Commercial carpet
Commercial carpet is the soft floor laid as broadloom, in wide rolls that give a single seamless expanse across a room. It brings warmth, quiet and a premium finish to hotels, boardrooms, function rooms and reception areas where an uninterrupted sweep of carpet sets the tone. Where carpet tiles are the practical workhorse of the open-plan office, broadloom is the choice when the look of one continuous floor matters. It sits within our wider commercial flooring range.
Surface Specialists helps businesses get the right commercial carpet. We match your project to the right system and the right specialist contractor, then arrange a free site survey so the carpet is specified and installed correctly for how the space is used. This page sets out the types available and where broadloom fits alongside carpet tiles and the hard-floor options.
What is commercial carpet?
Commercial carpet, also called contract carpet or broadloom, is carpet supplied in wide rolls and laid as a continuous surface across a floor. It is fitted over an underlay or bonded directly to the subfloor with seams joined so the finished floor reads as a single sweep of carpet. This is what gives broadloom its premium, uninterrupted look, which is why it is chosen for hospitality, boardrooms and executive spaces.
It differs from carpet tiles, which are modular squares that can be lifted and replaced individually. Broadloom gives a seamless finish with no tile joints but has to be replaced as a whole area rather than tile by tile, so the two are chosen for different jobs. Offices with heavy churn and raised access floors usually favour tiles, while spaces where the look of one continuous floor leads favour broadloom. See our commercial carpet tiles page for the modular option.
Commercial carpet is graded for contract use with heavier constructions and denser piles than a domestic carpet so it stands up to constant footfall. The fibre, pile and backing are matched to the space at specification and a solution-dyed fibre is often chosen where stain and fade resistance matter. Getting that match right is what makes the floor last under commercial traffic.
Types of commercial carpet
Commercial carpet varies by construction, fibre and pile, each matched to how a space is used. The right one is confirmed at a site survey.
Tufted broadloom
The most common contract construction, where yarn is stitched into a backing to give a hard-wearing carpet in a wide range of colours and piles. It suits most commercial applications from corridors to function rooms and is specified by weight and density to match the traffic.
Woven axminster and wilton
Traditional woven carpets that combine durability with intricate patterns and a premium finish. Axminster suits hotels, function rooms and heritage settings where a patterned floor is part of the design, while wilton gives a dense, hard-wearing plain or textured finish for executive areas.
Loop and cut pile
Loop pile gives a hard-wearing, low-maintenance surface that suits high-traffic corridors and public areas, while cut pile gives a softer, more luxurious feel for lounges, boardrooms and executive floors. The pile is matched to the level of use and the look wanted in the space.
Solution-dyed fibre
Carpet made with solution-dyed nylon, where the colour is locked into the fibre so it resists staining, bleaching and fading. It is specified where spills, cleaning or strong daylight would fade an ordinary carpet, which makes it a durable choice for busy hospitality and public areas.
Woven and contract carpet for commercial interiors is made by a fairly small British field. Brintons and Ulster Carpets are the woven axminster names that turn up in hotels, casinos and heritage interiors where a bespoke pattern is part of the design. Heckmondwike makes the fibre bonded carpet that schools and heavy traffic public buildings specify for durability rather than appearance. JHS supplies contract carpet and carpet tile across offices, education and the public sector. Listing a manufacturer here does not imply a partnership, approval or accreditation. The full field is set out on the commercial flooring brands page.
Which commercial carpet is right for your project?
The right carpet comes down to how the space is used, the level of traffic and the finish you are after. It is confirmed at a site survey. As a guide:
Hotels and function rooms
Hospitality spaces suit woven axminster or a heavy tufted broadloom, where a patterned or richly coloured floor sets the tone and takes constant guest traffic.
Boardrooms and executive areas
Boardrooms and executive floors call for a dense cut-pile broadloom in a solution-dyed fibre, which gives a premium feel while resisting marks and wear.
Corridors and public areas
Busy circulation routes suit a hard-wearing loop pile in a heavy contract grade, which lies flat and takes footfall without showing wear.
High-churn offices
Open-plan offices with frequent layout changes or raised access floors usually favour carpet tiles over broadloom, for the flexibility to lift and replace individual tiles. See our commercial carpet tiles page.
