What does KPSI mean on a rug?

KPSI is knots per square inch, the number of hand-tied knots in one square inch of pile. It measures density, which is what lets a design hold fine detail. A 100 KPSI rug contains 14,400 knots in every square foot.

What knot counts does Weaver & Loom offer?

We work in 40, 60, 80, 100 and 150 knot qualities. On a bespoke commission the knot count is yours to choose, and we recommend a quality based on the design, the materials, the intended use and the level of detail required.

What knot count should a hand-knotted rug have?

Q: Does a higher knot count always mean a better rug?

No. A well-executed rug in premium wool at a moderate knot count will outperform a much denser rug made from inferior yarn. Knot count tells you how long the rug took to weave, not the quality of the fiber, the color or the finishing.

Q: How do I judge the quality of a hand-knotted rug?

Turn it over: a hand-knotted rug shows its design knot by knot on the back, with no canvas or latex. Then check evenness of the rows, the fiber between your fingers, whether the fringe is the rug's own warp, the density of the pile, and the quality of the finishing at the edges.

Q: What pile height should a hand-knotted rug have?

Pile height is specified for each commission and can range approximately from 2 mm to 50 mm. A lower pile shows a drawing crisply and suits rooms with traffic; a deeper pile is softer underfoot and suits bedrooms and quieter rooms.

Knot count is knots per square inch, written KPSI. We work in 40, 60, 80, 100 and 150 knot qualities. More knots buy finer detail, not automatically a better rug, because fiber, execution and the design itself matter as much as density. The right quality is the one the design needs.

What does knots per square inch mean on a rug?

It is exactly what it says: the number of hand-tied knots in one square inch of the pile. It is a measure of density, and density is what lets a design hold fine detail. A curve drawn at 40 knots is stepped; the same curve at 150 is smooth, because there are more places to put a color change.

Density is also time. Every knot is tied by hand, so doubling the count roughly doubles the weaving, which is why knot count moves the price. See what a hand-knotted rug costs.

What do 40 knot, 60 knot, 100 knot and 150 knot mean for Tibetan rugs?

Tibetan rugs are usually specified by the knot count alone, so "a 100 knot rug" means 100 KPSI. Here is what changes across the qualities we work in.

Knot count	Knots per square foot	Detail it can hold	Feel underfoot	Relative price
40 KPSI	5,760	Broad blocks, stripes, texture-led designs	Chunky, softly defined	Lowest
60 KPSI	8,640	Simple geometry, large-scale pattern	Plush, relaxed	Low
80 KPSI	11,520	Clean geometry, gentle curves, carved detail	Even and substantial	Moderate
100 KPSI	14,400	Confident curves, medium-scale pattern, fine borders	Dense and smooth	Moderate to high
150 KPSI	21,600	Photographic clarity, intricate figurative work	Very fine and firm	Highest

The knots-per-square-foot column is the same number expressed at the scale you actually stand on. A 100 KPSI rug carries 14,400 hand-tied knots in every square foot of its surface.

Is 100 knots per square inch good?

It is a capable quality and a widely used one. At 100 KPSI a design can carry curves, medium-scale pattern and defined borders, and the pile is dense enough to take daily traffic.

It is not a universal default, though, and no single quality is. What decides the right count is the drawing rather than the room: how much detail the design has to hold, what fiber it is woven in, and how the rug will be used.

Can I choose the knot count for my rug?

Yes. On a bespoke commission the knot count is one of the things you specify, alongside the fiber, the pile height and the palette. We recommend a quality for each commission based on the design, the materials, the intended use and the level of detail the drawing has to hold, and then you decide.

There is no single universal quality that is right for every room. A design built on texture and large shapes gains nothing visible from a high count, and the money is better spent on fiber or on size. A design with small motifs, tight line work or figurative detail needs the density or the drawing will not survive the translation into knots.

Does a higher knot count always mean a better rug?

No, and this is the most common misreading of the number. A well-executed rug in premium wool at a moderate knot count will outperform a much denser rug made from inferior yarn, every time. Knot count is one factor among several, not a quality score.

A high knot count tells you the rug took longer to weave. It tells you nothing about the fiber, the evenness of the tension, the accuracy of the color, or the care taken in finishing, and those decide how the rug looks in ten years.

