I received an e-mail from a reader asking for some help with fiber quality. He wanted to know about nylon versus polyester versus olefin versus polypropylene. He also wanted to know why they use polypropylene in berbers and what the story is with BCF versus staple nylon. I’ve written about all of this before and have a wonderful booklet that explains most of this but we’ll give some specific answers to these questions.

First of all olefin and polypropylene are different names for the same fiber; polypropylene. It may also be called P2, Herculon or some other private label name by a manufacturer or buying group but it’s all the same fiber. As professional sellers of textile floor covering materials you should all know this and be aware of it.

The fibers you should be most knowledgeable about are nylon, polypropylene, polyester and wool. Nylon is the number one fiber for carpet, it is the most widely used and has the best performance properties. There are two types of nylon. Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6. Both are nylon but nylon 6,6 has a denser molecular structure. We won’t get into the specific chemistry and properties of each here but each has its own unique qualities and properties. As for similarities, both can be made in white form to be dyed or be solution dyed. Both can be made into Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF) or staple. Bulked Continuous Filament means the fiber can be extruded into an endless strand; think of fishing line. Staple means the fiber is cut into short lengths, 6 to 8 inches long and processed to be made into a fiber; think of wool. BCF use is increasing because it is much easier and less expensive to process into carpet. The economies of using BCF in manufacturing carpet save carpet mills a great deal of money. Staple fiber requires a great deal of processing to make it into yarn, which is very costly, therefore its use is diminishing. The other factor is that BCF and staple allow for a different “look” in the product. Depending on the engineering or design of a carpet, a manufacturer may choose to use one or the other to achieve a particular appearance, style or construction.

Polypropylene is fairly easy to make, less expensive than nylon and can perform well, which is why it has been so popular with carpet manufacturers. It is often used in less expensive products that compete at lower price points. It is used in berbers a lot because berbers typically use a massive amount of fiber to create that style. Since face fiber is approximately 70% of the cost of a carpet, a less expensive fiber lowers the cost of the carpet. Berbers are typically loop pile construction which better fits the performance characteristics of polypropylene. It is the least resilient fiber used in carpet so loop pile constructions are where it is best applied. Berbers are most often used in a family room type environment. Being naturally stain resistant they will offer better performance against staining when subjected to spilled foods and beverages that occur in family rooms, play rooms or basement recreation areas. Polypropylene is also hydrophobic which means it hates water so it pushes any water based substance away, however it loves oil and will attract it like a sponge. Polypropylene will mat and crush easily, but there is research being done to increase its resiliency. It will also melt or scar easier than any other synthetic when subjected to heat or friction from things being dragged acrossed it.

Polyester will take deep coloration, it too likes oily soil, it is naturally stain resistant because it is much harder to dye therefore it is much harder to stain. It falls between nylon and polypropylene as far as resiliency is concerned but processing the yarn effectively makes it a very good performer. It is still not in a category for use in high traffic environments but for bedrooms or one or two person dwellings it can be an excellent choice. The quality of polyester in carpet has greatly improved over the last 15 years. Most polyester today comes from recycled plastic bottles and containers and the larger manufacturers have their own facilities for taking in used containers and converting them to carpet. The excess polyester chip is sold for use into other products such as plastic chair mats, containers and plastic parts.

On any given day any one of these fibers could outperform the other depending on the use environment and the quality of the carpet. A polypropylene Berber of average quality could outperform a base grade, entry level nylon. A well constructed polyester could look better than a loose looped, light colored Berber.

One other fiber you’ll be hearing more about is Corterra. It has properties of nylon and polyester. A high performer with natural stain resistance. Shaw Industries is using it in apartment grade carpet and it should soon makes its way into other carpet grades and styles.

Interested in more information on fibers? Order my Fiber Book or The Claims File CD, call or order on line. You shouldn’t be without either one if you want to run a successful, profitable business.