• Like all other types of carpet, berber style carpeting is available in different grades, or quality levels, and it is wise to learn how to distinguish high-quality berber carpeting from low-quality berber carpeting. The differences will become very obvious after the carpet is installed. High-quality carpet will immediately begin to display its longevity in many ways.
  
  

Nylon Carpet Fibers

• Carpet fibers make up the working surface of the carpet, no matter what the style is. Popular berber carpet fibers include nylon, olefin, polyester and wool. Nylon is one of the most commonly used berber carpet fibers in the industry. The reason is that it is quite soft to the touch, extremely durable and stain resistant. A new variation of nylon is nylon tactesse, which is stronger and softer than traditional nylon carpet fibers. Nylon tactesse fibers are slowly becoming the industry standard for softness and durability.
  
  

Olefin Carpet Fibers

• Olefin, also called polypropylene, is a commercial-grade material (because it is very durable), but it is very uncomfortable underfoot and is not at all soft. Recent carpet innovations have created olefin berber carpet fibers that are soft enough to the touch to use comfortably as an indoor carpet.
  
  

Polyester Carpet Fibers

• Polyester carpet fibers are also very soft and offer another desirable quality: low cost. However, polyester is not as durable as nylon, not as stain resistant as olefin and is generally not well-suited for high-traffic areas or applications.
  
  

Wool Carpet Fibers

• Wool is the only natural fiber used to produce carpet. All other carpet fiber types are human-made. Wool is the most durable of all berber carpet fibers, is soil and stain resistant and very easy to clean up--but it's expensive. Wool carpet tends to fade in direct sunlight.
  
  

Blended Fibers

• Blended berber carpet fibers are also available. A blended carpet fiber is a combination of two fiber types, like olefin/nylon and wool/nylon. The biggest problem with blended fiber carpets is that the carpet will take on the characteristics of the inferior fiber type. For example, a wool/nylon blend carpet combines two of the best fiber types. But because nylon is not as soft or as durable as wool, the carpet will wear as if it were just a nylon carpet (the inferior carpet fiber), not a wool carpet (the superior carpet fiber). The same fate would be true for a nylon/olefin blend berber carpet.
  
  

Yarn Types

• Carpet fibers are made into yarn using one of two different processes: continuous filament and staple. Continuous filament (i.e., BCF or bulked continuous filament) carpet fibers are long individual fiber strands that are spun into yarn. Staple fibers are short, usually natural carpet fibers that are spun into yarn. The difference is that staple carpet fibers shed more initially than continuous filament fiber carpet does. The shedding period is usually short, and the overall carpet performance is no different.