Rug & Carpet Glossary

Abrash is the natural variation of colour that occurs on a hand knotted rug as a result of the use of wool from a variety of different dye batches during the knitting process. Abrash is actually a characteristic of a true hand-knotted rug and is not a defect, it is actually a sign of the small batches of natural dyes used in the rug's production, as opposed to a machine-made rug with perfectly even, synthetic dyes.

Aubusson is a type of flat woven tapestry rug with pastel florals, scrolling borders and a smooth, low-pile (sometimes pile-free) surface woven with a tapestry weave instead of knotting.

Axminster is a machine woven carpet construction that can create highly detailed and multi coloured patterns, frequently used in carpet for hospitality and commercial applications, and some are rugs.

The backing is the material that is on the bottom of a rug that keeps the pile in place; hand knotted rugs have a foundation that is woven from cotton or wool, while machine-made rugs have a second layer of latex, jute or synthetic for stability.

Berber refers to both a style of carpet with a looped design that is flecked with yarn and used for durability and stain resistance, and to the original hand-knotted rugs of the Berber tribes of North Africa featuring geometric symbols and natural wool that is not dyed.

Bokhara rugs are a type of rug that is characterized by a series of elongated octagon or "gul" medallions, which are typically made by Turkmen tribes and were originally traded through the market town of Bukhara, but most rugs sold today with the Bokhara style are from Pakistan.

Border is the line that surrounds the outer edges of a rug, and is not the same as the design in the field; the width and number of border bands may be used to aid in identifying a rug's regional origin.

Chain stitch is a hand embroidery stitch that makes a chain of stitches through a ground cloth by using a hooked needle (ari) that is used in Kashmiri chain stitch rugs to produce dense embroidered floral and paisley designs.

Chobi is a type of Afghan hand-knotted rug made with vegetable dyed wool in muted, antique washed colours, often with traditional Persian influence medallion or all over patterns.

See "Pile Density" and "Knot Count" - CIS is not a formal international standard, but a term that is sometimes used informally to compare general quality of carpet trade; buyers should not accept general claims of quality, but should take specific, measurable measurements (KPSI, pile weight, material).

Cotton warp means that the warp, or vertical foundation threads, of a rug are cotton instead of wool or silk. Cotton is used for warps because it does not stretch, which makes the rug last for decades of use.

A pile of rugs or carpets in which the yarns are cut at the top and stand up individually, giving a velvety texture to the surface of the rug/carpet, which is the most common type of pile in a hand-knotted rug.

A dhurrie is a flatwoven, reversible rug woven in India from cotton or wool, which is traditionally knotless and unpiled and is valued for its lightness, durability and suitability for warm climates.

Distressed rugs are a popular style in transitional and modern decor, featuring soft patina, intentionally aged appearance and faded coloring.

Vegetable dyeing is done using natural plant, root and insect dyes (madder root, indigo, pomegranate skin) to create the soft range of colours called abrash; synthetic (chrome or acid) dyeing is a lab formulated dye that has uniform colours and is more colourfast and cheaper.

The large, angular octagonal medallion design is a popular Western term for "Gul," which means "elephant foot" in Turkmen and Bokhara rugs.

An embossed (or carved) rug is one that has a design embossed (or carved) by shearing the pile at various heights, which is widely used in high-low hand-tufted rugs for texture but not color.

The main central section of a rug's design is the field, which is located within the border.

A flatweave rug is a rug that is made without pile - the rug is made by interweaving the warp and the weft so that it is thin and reversible (kilims and dhurries are both flatweaves).

The foundation is the combination of warp and weft structure of a rug, its underpinning or "skeleton" and the foundation material (cotton, wool or silk) will greatly influence the durability and the cost of the rug.

The Ghiordes knot, also known as the Turkish knot, is a symmetrical hand-knotting method in which the yarn passes around two warp threads and both ends come out between the warp threads, which was traditionally used in Turkish, Caucasian and Persian tribal weaving; it is generally more durable than the asymmetrical Persian knot.

Important for ethically-conscious buyers in the US and European markets, GoodWeave Certified is a third-party certification that a hand-knotted rug was made without the use of child, forced, or bonded labor. If buyers are interested in the ethical aspects of the supply chain, they will seek out this certification rather than simply "handmade" or "fair trade" statements.

