Why are rugs so expensive? Part I

Why are rugs so expensive?

When it comes to rugs there's a lot to know and it can be very confusing when you go to buy a rug. I have been working with rugs for the past 12 years and have heard this question quite often, "why are rugs so expensive?". The short answer is simple, quality, however, the difficulty is in the how you identify quality.

Firstly, establish whether the rug is MACHINE MADE or HAND MADE.

Machine made rugs are mass produced and vary in quality, materials and substrates. The following list highlights features and short comings of the common materials used in the manufacture of both machine made and hand made rugs.

The first component that affects the cost of the rug after the actual manufacturing technique is material used to create the pile of the rug. Following is a brief list of the materials usually used as well as their characteristics.

BCF (Bulk Continuous Fibre) is the common market name for the cheapest grade of polypropylene. Its 100% synthetic and quite course to the touch. This fibre is used in the cheapest quality rugs with a point count of < 300,000. The pile is usually very thin.

Advantages :

• very cheap to produce
• colourfast and durable

Disadvantages  :

• Generally very thin pile both in height and density – more decorative than an actual thermal insulator during cold weather.
• Due to low point count (number of knots per metre) the design of the rug will be visually poor (pixilated).
• Although the rug can be washed without fear of colour runs, daily vacuuming can be an issue due to the course texture of the material. Material “sticks” to the pile.
• The thin pile/weight of the rugs allows the rug to “bunch up” and move around on the floor
• Not eco friendly – currently cannot be recycled in Australia

Heatset Polypropylene is the same material as BCF but it goes through some further processing to improve the feel and thus perceived quality of the product it is used in. This fibre is the most common used in machine woven rugs and is used to make rugs from 300,000 points right up to a super 2,000,000 points and beyond.

Advantages :

• Reasonably cheap to produce.
• Colourfast and durable
• Higher point count makes designs crisp and eye catching.
• Denser pile improves thermal insulation quality and under foot feel of the rugs
• Easy to clean as the smooth fibres don’t allow dirt etc to adhere.

Disadvantages :

• More expensive than BCF
• Not eco friendly – currently cannot be recycled in Australia

 Acrylic is another synthetic fibre used in a wide range of machine made as well as hand tufted rugs. The main point of difference between acrylic and poly is the look and feel of the fibre. Acrylic doesn’t have the sheen of poly and has a more “wool like” feel and is generally used in rugs with a lower point count of between 300,000 and 600,000.

Advantages :

• Reasonably cheap to produce.
• Colourfast and reasonably durable
• Higher point count makes designs crisp and eye catching.
• Denser pile improves thermal insulation quality and under foot feel of the rugs
• Reasonably easy to clean.

Disadvantages :

• More expensive than BCF
• Not as durable as Polypropylene
• Fibres can shed requiring increased maintenance
• Not eco friendly – currently cannot be recycled in Australia

Vicose is a natural material made from cellulose that has been extracted from wood pulp. It provides a luxurious look and feel without a very high cost.

When used in the manufacture of rugs it is often referred to as “Art Silk” due to its fine quality and sheen – it has the appearance of silk. Often used in the manufacture of Art Silk rugs where the entire pile uses Viscose – or as a highlight to traditional patterned Wool rugs.

Advantages :

• Cheaper than silk but providing silk like appearance.
• Colourfast and reasonably durable
• Soft feel and texture
• Denser pile improves thermal insulation quality and under foot feel of the rugs
• Reasonably easy to clean.
• This fibre will breakdown naturally

Disadvantages :

• More Expensive than BCF and Heatset Poly
• Not as durable as Polypropylene

 Wool , as every one knows , is a natural fibre. Machine made wool rugs have a grading system to assist buyers in understanding the quality of the rug. This system ranges from T3 being the lowest quality up to T6 for the highest. Wool has a very nice appearance and feel as well as excellent insulating qualities.

Wool has been used for centuries in the manufacture of rugs and is still used today both in hand knotted as well as machine made rugs. It is also used in Hand Tufted rugs and these are generally have a long pile height but low point count due to the limits of the manufacturing process.

 Advantages :

• Very good look and feel
• Excellent insulation qualities for cold months
• Reasonably easy to clean.
• This fibre will breakdown naturally

Disadvantages :

• High price compared to synthetic fibres
• Not as durable as synthetic fibres
• Higher Maintenance than synthetic fibres

 Silk another natural fibre that has been used in the manufacture of rugs for centuries. It is not used in the manufacture of machine made or tufted rugs. This fibre is only used to make hand knotted rugs as either a highlight to the design of a traditional wool rug or as the main pile material for a hand knotted rug. The silk is extremely fine and takes dye very well so the finished rug can have a very high quality due to the density of the knots and the vibrancy of the colours.

Advantages :

• Superb look and feel
• Reasonable insulation qualities for cold months
• This fibre will breakdown naturally

Disadvantages :

• Extremely High price compared to all other fibres
• Not as durable as synthetic fibres
• Very High Maintenance compared to all other fibres