How many knots per square inch is good

Knot counts in rugs can vary from as low as 40 per square inch to as high as Think of knots as pixels on a screen. The finer the knot count, the higher the resolution of the picture. Therefore, higher knot counts work best for rugs with a great amount of detail. Curvilinear designs need higher knot counts.

Geometric designs can often do with far lower counts and still be very high quality pieces. In Iran, most knot counts are measured in "raj". One raj is the number of warp threads in 7 centimeters. A 30 raj carpet is usually considered "commercial" grade, with somewhere between and knots per square inch. Carpets of 50 raj and higher are considered fine carpets. A 50 raj carpet usually has about knots per square inch. An 80 raj carpet, like our Serafian carpet, has about knots per inch, and is a truly exceptional piece.

An average weaver can tie between 4, and 8, knots in a day. This means that a 9' X 12' carpet woven at knots per inch as in many fine Bijar carpets can take over two years for one weaver to make. Density related to knot count and affects the longevity of a carpet. The tighter and denser the pile is, the better the rug will withstand wear. Take your fingers and try to wiggle them into the pile. Is it difficult to work them all the way to the bottom of the pile?

If so, the carpet is dense and likely to wear well. Some carpets, particularly tribal pieces, are rare simply because the tribes that weave them are small and nomadic. An example of this is carpets from the Yallameh region in Iran. Woven by members of the Luri tribe, these carpets are fairly rare. The Luri weave most of their rugs on small looms in their homes, so larger pieces can be very hard to find.

Another example is Quashquli carpets from the Quasqai region. Look the rug over carefully, front and back. Keep an eye out for repairs, worn places, or other signs of trouble. If a rug has a repair, decide if it is obvious, or if it blends in almost unnoticeably.

Turn the rug over and squeeze the back of the rug in several places. If you notice spots that are dry and crackle, they probably have dry-rot from improper drying at some point in the carpet's past.

This weakens the foundation of the rug, leading to repairs later on. Avoid any carpet with dry rot, as it has almost no resale value. Many rugs are chemically washed to fade or soften the colors. The caustic chemicals used to do this also strip the lanolin out of the wool, rendering it brittle and weak. When a rug begins to approach about knots per inch, the weave begins to be considered as fine.

The finely woven area rugs may have as many as three or four hundred knots per inch, but such a count is considered to be exceptionally and even unusually fine. To some extent the knot count depends on the size of the knots and the warps, i. But it also reflects how tightly the rows of knots and wefts are compacted vertically. My Wishlist Login. The different types of rug knots explained: What are asymmetrical knots?

Persian Senneh Rug Knot. Turkish Ghiordes Rug Knot. Some of the tribal rugs that use coarser wool and a lower knot per square inch value have a more rugged look and are less expensive. Both types have their own charm. Comparing knots per square inch is much like comparing the pixels on telivision screens. The more pixels there are, the more detailed the picture will appear. Before comparing knot count, it is also important to consider the level of detail in the design of the rug.

Some Oriental rugs have bold designs such as large geometric shapes or large flowers, so it is not neccessary to weave them with high knot count due to the lack of detail. Simply put, it would be a waste of time to use high knot count for these type of rugs. This is the case for many village Persian rugs such as Heriz rugs. On the other hand, rugs that do have fine detail require more knots per square inch to showcase each motif down to its finest flowers or shapes.

Many traditional hand-knotted Persian rugs use high knots per square inch. This would depend on the type of rug as well as its size. When you consider the time taken, it does justify the higher price of a high quality hand knotted Persian rug. One of the concerns that the most rug buyers have on their minds is trying to figure out the price differences between the various types of rugs.

It may seem confusing as to why two rugs that seem to be so similar should vary so much in price. While two rugs may look similar from afar, it is important to take a closer look to determine the differences between the two.

The price of each rug is based on the size of the rug and the raw materials used as well as the labor involved. Persian rugs are usually more expensive because they are labor intensive and each rug is one of a kind.

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