A gul is a stylised motif, typically in the shape of an octagon, that is repeated throughout the field of a rug, typically related to certain Turkmen tribes, each of which had a different gul design as a sort of "signature.

The hand-knotted rug is the most labor-intensive and typically highest value rug making method, taking weeks to months to produce, and involves the individual tying thousands (usually 50,000+ knots per square meter) of knots, one by one, around the warp yarns.

Produced with a hand tufting gun, a hand tufted rug is punched through a cloth backing using a pre-drawn pattern, then bound with a layer of latex glue and another cloth backing, and has a shorter lifespan (5-15 years) than a hand knotted rug, but is faster and cheaper to make.

Hand-woven is an all-encompassing term that includes hand knotted pile rugs, as well as flatweaves like kilims and dhurries - the word doesn't imply pile or flat construction, so ask the buyer what type of weaving was done.

Heriz is a style of Persian rug that features large geometric medallions, rust and terracotta colors, and a more coarse and durable construction than finer Persian city rugs like Tabriz or Isfahan.

Ikat is a resist-dyeing method in which the yarn is tied in patterns and then dyed, creating the soft, slightly blurred geometric patterns that are characteristic of Ikat-pattern rugs and textiles from Central Asia and Indonesia.

Indo-Persian is a term used to describe rugs that are woven in India using the traditional design motifs and knotting techniques of the Persian rugs and are therefore considered to be a major category of the global rug trade, with Persian style aesthetics and often a lower price than rugs woven in Iran.

A natural plant fiber that's coarser than cotton, jute is biodegradable and used to make inexpensive, casual, textured flatwoven rugs, though it's not as stain- and moisture-resistant as wool, it's ideal for low-traffic, dry spaces.

A jufti knot is a "false" or shortcut knotting method that wraps around four warp threads rather than two, enabling the weaver to cover the same area with about half the knots - and therefore the rug is approximately half as knot dense, durable, and valuable as a properly knotted rug.

Kashan is a style of Persian rug that is traditionally woven in the city of Kashan, Iran, with a central medallion on a deep red or blue field, and fine, dense knotting.

Kazak is a large, coarse pile tribal rug style with strong, primary colors, and large geometric designs.

A flatwoven rug without knots or pile, knotted across Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia, kilim is valued for its lightweight, reversible and durable construction, and is traditionally woven using a slit-weave or interlocking technique to create geometric patterns.

The main technical indicator of the quality and fineness of a hand knotted rug is the number of knots per square inch (KPSI) or square meter, with higher counts (150+ KPSI) signifying more detail and usually a higher quality and value; however, "best" KPSI varies depending on the design, with bold tribal patterns requiring fewer knots than fine floral medallions.

The frame or apparatus used to stretch warp threads and to weave or knit a rug is called a loom, which comes in two forms: vertical looms, which are traditionally used in hand-knotted rugs, and horizontal looms, which are used in flatweaves or dhurries.

Loop pile carpet surface is a surface that uses a pile of uncut yarns to create a more durable and textured surface than a cut pile carpet, which is often found in Berber style carpets.

Lori Baft are hand-knotted rugs from the semi-nomadic tribes of southern Iran; or modern rugs produced in the same style of knotting as the Lori/Qashqai tribesmen - characterized by large tribal patterns and thick, strong wool pile.

In Persian and Persian-influenced rug styles, a central, often symmetrical decorative motif (typically circular, diamond, or star-shaped) is placed in the middle of the rug's field.

A Moroccan rug is a hand-knotted or flatwoven rug from the Berber/Amazigh tribes of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco with a high pile, simple geometric or diamond patterns, and undyed cream or ivory wool, most notably the Beni Ourain sub-style.

Refer to the Dyeing (Vegetable vs. Synthetic) section.

A nomadic rug is a rug woven by nomadic or migratory people, usually on a horizontal loom, and of smaller size and less regular shape than rugs produced in settled weaving workshops, prized for authenticity and one-of-a-kind character.

Oushak is a style of rugs from Turkey; it is characterized by light, muted colors, large-scale floral and medallion designs, and an open, airy field, which is very popular in contemporary and transitional spaces.

Overdyed rugs are vintage or antique rugs that have been re-dyed in a single intense, rich color over their original pattern, creating a contemporary, high contrast design, but the traditional weave and pattern is still faintly visible through the re-dyed color.

