Guide · For the trade
Pattern loop carpet: how the pattern is made, what the spec sheet says and where to use it
Pattern loop carpet is a loop-pile carpet whose pattern comes from the loops themselves: loops at two or three heights (a multi-level or high-low loop), loops in two or more colors woven on a Wilton loom, or loops next to cut tufts in a cut-and-loop. The pile is 3/16 to 1/2 inch, the repeat runs from under 1 inch for a small texture to 24 inches or more for a large geometric, and because every tuft is anchored as a loop it is one of the hardest-wearing constructions a designer can specify for a hall, a stair or a family room.
This guide is for the designer reading "patterned loop" or "textured loop" on a line sheet and wanting to know what the words mean before the sample arrives. It covers the four ways a loop carpet gets its pattern, how to read the spec, the honest disadvantages, which rooms it suits, the mills we spec it from and what to tell the installer.
What is pattern loop carpet?
All loop carpet is yarn pulled through a backing and left as an uncut loop; a plain level loop is one height and one color. Pattern loop carpet varies one of those two things. Vary the height and the pattern is sculptural: the high loops catch light and the low ones sit in shadow, so the motif reads in a single color. Vary the color and the pattern is graphic: a Wilton loom lifts a different colored yarn to the surface at each point in the design, so a stripe, a check or a trellis reads in two to five colors at one loop height. Cut-and-loop does both, leaving some tufts as loops and shearing others, so the cut areas read darker and softer.
The four constructions, on the spec sheet
| Construction | How the pattern is made | Typical pile height | How it is listed | Wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-level loop (high-low) | Two or three loop heights on a tufting machine or a loom | 3/16 to 1/2 in | "Textured loop", "sculptured loop", "high-low loop" | Very good; the high loops take the traffic first |
| Wilton patterned loop | Colored yarns raised to the surface by a jacquard, all at one height | 1/4 to 3/8 in | "Patterned loop", "Wilton loop", with a W x L repeat | The best; dense, woven in, the pattern cannot wear off |
| Cut-and-loop | Some tufts sheared, some left looped, on a tufting machine | 1/4 to 1/2 in, cut tufts often 1/16 in higher | "Cut and loop", "loop cut loop", "LCL" | Good; the cut areas mat before the loops do |
| Hand-loomed textured loop | Thick wool loops at a variable height on a hand loom, with a small repeat | 3/8 to 1/2 in | "Hand-loomed loop", "textured loop", repeat under 5 in | Good; softer loops, more shedding at first |
Read the pile height as a range when two numbers appear: a nylon loop cut loop listed at 0.438 by 0.375 inch is telling you the cut tufts stand 1/16 inch above the loops. A 3.94 by 4.33 inch repeat on a wool Wilton loop is small enough that seams disappear; a 24 inch geometric needs the seam placed in the pattern. The pattern repeat guide covers the yardage that follows.
Loop carpet patterns we spec most
Wool Wilton patterned loop is the construction we reach for first, and the 952 Wiltons in our catalog include most of the patterned loops. Bellbridge weaves patterned, level and textured loops in 100 percent pure new wool at 67 to 78 oz per square yard on a 13 ft 2 in loom, in small geometrics with repeats under 13 inches that run through a hall and up a stair without a visible seam. Couristan hand-looms wool loop in 15 ft widths with half-drop repeats of a few inches, a softer loop for bedrooms and living rooms. Masland's loop-cut-loop nylons are the family-room version: 12 ft, Class I radiant panel, Green Label Plus, with 10 to 12 inch repeats that hide soil. The texture filter gathers 312 textured styles, and the patterned carpet category holds 1,352 patterned broadlooms of every construction.
What are the disadvantages of loop carpet?
Four, and a designer should say them to the client before the sample goes down. Loops snag: a dog's claw, a chair caster or a vacuum beater bar can pull a loop, and in a continuous-filament yarn one pulled loop can run along a row, so specify a dense, low loop and keep cats off a wool loop. Loops show seams more than cut pile; a small repeat and a good seam plan handle it. Loops are firmer underfoot. And a pale wool loop shows traffic lanes as a sheen change before it shows wear. None of these is a reason not to specify it; all are reasons to specify the right one. The cut pile vs loop pile guide has the comparison in numbers, and the berber carpet guide covers the flecked loop that word now means.
Where pattern loop carpet is the right spec
Halls, stairs and landings first, where the pattern hides the traffic lane and the loop holds up to it; a Wilton patterned loop cut into a 27 to 36 inch runner is a stair standard. Family rooms and media rooms, where a high-low loop in a mid tone hides crumbs and footprints. Bedrooms take a hand-loomed textured loop well, since the traffic is barefoot. Think twice in a formal living room where the client expects softness; there a cut pile or a hand-knotted rug on a loop broadloom is the answer, and the textured carpet guide separates the constructions that get called textured.
What to specify and tell the installer
Write the construction and pile height from the spec sheet, the repeat and match type, the roll width and the pattern direction, and order the whole job in one dye lot. Specify a dense pad, 1/4 to 3/8 inch felt, rubber or 32 oz synthetic, never a soft 8 lb rebond, because a soft pad lets the loops open at the seams. Tell the installer to power stretch, match the pattern at every seam and seal every cut edge, since a loop frays at an unsealed seam.
Questions designers ask
What is pattern loop carpet?
A loop-pile carpet whose pattern is built from the loops: two or three loop heights, two or more loop colors on a Wilton loom, or loops next to cut tufts. It is listed on a spec sheet as textured loop, patterned loop, Wilton loop or cut and loop, with a pile height and a repeat.
What are the disadvantages of loop carpet?
Loops can snag and, in a continuous-filament yarn, run; seams show more than in cut pile; the hand is firmer; and pale wool loops show traffic as a sheen change. Each is managed by density, pile height, pad and the seam plan.
Can you still buy patterned carpet?
Yes, and the patterned loop is where the mills have put their design work: 1,352 patterned broadlooms in our catalog, 712 of them Wiltons. The residential lines are nearly all patterned or textured.
Is pattern carpet expensive?
Net pricing is quoted to trade accounts, so this page gives no number. What moves it: a woven Wilton costs more per square yard than a tufted high-low, wool more than nylon, and a large repeat adds 10 to 20 percent to the yardage for matching. A small-repeat wool Wilton loop is often the best value per year of service on a stair.
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