faq / choosing carpet / other05

Suitability

Carpet manufacturers often helpfully indicate the ‘suitability’ of a carpet, an overall marker of how durable it is. The terms are quite self explanatory, divided into two main groups: ‘domestic’ or ‘residential’ (i.e. normal household) and ‘contract’ (hotels, restaurants, bars etc.). As a rule of thumb, contract carpets are designed to be more hard-wearing for obvious reasons, but there are further sub-categories for both, ranging from ‘light’ to ‘extra heavy duty’ - so if a product is labelled ‘extra heavy duty contract’, you can be sure it will last for a long time!