Persian knot (Senneh knot) is an asymmetric hand-knotting technique in which the yarn passes completely around one warp yarn and loosely around the next and is used for finer, more intricate patterns than the Ghiordes knot and is common to most Persian city-style rugs.

The three most important aspects of rug appearance, feel and longevity are pile height, rug density and rug material, which is raised surface produced by knotted or tufted yarn ends.

Pile density refers to how close the pile fibers are to each other, typically expressed in ounces per square yard or by the number of knots of hand knotted rugs, with more density equaling more durability, fuller appearance and higher cost.

A handloom frame that is partly into a pit dug into the ground so that the weaver can sit on the ground with foot pedals, typically for hand-knotted rugs in India and Pakistan.

Hand-knotted by the Qashqai nomadic tribes of southwestern Iran, Qashqai rugs are known for their bold and dense tribal motifs, diamond medallion designs, and rich, saturated natural dyes.

Historically a creative, inexpensive rug-making method, and now a popular sustainable and casual rug choice, a rag rug is a rug woven on a flat loom or braided from strips of recycled fabric instead of spun yarn.

A runner is a long, narrow rug, usually 2-3 feet wide and 6 feet or longer, meant for narrow galley kitchens, staircases and hallways.

The selvedge is the finished, tightly wrapped edge along the two long sides of a rug that keeps weft threads from coming undone - a good visual clue to overall good construction is a well-made selvedge.

A semi antique rug is usually 50-99 years old and is not a true antique (100+ years) or a vintage rug (20-49 years) and the age of the rug has a significant impact on the value to the collector and condition of the rug.

Made from silk yarn, not wool, or a combination of both, a silk rug is extremely fine, lustrous, light-reflecting, and can be hand-knotted to very high counts and intricate detail, and is best suited to low traffic, decorative applications, and is usually found at the high end of the market.

Soumak is a flatweave in which the stitch is wrapped (not over/under) to create a thicker, more textured and more durable flatwoven surface than a standard kilim.

Tabriz is a Persian rug style from Tabriz, Iran, which features intricate floral and vase designs, fine knotting and detailed central medallions, making it one of the oldest and most renowned Persian weaving centers.

Transitional rugs combine traditional elements (medallions, florals, borders) with contemporary, neutral colors and streamlined designs, and are one of the hottest rug trends in the U.S. rug market today.

Hand-knotted or flatwoven by nomadic or semi-nomadic weavers, a tribal rug is made by the weavers of a tribe or family group with traditional, frequently symbolic, geometric designs that have been passed down from generation to generation.

In hand-tufted rug-making, the yarn is pushed through a backing fabric with a tufting gun, which is an electric tool that can be hand-held, and is a much quicker method than hand-knotting.

Undyed wool is wool that has not been dyed and is generally found in its natural sheep color which is usually cream, grey or brown, and is typical of Moroccan Beni Ourain and other minimalist tribal rugs.

Viscose, also known as rayon or "art silk," is a semi-synthetic fiber that is processed from plant cellulose and has a similar luster to real silk, but is softer and less durable – and stains and crushes easily, making it ideal for decorative rugs that are not used much.

A vintage rug is considered to be 20-49 years old, which is old enough to have desirable patina and character, but not yet old enough to be considered antique.

Weft threads are the ones that are knotted over the warp; warp material (cotton, wool or silk) plays an important role in a rug's structural stability.

The weft are the horizontal threads woven between rows of knots to hold them down and give the rug its structure; the weft count (single, double or more shoots per row) determines the flexibility and durability of a rug.

The most popular natural fibre used for rugs is wool, which has excellent durability, natural stain resistance, is resilient (recoils when walked on) and is able to hold rich, dye-absorbent colour, which depends on the source (New Zealand, Tibetan highland, Kashmiri) affecting quality and price.

Yarn twist is the degree of twist applied to the individual wool or silk fibers before they are woven together in a pile; the tighter the twist the more durable the look and the less mat and shed.

The Zapotec rug is a handwoven rug made from wool fabric by the Zapotec weavers of Oaxaca, Mexico, characterized by its unique flatweave technique, natural dyes, and bold geometric patterns, which are different from those found in the rugs of the Middle East and South Asia.