Shedding of Carpet Yarns explained
Mark Johnston
Technical Services (Beaulieu Carpet)
Mark Johnston
Technical Services (Beaulieu Carpet)
Shedding
According to the Carpet and Rug Institute, over 30% of all carpet sold in the U.S. is made from staple yarn. Because it is normal and characteristic to see some initial shedding with these carpets it is reasonable for manufacturers to expect to hear occasional questions or concerns from consumers who may have interpreted shedding to be some type of carpet malady. Fortunately, our testing of samples and on-site inspections routinely indicate that the carpet is structurally sound and the shedding was only slight. It proved not to be a persistent or enduring condition that was easily abated with routine vacuuming.
Shedding occurs when sheared fiber not removed during manufacturing works its way out of installed carpet by means of traffic and/or vacuuming. Consider this: if you have a 2-ply staple yarn constructed carpet, you could have as many as 300 individual filaments of yarn in a single tuft! If only one filament slipped from each tuft because of normal shedding, imagine the amount of shedding that could occur in a typical 12' x 20' room! Consider, for example, that a typical 1/10 gauge, cut-pile carpet has approximately 103,680 tufts in one square yard of carpet.
Consumer should be made aware that the time required for shedding to stop varies from one installation to another and how often and how thoroughly the carpet is vacuumed, how effective the vacuum model is, and how heavy the carpet's pile is (heavier pile constructions will often require more frequent vacuuming to remove stray fibers). In most cases shedding will reach a non-detectable level with-in a few months after installation, but in very isolated cases could last up to a year. Consumers should also understand that shed fiber captured by vacuuming has been "fluffed" in the process, the amount of fiber in the vacuum filter or bag often can be very misleading.
Consumers who fear that their staple carpet may be debilitated by shedding should also know that numerous simulated wear tests have shown repeatedly that carpets made using staple fiber have the same zest and display the same or similar performance characteristics as their BCF (bulk continuous filament) counterparts.
According to the Carpet and Rug Institute, over 30% of all carpet sold in the U.S. is made from staple yarn. Because it is normal and characteristic to see some initial shedding with these carpets it is reasonable for manufacturers to expect to hear occasional questions or concerns from consumers who may have interpreted shedding to be some type of carpet malady. Fortunately, our testing of samples and on-site inspections routinely indicate that the carpet is structurally sound and the shedding was only slight. It proved not to be a persistent or enduring condition that was easily abated with routine vacuuming.
Shedding occurs when sheared fiber not removed during manufacturing works its way out of installed carpet by means of traffic and/or vacuuming. Consider this: if you have a 2-ply staple yarn constructed carpet, you could have as many as 300 individual filaments of yarn in a single tuft! If only one filament slipped from each tuft because of normal shedding, imagine the amount of shedding that could occur in a typical 12' x 20' room! Consider, for example, that a typical 1/10 gauge, cut-pile carpet has approximately 103,680 tufts in one square yard of carpet.
Consumer should be made aware that the time required for shedding to stop varies from one installation to another and how often and how thoroughly the carpet is vacuumed, how effective the vacuum model is, and how heavy the carpet's pile is (heavier pile constructions will often require more frequent vacuuming to remove stray fibers). In most cases shedding will reach a non-detectable level with-in a few months after installation, but in very isolated cases could last up to a year. Consumers should also understand that shed fiber captured by vacuuming has been "fluffed" in the process, the amount of fiber in the vacuum filter or bag often can be very misleading.
Consumers who fear that their staple carpet may be debilitated by shedding should also know that numerous simulated wear tests have shown repeatedly that carpets made using staple fiber have the same zest and display the same or similar performance characteristics as their BCF (bulk continuous filament) counterparts.