Hand-Tufted Rug Manufacturers & Exporters in India (Listed by Year Established)

Published by Raheem & Son, which is included. We say so up front because it matters: you should weigh what follows knowing the author is one of the companies named.

The one ordering criterion used here is the year established, as each company states it on its own website, oldest first. Nothing else affects position.

This is an ordering, not a ranking, and it is not an endorsement of quality, price or service. Position in the list tells you nothing about which supplier is better for your order. We chose the criterion before building the list and we did not change it afterwards: if it had placed Raheem & Son last, we would be last. We do not use scores, stars, "best" or "top" labels anywhere in this series.

A company is included only if its own public website shows that it makes or sells hand-tufted rugs. Each entry cites the page we relied on, and anything a company does not state is shown as "not publicly stated" rather than guessed. Last verified: 18 October 2026. Pages change, so if you spot a fact that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

A hand-tufted rug is made by pushing yarn through a stretched cloth foundation with a handheld tufting gun, following a pattern printed onto the cloth. The loops are then held in place with a latex coating and a backing cloth, and loops can be cut to make a cut pile or left uncut for a loop pile. Carving the surface with shears lets the maker create raised and sunken shapes in a single rug.

Buyers choose tufting for speed and for design freedom. Because the pattern is printed on the foundation and the gun is faster than knotting, custom designs, bespoke sizes and unusual shapes can move from drawing to sample far more quickly than a knotted rug. That is why tufting is common in custom, private-label and hospitality programmes where the design belongs to the buyer.

The trade-off is structural. Tufts are held by backing and adhesive, not tied into the foundation, so the construction tends to be less durable than a knotted rug of similar material, and it is not designed to be repaired in the same way. Say what the rug will be used for, and let the supplier recommend a construction on that basis, not on price alone.

Every company below shows hand-tufted rugs on its own pages. PiHue Creations names tufting on its home page but not on a dedicated category page; we cite the home page and say so, in line with the rule that we only use what a company states.

Obeetee: A Mirzapur house whose legacy page dates its start to 1920; its site separates hand-tufted from hand-knotted and handloom in its construction menu. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Raheem & Son: A manufacturer exporter in Bhadohi that presents tufting as the fast-turnaround route for custom designs. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Qaaleen: A Bhadohi-rooted house with a Delhi showroom, 1954 as its earliest dated milestone. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Jaipur Rugs: A Rajasthan rug maker; its founder's site gives 1978. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Sharda Exports: A Meerut group, 1983 by its own account, whose site describes looms and tufting stations among its facilities. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Saraswati Global: A group that states 1986 as its founding year and shows tufted rugs as a construction category. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

PiHue Creations: A Bhadohi exporter that began in 2021, the newest company in this list. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Under this criterion Raheem & Son falls second of 7, because 1927 is where the sequence of stated founding years puts it. That is a consequence of the ordering rule, not a claim about quality.

We present hand-tufting as the construction for fast turnaround on custom designs, alongside hand-knotted, handloom, hand-woven and flatweave. Custom size and shape, OEM and private label are available, and rapid sampling is part of our model. See the hand-tufted collection, the weaving techniques page and OEM and private label.

Raheem & Son has no fixed minimum order, quotes a sample or strike-off in 25 to 35 days, and starts bulk production from about 60 days depending on order size, construction and production load (see how to order).

On certification, CEPC registration is the only credential we currently hold. A Four-Star Category Certificate from the Directorate of Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh was awarded in 2009; it is a historic award that lapsed in 2011, not a current certificate. We do not hold other standing third-party certificates; others are arranged against qualifying orders and we say so in writing first. See our standards.

Ask what the backing and adhesive are, and whether the supplier will state them in writing for your market. Ask for the pile height and the weight per square metre, since tufted rugs are often compared on weight. Ask for a physical strike-off in your exact yarn and colours, because a printed foundation can hide how colours will blend in wool. Ask how many colourways and designs fit in a minimum, and whether sample costs credit against production.

A sampling schedule is part of the choice. Our custom rug minimums and lead times guide sets out how to plan one, and our comparison of hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs explains the structural difference in more depth. For the other constructions in this series, read the guides to hand-knotted and handloom makers.