What pile height should a hand-knotted rug have?

Pile height is measured in millimeters, and it sets how the rug feels underfoot and how the surface reads. It is specified per commission and can range approximately from 2 mm to 50 mm depending on what the rug is for.

A lower pile shows a drawing crisply and holds up well where there is traffic. A deeper pile is softer underfoot and softens the drawing, which suits a bedroom better than a hallway. Pile height and knot count work together: a fine, detailed design wants a lower pile so the detail is not blurred by the length of the yarn. We recommend a height for the design, the fiber and the room rather than working from a standard list.

Carving, where the pile is cut at varying heights to give three-dimensional texture, is available. Whether it suits a rug depends on the design rather than on any published rule.

How do I judge the quality of a hand-knotted rug before buying?

Turn it over first. On a hand-knotted rug the design is visible on the back, knot by knot, because the pile passes through the foundation. There is no canvas, no scrim and no latex. If the back is a fabric backing, it is not hand-knotted, which is the subject of hand-knotted vs hand-tufted.

Then check, in order:

Evenness. Sight along the rug. The rows should be regular and the edges should be straight, which comes from consistent tension across a large loom.
Fiber. Take a pinch of pile between your fingers. Wool should feel slightly oily and spring back. See what our rugs are made of.
Fringe. On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the warp of the rug itself, running through the whole piece. A fringe sewn on at the ends belongs to a rug that is imitating one.
Density. Push the pile aside with your thumb. You should not easily reach the foundation.
Finishing. Look at the selvedge, the bound long edges, and the way the ends are secured. Sloppy finishing on a rug that took months is a sign of a rushed workshop.

Why do hand-knotted rugs have slight irregularities?

Because a person tied every knot. A hand-knotted rug is not machine output, and a rug with no variance at all was almost certainly not made this way. Sides can differ by a fraction over a large piece, and dimensions are accurate rather than exact.

That is not a tolerance you put up with. It is the reason the rug looks alive on a floor where a printed rug looks flat.

What is abrash in a rug and is it a defect?

Abrash is a soft horizontal variation in the depth of a color, running across the width of a rug. It occurs naturally when the weaving moves from one dye lot to the next, or when yarn takes color slightly differently along a batch. In the highland tradition it is expected, and collectors read it as evidence of hand-dyed yarn and hand weaving.

It is not a defect. It can also be developed deliberately as part of a commission, where a field that varies gently reads better than one that is completely inert. That is settled at the specification and sampling stages described on how a custom rug is made.

Are hand-knotted rugs good for high-traffic areas?

Yes, and it is what they were built for. The pile is locked in place by the structure of the weave rather than glued to a backing, so there is nothing to fail. Highland wool has natural lanolin, which resists staining, repels moisture and helps the pile recover from being walked on. For a hallway or an entry, choose a lower pile and a wool pile rather than silk.

How long does a hand-knotted rug last?

A properly made and maintained hand-knotted rug can last for generations. Because there is no adhesive in the construction, the failure mode of a cheap rug simply does not apply. Wool develops a soft patina as it ages, so a good hand-knotted rug tends to improve rather than degrade. Care is on caring for a hand-knotted rug.

FAQ

What knot counts do you offer?
We work in 40, 60, 80, 100 and 150 knot qualities.

Which should I choose?
The one the design needs. We recommend a quality for each commission based on the design, the materials, the intended use and the level of detail required, and there is no single universal default.

How is knot count counted?
Knots along one inch horizontally multiplied by knots along one inch vertically, counted on the back of the rug.

Does a higher knot count mean a longer wait?
Yes. Every knot is tied by hand, so density is time on the loom.

Is abrash a fault I can reject a rug for?
No. It is a characteristic of hand-dyed yarn, and it can also be developed deliberately as part of a commission.

Can a hand-knotted rug be repaired?
Send us photographs. We can assess the rug and coordinate with an appropriate specialist, though not every kind of damage can be put right.

What pile height do you weave?
Pile height is specified per commission and can range approximately from 2 mm to 50 mm. Ask for the exact figure on any rug you are considering.

See the collections for knot counts and pile heights on individual rugs, or email info@weaverandloom.co.