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Identifying Carpet Fiber Types

By Michael Hilton

While the easiest method of identifying carpet fiber type is to simply look on the back stamp (found on the underside of each carpet installation), removing installed carpet is not always the easiest option. Carpet inspectors are well-versed in the various fiber identification techniques, but the consumer may be unfamiliar with these techniques.

There are generally two methods of identifying carpet fiber types -- a burn test evaluation and chemical testing. The third method, feel, is reserved for old carpet pros, who can generally rub their hand across the pile and identify the fiber type.

The chemical test is by far the most reliable, but most consumers may not have access to the various chemicals necessary to perform this test. Each fiber can be dissolved in a particular chemical. Briefly, the following should be noted.

Nylon: dissolves in formic acid. A few drops of formic acid on nylon fiber will begin to dissolve the fiber in 20 to 60 seconds. A rule of thumb would be that type 6,6 nylon takes longer to dissolve than type 6 nylon.

Wool: Dissolves in Chlorox in about 5 minutes. If wool has been blended with other fibers, these fibers will remain undissolved.

Acetate: Dissolves in acetone. Note some cleaning compounds may use acetone as a dry solvent, so if you are cleaning furniture, this is a mandatory test, since many furniture fabrics may use acetate.

Olefin: While this fiber "floats on water", naphtha can be used for fiber identification. To use the specific gravity test, place a drop of dishwashing liquid in a cup of water and place the fiber in the mixture. Olefin fibers float whereas all others sink.

Polyester: dissolves in boiling di-methylformamide. In case your kitchen cupboard is missing this rarely used, but necessary ingredient, move to the burn test area.

Fiber Burn Testing In using the burn test there are three basic characteristics which must be observed; Flame, Ash, and Odor

Fiber	Flame	Ash	Odor
Nylon	blue base/orange tip burns evenly No smoke/white puff	Round bead gray/brown/black hard	Celery
Wool	orange sputters out no smoke	Irregular, black crumbles to coarse powder	Burning hair
Cotton/Jute	orange burns evenly continues to smolder No smoke	Irregular glowing ember, gray/black, crumbles to fine powder	Burning Paper
Olefin	Blue base/orange tip burns evenly and rapidly no smoke	round bead, light tan to brown, hard	Paraffin or asphalt
Polyester	Orange sputters sooty black smoke	round, shiny, black, hard	Sweet fruity
Rayon	Orange rapid burning flame	No ash, no bead	Burning paper

About the Author
Michael Hilton was the original creator of Carpet Buyers Handbook. Having owned and operated a carpet wholesale company, Hilton has a vast knowledge about all-things carpet related as well as other types of flooring.