create a less formal look. Minimizes foot prints.

Density - Refers to the amount of pile yarn in the carpet and the closeness of the tufts. Generally, in cut pile carpets, the denser the pile, the better the performance.

Dimensional Stability - The ability of the carpet to retain its original size and shape, e.g. a secondary backing adds dimensional stability to carpet.

Direct Glue-Down - An installation method whereby the carpet is adhered to the floor.

Double Glue-Down - An installation method whereby the carpet cushion is first adhered to the floor with an adhesive, and the carpet is then glued to the cushion.

Fiber - Nylon: Wear-resistant, resilient, withstands the weight and movement of furniture, and provides brilliant color. Ability to conceal and resist soils and stains. Generally good for all traffic areas.

Fiber - Olefin (polypropylene): Strong, resists wear and permanent stains, and is easily cleaned. Notably colorfast because color is added in the fiber production. Resists static. Many Berbers are made of olefin.

Filament - A single continuous strand of natural or synthetic fiber.

Fluffing - Appearance on carpet surface of loose fiber fragments left during manufacture; not a defect, but a characteristic that disappears after carpet use and vacuuming. Sometimes called "fuzzing" or "shedding."

Frieze - Pronounced "free-zay," this tightly twisted yarn gives carpet a rough, nubby appearance.

Fuzzing - Hairy effect on fabric surface caused by fibers slipping out of the yarn with wear or wet cleaning.

Gauge - The distance between two needle points expressed in fractions of an inch. Applies to both knitting and tufting.

Hand - The tactile aesthetic qualities of carpet and textiles, how it feels to the hand.

Heat setting - The process that sets the twist by heat or steam, enabling yarns to hold their twist over time. Important in cut pile carpet.

Level Loop - A carpet construction in which the yarn on the face of the carpet forms a loop with both ends anchored into the carpet back. The pile loops are of substantially the same height and uncut, making a smooth, level surface.

Loop Pile - Carpet style having a pile surface consisting of uncut loops. May be woven or tufted. Also called "round wire" in woven carpet terminology.

Luster - Brightness or sheen of fibers, yarns, carpet or fabrics.

Pad - Any kind of material placed under carpet to provide softness and adequate support when it is walked upon. Carpet cushion provides a softer feel underfoot and provides added acoustical and insulation benefits and longer wear life for the carpet. In some cases, the carpet cushion is attached to the carpet when it is manufactured. Also referred to as "padding" or "underlay," although "cushion" is the preferred term.

Pile - The visible surface of carpet consisting of yarn tufts in loop and/or cut configuration. Sometimes called "face" or "nap".

Pile Crush - Loss of pile thickness by compression and blending of tufts caused by traffic and heavy furniture. The tufts collapse into the air space between them. This may be irreversible if the yarn has inadequate resilience and/or the pile has insufficient density for the traffic load. Frequent vacuuming will lift the pile for longer carpet life.

Pilling - A condition of the carpet face (which may occur from heavy traffic) in which fibers from different tufts become entangled with one another, forming hard masses of fibers and tangled tufts. Pills may be cut off with scissors.

Plush - Luxuriously smooth-textured carpet surface in which individual tufts are only minimally visible and the overall visual effect is that of a single level of yarn ends. This finish is normally achieved only on cut-pile carpet produced from non-heat-set single spun yarns by brushing and shearing. Sometimes called "velvet-plush."

Ply - 1. A single-end component in a plied yarn. 2. The number that tells how many single ends have been ply-twisted together to form a plied yarn, e.g. two-ply or three-ply.

Power Stretcher - A carpet installation tool used to stretch carpet for installation with a tackless strip. According to industry standards, residential carpet, installed over cushion with a tackless strip, must be power-stretched to prevent wrinkles and ripples.

Resilience - Ability of carpet pile or cushion to recover original appearance and thickness after being subjected to compressive forces or crushing under traffic.

Saxony - A cut-pile carpet texture with twisted yarns in a relatively dense, erect configuration. The effect is well-defined tuft tips.

Seams - In a carpet installation, the line formed by joining the edge of two pieces of carpet by the use of various seaming tapes, hand sewing or other techniques.

Seam Sealing - Procedure of coating the trimmed edges of two carpet breadths to be joined with a continuous bead of adhesive in order to prevent fraying and raveling at the seam.

Shading - A change in the appearance of a carpet due to localized distortions in the orientation of the fibers, tufts or loops. Shading is not a change in color or hue, but a difference in light reflection.

Sisal - Originally made of vegetable fibers, the carpet industry has recently captured the look of natural sisal and jute with the gentler, more comfortable synthetic alternatives. Synthetic alternatives are almost worry-free and offer a variety of interesting textures, patterns and prints.

Soil Retardant - A chemical finish applied to fibers or carpet surfaces that inhibits attachment of soil.

Staple - Short lengths of fiber that may be converted into spun yarns by textile yarn spinning processes. These spun yarns are also called "staple" yarns.

Stitches - Stitches per inch. Number of yarn tufts per running inch of a single tuft row in tufted carpet.

Stretch-In - Installation procedure for installing carpet over separate cushion using a tackless strip; properly performed with a power-stretcher.

Tackless Strip - Wood or metal strips fastened to the floor near the walls of a room containing either two or three rows of pins angled toward the walls on which the carpet backing is stretched and secured in a stretch-in installation.

Tufted - Carpet manufactured by the insertion of tufts of yarn through a carpet-backing fabric, creating a pile surface of cut and/or loop ends.

Twist - The winding of the yarn around itself. Should be neat and well-defined. A tighter twist provides enhanced durability.

Yarn Ply - The number of single yarns twisted together to form a plied yarn.