Commercial carpet by sector
Commercial carpet suits environments where a seamless, premium soft floor sets the tone. Each sector places different demands on the surface and the system is specified accordingly.
Hospitality
Hotel corridors, function rooms, restaurants and lounges where a warm, welcoming floor is central to the guest experience. Woven and heavy tufted broadloom give a patterned, premium finish that takes constant footfall. See our hospitality flooring page.
Offices and workspace
Boardrooms, executive floors and reception areas where a premium continuous finish matters more than modular flexibility. Broadloom gives a seamless sweep with carpet tiles specified for the open-plan and high-churn areas alongside.
Leisure and public buildings
Clubhouses, cinemas, theatres and civic buildings where comfort, acoustics and a smart finish come together. Hard-wearing broadloom in a solution-dyed fibre takes heavy public footfall while staying easy to maintain. See our leisure and fitness flooring page.
Education
Libraries, staff rooms and offices in schools and colleges where comfort and acoustics help the environment. Contract-grade carpet suits these quieter areas with hard floors specified for halls, corridors and wet areas alongside. See our education flooring page.
What to know before you specify commercial carpet
Subfloor preparation determines the finish. Broadloom needs a smooth, sound base, so the subfloor is levelled before the carpet or underlay goes down. A poorly prepared base shows through as ridges and hollows and wears the carpet unevenly.
Match the grade to the traffic. Commercial carpet is graded for contract use. Fitting a light carpet to a busy corridor wears it out fast, so the weight, density and fibre are matched to how the space is used at specification.
Seams and planning matter with broadloom. Because broadloom is laid in wide rolls, seam positions are planned to fall away from the main sightlines and traffic paths. Good planning at survey is what keeps a broadloom floor reading as one continuous surface.
Commercial carpet is not a wet-area floor. Carpet is not the choice for kitchens, wet rooms or clinical areas where hygiene and slip resistance are needed. Those areas take a hard floor such as safety flooring, specified alongside the carpet. See our safety flooring page.
Downtime and phasing. A carpet floor often has to go in around a working building. The work can be phased so areas are returned to use in turn and the programme is planned around your operation at the survey stage.
Why choose Surface Specialists?
Commercial carpet is a specialist field and the right floor comes down to the right grade specified for the space and installed by a specialist contractor in our network. That is what we arrange and the right specialist contractor looks after the job from start to finish.
- A specialist focus. We concentrate on surface treatment, so your enquiry is matched to the right carpet construction and grade rather than a one-size-fits-all answer.
- Experienced contractors. Installation is carried out by established specialist contractors with a track record in commercial broadloom and contract carpet.
- Right system, first time. We match the carpet to how the space is used so it is specified correctly from the start.
- One point of contact. From survey and specification through to a completed floor, you deal with one specialist contractor.
Learn more about Surface Specialists or browse our help and advice guides.
Areas we cover
We arrange commercial carpet through experienced specialist contractors and are steadily extending the areas we cover. See our areas we cover hub for local detail, including Manchester with more local pages being added.
Get a quote
Tell us about your project and we will arrange a free site survey. The contractor assesses the space and how the floor will be used, then provides a written specification and quotation, typically within 48 hours. There is no obligation. Contact us to get started.
GET A FREE SITE SURVEY & QUOTATION
Commercial carpet specification terms
Commercial broadloom carpet is specified using a set of technical terms that describe durability and quality. The table below explains the main terms buyers meet. For the standards behind these terms see our commercial flooring hub.
| Term | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Use class | EN 1307 class 31 to 33 | Matches the carpet to traffic level |
| Pile density | Weight of pile per unit area | Higher density resists crushing |
| Tuft bind | Force to pull a tuft from the backing | Higher tuft bind resists fraying |
| Gauge | Spacing of tuft rows across the width | Finer gauge gives a denser surface |
| Fibre weight | Mass of face fibre per square metre | Indicates durability and value |
| Fire performance | Euroclass Bfl-s1 classification | Required in many commercial settings |
Use class to EN 1307 is the headline durability measure, while pile density, tuft bind, gauge and fibre weight describe how the carpet is built. Fire performance is classified to Euroclass Bfl-s1.
