Wool

Wool has significantly increased its importance as a fibre for tufted carpets, but only a few printed qualities have appeared on the market. A wide range of acid dyes can be fixed on wool by steaming for about 10 min. Blends of wool/nylon, used where superior abrasion resistance is desired, can usually be printed with the same dyes, as there are no problems of unequal dye partition between the two fibres (which are common in batchwise dyeing processes). 

On the other hand, the appearance of the printed carpet shows a considerable dependence on the quality of the wool used and the finer worsted-spun, chemically set yarns of good whiteness are preferred to the normal coarser woollen-spuns. The main objection to the use of wool is the cost of the fibre content of the final carpet; on the other hand, the appearance and feel of wool fibre is an important sales criterion in a market accustomed to Wilton and Axminster carpets.