There are many types of carpet fibre available. Some older types of fibre from the past have fallen out of use, having been superceeded by better materials in the 20th century. The various carpet fibres available today stay in production because they all have their relative weaknesses and strengths.
Nylon:
This is a general name for various synthetic polymers that were first produced in the 1930s. Nylon is a very durable and resilient material; nylon carpet fibres will last for many years under fairly heavy use and always return to their original shape when compressed or bent.
Nylon carpet is certainly one of, if not the most durable carpet, though the type of nylon used and the thickness is also a factor. Softer nylon is not as resilient as heavy nylon, but many prefer its softer texture, and it is still more durable than most other carpets. For maximum durability Fiber Denier is recommended.
Sonara
This type of carpet fibre is optimized for maximum resistance against staining. It is also fairly durable. Developed in the 1940 this material was derived from corn, but initially proved too expensive to manufacture compared to nylon and other synthetic materials. It wasn’t till after the year 2000 that manufacturing processes and competing carpets had changed to the point where Sonara carpet could be manufactured at a reasonable cost. In the intervening years since its introduction it has validated its promise of extremely low staining and better than average durability.
Polyester
This is almost always the cheapest option, with a few drawbacks in quality. Polyester is not very resilient, meaning the fibres will quickly misshape under the regular pressure of people’s feet. The carpet will last for several years, but it will not retain its new appearance for long. Blending nylon with polyester can partly remedy this, but the effects are only slight.