Which commercial carpet is the most hard wearing?
The most hard wearing commercial carpet is a solution-dyed nylon in a dense loop pile, rated use class 33 for heavy commercial traffic. Fibre type, pile density and construction decide how long a carpet lasts far more than weight or price do and a heavier carpet is not automatically a longer-lasting one.
Use class to EN 1307 is the headline number and the quickest way to compare two products honestly. Class 31 is moderate commercial use, class 32 is general commercial and class 33 is heavy commercial. Specifying class 32 in a main corridor because the budget suits it is the single most common cause of a carpet that looks tired in three years rather than ten.
Fibre does most of the work. Solution-dyed nylon has the colour locked into the filament rather than applied to the surface, so it resists fading and tolerates stronger cleaning agents and nylon recovers its shape under compression better than the alternatives. Polypropylene costs less and resists water-based staining well but it crushes and flattens in traffic lanes. Wool and wool-rich blends hide soil, feel and look excellent and perform well in front-of-house areas, at a higher cost and with a more careful cleaning regime.
Construction is the third lever. A low, dense loop pile keeps its appearance in circulation routes because there is nothing for traffic to flatten, which is why loop constructions dominate corridors and offices while cut pile is kept for boardrooms and lounges where the look matters more than the traffic. Pile density and tuft bind are the two build figures worth asking for: density describes how tightly the tufts are packed, tuft bind describes how strongly they resist being pulled out and tuft bind is the one that matters where wheeled traffic or frequent furniture moves are expected.
The honest test of durability is appearance retention rather than wear. Very few commercial carpets are replaced because the fibre has worn through. They are replaced because traffic lanes have flattened and soiled to the point where the floor looks worn out, which is a maintenance and specification question combined. Where churn is high or damage is likely in isolated spots, carpet tiles solve a problem broadloom cannot, because a ruined area can be lifted and replaced rather than recarpeted.
Cleaning and maintaining commercial carpet
Commercial carpet is maintained with a planned regime rather than occasional deep cleans: daily vacuuming in traffic zones, prompt spot treatment, periodic low-moisture encapsulation and hot water extraction once or twice a year in the heaviest areas. Most commercial carpet replaced early is not worn out, it is soiled past the point of recovery.
Most of the soil in a building walks in through the front door, so entrance matting is part of the cleaning regime rather than an accessory. A matting run long enough to take several footfalls removes the grit that would otherwise act as an abrasive underfoot and it protects the carpet behind it more effectively than any cleaning schedule.
Vacuuming is the work that actually preserves the floor, because dry soil is abrasive and it cuts fibre every time someone walks over it. Cut pile responds to a beater bar or brush to lift the pile; low loop pile is better vacuumed with suction alone, since aggressive brushing fuzzes the loops. Frequency should follow the traffic rather than the calendar, which means daily in entrances and main routes and weekly in low-use rooms.
Deep cleaning splits into two methods that do different jobs. Low-moisture encapsulation applies a polymer that crystallises around soil so it can be vacuumed away, dries in under an hour and suits an office that has to be usable the next morning. Hot water extraction removes far more embedded soil but wets the carpet, so it needs drying time and it is normally scheduled once or twice a year. Bonnet cleaning is an interim tidy rather than a clean and it should not be treated as a substitute for either.
Over-wetting is the failure mode to guard against. Too much water carries soil back to the surface as the carpet dries, which is why a cleaned carpet can look worse a day later and repeated saturation can break down the backing adhesive. Solution-dyed fibres tolerate stronger cleaning chemistry than piece-dyed ones, which is another reason the fibre choice made at specification determines how the floor can be looked after for the next decade.
Spot treatment is a matter of speed rather than product. Most spills lift with water and blotting if they are dealt with immediately and become permanent once they have dried and set. A written maintenance schedule handed over with the floor, naming the zones, the frequencies and the approved methods, is worth more than any single product and the contractor who installs the floor is the right person to set it against the specification actually laid.
Common specification mistakes
Commercial carpet fails most often when a lower specification is chosen than the traffic demands. The points below are common specification pitfalls to check against your own site.
- Specifying a use class below the traffic level, so the carpet crushes and wears early.
