Carpet pile is all of the visible fibers you see on the surface. … Low-pile carpet: under 1/4 inch. Medium-pile carpet: 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. High-pile carpet: 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch.

What carpet pile height is best?

I generally recommend a pile height of less than 3/4″ to help reduce the chance of matting and crushing of the pile. Why? A shorter Pile-Height makes for a much more durable carpet, it makes the carpet much easier to clean and makes the carpet more stain resistant and less prone to matting and crushing of the pile.

What does pile mean for carpet?

Simply put, a rug’s pile refers to the density of fibers—flat (short pile) or shaggy (long). It goes in hand with pile height, which is the thickness of a rug measured from the surface of a rug to its backing.