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What’s the difference between broadloom, shag and Berber carpeting?

Carpet comes in three basic styles:

	Cut-pile carpet is made by trimming the looped yarns, which are woven through a backing, to the same height and allowing them to slightly tuft, creating a soft appearance.
Loop-pile carpet is made by weaving the yarns into the backing and leaving the looped ends of the yarns uncut.
	Combination cut- and-loop-pile carpet features interesting patterns, which result from the variation in surface textures.

Shag carpets fall into the cut-pile or cut-and-loop-pile categories and are characterized by long-pile tufts laid over in random directions so that the sides of the yarn form the traffic surface. Modern shags are made from plied heat-set yarns and are currently defined as having a pile height greater than 3/4 inch, with density not exceeding 1,800 ounces per square yard. Density in carpet is an indication of the closeness of pile yarn, or the amount of pile packed into a given area of carpet. In tufted carpet, density is a combination of gauge and stitch rate (stitches per inch). Increased density, as opposed to increased pile height, increases the carpet’s ability to withstand wear and tear.

Berber carpets are a loop-pile design that comprises natural-colored, bulky wool yarns in a woven construction. A nomadic North African tribe called the Berbers is credited with the origination of this style. Today’s Berber-style carpets are made primarily of bulky loop-pile nylon or polypropylene yarns in a tufted construction.

All types of carpets can be made with different kinds of fiber, such as wool, nylon or olefin. They can also be made as broadloom carpets, or carpets that are more than 6 feet wide -- or more conventionally 12-15 feet in width -- and are generally installed wall-to-wall. The antiquated term “broadloom carpet” did not define any particular quality, construction or style. It is no longer an acceptable term in the carpet industry; the preferred word is simply “carpet.” -- As told to Jean Nayar