- Comparing carpets on price alone rather than on pile density, tuft bind and fibre weight.
- Overlooking fire performance where Euroclass Bfl-s1 is required.
- Ignoring soiling and the cleaning regime in high-traffic entrances.
- Managing subfloor moisture and preparation poorly, so the carpet or adhesive fails early.
These are general specification principles rather than observations from any single project.
Key takeaways
- Commercial carpet is specified by use class to EN 1307.
- Pile density, tuft bind, gauge and fibre weight describe durability and quality.
- Fire performance is classified to Euroclass Bfl-s1.
- Comparing on specification rather than price alone gives better value over time.
- A specialist contractor confirms the right system after a site survey.
Frequently asked questions
What is commercial carpet?
Commercial carpet is heavy-duty broadloom or woven carpet made for busy non-domestic spaces such as offices, hotels, function rooms and churches. It adds warmth, acoustic comfort and a premium look. Fibre, pile and construction are specified to the traffic, so a hotel ballroom differs from an open-plan office.
What is the difference between broadloom carpet and carpet tiles?
Broadloom is a wide roll, usually 4m, laid as a near-seamless expanse for a continuous premium look. Carpet tiles are modular squares that install fast and replace individually. Broadloom suits hospitality and function spaces where appearance leads; tiles suit offices where maintenance and flexibility matter more.
What are Axminster and Wilton carpet?
Axminster and Wilton are traditional woven carpet types, prized for durability and rich patterning in hospitality and heritage settings. Axminster allows almost unlimited colours and bold designs. Wilton weaves fewer colours into a denser, harder-wearing pile. Both sit at the premium end of commercial carpet.
What pile types are used in commercial carpet?
Commercial carpet comes in loop pile, cut pile and combinations. Loop pile, including tufted loop, is hardwearing and hides traffic, ideal for offices and corridors. Cut pile, such as twist and velvet, feels softer and more luxurious for hospitality. Pile choice balances durability against comfort and looks.
What do tuft bind and pile density mean?
Tuft bind is the force needed to pull a tuft from the backing, showing how well the carpet resists snagging and wear. Pile density is how tightly packed the fibres are, a key durability guide since denser pile holds its appearance longer. Both matter more than pile height for hardwearing performance.
What is heavy duty commercial carpet?
Heavy-duty commercial carpet is specified for the busiest areas, using dense hardwearing fibre and construction rated to EN 1307 class 33. It resists crushing, matting and soiling under constant footfall. Corridors, receptions and function spaces use these grades because lighter carpet would wear out quickly.
What fire rating does commercial carpet have?
Commercial carpet is tested for reaction to fire under EN 13501-1. Most contract carpet is rated Bfl-s1, meaning low flame spread and low smoke. Wool and wool-rich carpets naturally char rather than melt, giving good fire behaviour. The backing also contributes, so the full construction is assessed.
How is commercial carpet fitted?
Broadloom commercial carpet is usually fitted on gripper rods around the perimeter over an underlay, or fully bonded with adhesive for heavy traffic and rolling loads. Double-stick over a bonded underlay is common in busy areas. The method is chosen for the traffic and the subfloor.
How is commercial carpet cleaned?
Commercial carpet is maintained with regular vacuuming, prompt spot cleaning of spills and periodic deep cleaning. Deep cleaning is done by hot water extraction or encapsulation rather than heavy shampooing, which can leave residue. Fast stain removal with the right products stops marks setting into the fibre.
Where are commercial carpet runners used?
Carpet runners protect high-wear routes such as corridors, aisles and stairs, taking the concentrated traffic instead of the main floor. They are used over hard floors for comfort and noise, or over carpet to shield the busiest lines. Runners are edge-bound so they lie flat and safe.
How much does commercial carpet cost?
Commercial carpet cost per square metre depends on the fibre, weight, construction and backing, plus underlay and fitting. Woven Axminster and Wilton cost more than tufted broadloom. The contractor sets out supply and fit costs in a written quotation after surveying the site.
Who installs commercial carpet through Surface Specialists?
Surface Specialists is a network of vetted specialist contractors. We match your commercial carpet project to the right contractor, then arrange a free site survey. The contractor specifies the carpet and underlay, provides the written quotation and carries out the installation.