Pile (textile)

In textiles, pile is the raised surface or nap of a fabric, which is made of upright loops or strands of yarn.^[1] Examples of pile textiles are carpets, corduroy, velvet, plush, and Turkish towels.^[2]. The word is derived from Latin pilus for "hair"^[3]

The surface and the yarn in these fabrics also called "pile". In particular "pile length" or "pile depth" refer to the length of the yarn strands (half-length of the loops).

The types of pile include

• loop pile (uncut pile)
• cut pile
• knotted pile
• tufted pile
• woven pile
• cord pile
• twist pile

See also

• Carpet pile
• Pile weave
• Pile knit

References

1. ^ "Pile." The Oxford English Dictionay. 2nd ed. 1989.
2. ^ "pile", Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
3. ^ "Pile," Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. retrieved from dictionary.com 10 September 2007.