Texture comes from the Latin word, "textere," which means "to weave." Today, texture may sometimes include the feel or "hand" of the carpeting as well as the weave's visual appearance. Texture ranges from soft and plush to firm and compact. The major factors which affect a carpet's texture include the pile fiber content, how and into what size the yarn is spun, the carpet's density and its construction.
The pile fibers play an important role in texture, as they are the most visible component of the carpet. Pile fibers are made of natural materials such as wool and cotton, or man-made materials such as nylon, acrylic, olefin or polyester. Because of their appearance and performance attributes, nylon fibers command the largest market share in the carpet industry. Nylon may be dyed or printed in any conceivable color and, because nylon is available in various sizes (denier) and texturizing methods, it is suitable for creating a myriad of textural effects.
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Density is the other factor affecting a carpet's texture and may be defined as the weight of the pile yarn in one cubic yard of carpeting. For example, the more yarn tufts per square inch, the greater the carpet's density. Density as it relates to texture can affect the appearance of a carpet. A less dense or "casual" construction in commercial applications might give the desired textural effect, but it will not yield the necessary wearlife. Generally, greater density increases wearlife, therefore the desired textural appearance of a carpet will influence wearlife as well.
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Once the proper yarn is selected, the manufacturer must then decide how it is to be constructed into carpeting. Construction has the greatest effect on a carpet's texture as the degree to which the pile yarn is exposed creates texture. The methods of construction are varied and include tufting, fusion bonding, knitting and weaving. Each method offers certain textural possibilities and some, such as tufting and weaving, can produce a wide variety of different textural effects.
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