Saxony PileA saxony style usually has a pile height close to three quarters of an inch. The most important characteristic of a saxony will be whether the pile is constructed with curled, heattreated yarns with enough density to allow the fibers to keep their shape under foot traffic and furniture. A large number of the luxury carpets produced are of the saxony pile.
Plush or VelvetPlush styles are thick enough to stay strong against regular use. The most important feature of a plush is that there is barely any twist set in the face yarns that make up the pile. This produces a soft, even texture on the surface of the plush or velvet carpet. This "velvet-plush" carpet should not be exposed to high temperatures in cleaning solutions. Applying these cleaners can chemically burn your plush or velvet. Temperature settings must be lowered from the highest settings.
Shag PileThis type of pile has nearly vanished from modern stores. But for those that argue it still has a place in interior design, there are still some shag carpets that have lasted from the early seventies. A shag carpet will usually have a pile height greater than one inch, but that pile height has to have a low enough density to have that effortless look. The ends of the yarns are on the surface instead of the tips like with many other carpet types.
Splush (short-shag or mini-shag)This carpet is somewhere between the shag and the plush. The pile height is normally around three quarters of an inch. It does not have enough density for the yarn ends to retain their shape when the floor is walked on. The "random lay" look is still very similar to shag despite the fact that the density is greater in this pile type.
Frieze(free-say)This variety is made up of very tightly wound yarns that have a rough, nubby look.
Grass-pileGrass-pile carpets are normally crafted with slit-film olefin which mimics the look of grass. It is sold in dozens of different colors.