Buyer reference · Est. 1927

Rug specifications: constructions, materials and quality checks

What Raheem & Son makes in Bhadohi and how each piece is checked, in one reference for buyers writing a specification. Minimum order: 1 piece. Sampling cost is credited against your order. For your own label see OEM and private label.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026.

Constructions and materials

Constructions Raheem & Son makes
Construction	How it is made	Materials
Hand-knotted	Each knot of pile is tied by hand around the warp threads on a loom. The most durable handmade construction. Available from fine 80-knot to coarse rustic constructions.	Wool, mulberry silk, bamboo silk, viscose and blends
Hand-tufted	Yarn is punched through a backing cloth with a hand-held tufting tool, tufted in-house, then backed and finished by hand. Flexible pile height and fast sampling.	Wool, silk, bamboo silk, viscose, cotton and synthetics
Handloom	Woven on a hand-operated loom, with the pattern built in the weave rather than tied knot by knot. Ask for the construction of the specific quality.	Cotton, wool and jute
Hand-woven	Handloom-woven flatweave and pile constructions, including dhurrie, kilim and woven pile designs.	Cotton, wool and jute
Flatweave	Woven flat, with no pile. Dhurrie and kilim constructions, fast production cycles and a broad custom colour range.	Cotton and wool
Jute and natural fibre	Woven, braided and combination constructions produced in the Bhadohi belt.	Jute and seagrass
Leather rugs	Flat-woven and pile options in natural and dyed leather.	Leather and leather combinations
Poufs and pillows	Hand-crafted poufs and decorative pillows, in matching materials and colourways for co-ordinated ranges.	Matching rug materials

Browse each construction in collections, or see how rugs are woven.

Sizes, shapes and colour

Custom sizes, shapes, colours and pile heights in every construction, to your specification.
Yarn is dyed in-house across an extensive range of shades, with colour matching and strike-offs before the full sample.
Standard sizes and how to choose between them: size and fitting guide.
Size tolerance is plus or minus 3%, checked on every piece. See the table below.

Standard sizes and tolerance, in feet and centimetres
Size	Typical range	Basis
Rectangles	2x3 ft (60x90 cm), 3x5 (90x150), 4x6 (120x180), 5x8 (150x240), 6x9 (180x270), 8x10 (240x300), 9x12 (270x360), 10x14 (300x420); custom on request	Typical range, confirmed on your quote
Runners	2.5x8 ft and 2.5x10 ft common; any length custom	Typical range, confirmed on your quote
Rounds	3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 ft diameter common; size tolerance plus or minus 3%	Typical range, confirmed on your quote

Specification figures

Try the free rug size and weight converter; the tables are also open data on rug trade data.

Typical specification ranges by construction
Specification	Typical range	Basis
Hand-knotted density	About 80 to 250 KPSI (mainstream 80 to 200); finer on request	Typical range, confirmed on your quote
Hand-knotted pile height	About 6 to 13 mm	Typical range, confirmed on your quote
Hand-tufted pile height	About 8 to 15 mm, cut or loop; taller on request	Typical range, confirmed on your quote
Hand-tufted weight	Pile about 2 to 2.5 kg per square metre; total about 3.5 to 4.5 kg per square metre at 10 to 12 mm pile	Typical range, confirmed on your quote

How to read these numbers. They are typical ranges, not guarantees. The exact figure for your order is agreed in writing on your quote. Finer densities and larger sizes take longer.

Archived with a DOI: Typical specification ranges for handmade rugs (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0).

Lead times by construction

Sampling and bulk lead times
Stage	Typical range	Basis
Sampling (all constructions)	5 to 20 days	Our own policy, confirmed on your quote
Bulk production (all constructions)	8 to 16 weeks from sample approval; finer densities and larger orders confirmed on your quote	Typical range, confirmed on your quote

Bulk figures run from sample approval and exclude sea freight. Finer densities and larger sizes take longer.

Knot density

Hand-knotted rugs typically run from about 80 to 250 knots per square inch (KPSI), with 80 to 200 the mainstream band. Knot density (KPSI) is the number of knots per square inch: at 100 KPSI a square foot holds 14,400 knots, and at 80 KPSI, 11,520. Density does not on its own measure wool quality, dyeing or finish. See the rug trade glossary.

Finishing

Every rug passes through our washing facility after weaving, which opens the pile, sets the colour and gives the surface its finished handle.
Skilled craftspeople clip, carve and finish each rug by hand. Pile height, edge finish and surface texture are verified against the approved sample.
Rugs are rolled, poly-wrapped and palletised to the confirmed packing specification, with full export documentation.

What we check and the tolerances we work to

What we check and the tolerances we work to
Check	Tolerance or standard
Weight	Every piece is weighed and checked against the specification, plus or minus 5%
Size	Plus or minus 3%
Skew	1 inch (about 2.5 cm)
Colour (lab dip)	Approved before production under standard viewing conditions D65 (daylight), TL84 (store light) and A (incandescent); lab dips fall inside the 5 to 20 day sampling window

Density, pile height and bulk lead time stay typical ranges, confirmed on your quote (see the tables above).

Quality checks

1. Raw material intake. Every fibre batch (wool, silk, cotton or jute) is assessed on arrival for staple length, colour consistency and contamination. Materials that do not meet specification are returned.
2. In-process, at the loom. Knot density, colour placement and dimensional accuracy are checked against the design specification at regular intervals during weaving.
3. Post-wash and finishing. After washing and shearing, pile height, surface texture, colour depth and handle are assessed against the approved sample.
4. Final verification. Finished dimensions are measured and recorded, and colour is checked under standardised lighting against the approved reference. Each piece is photographed and logged before packing.

Details are on our standards. Our only standing affiliation is registration with the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).

Capacity

Annual production capacity is approximately 202,500 square metres across a network of more than 1,400 looms and 6,000 weavers in the Bhadohi to Mirzapur carpet belt (self-stated). See manufacturing and how to order.

Planning a launch? Read how to start a rug brand, the rug sampling process, private label rugs for online sellers and the rug manufacturer checklist.

Send your specification

Send your design, size and estimated quantity. We reply within two business days, usually within one. Minimum order: 1 piece. Sampling cost is credited against your order. Payment: 50% advance, 50% before dispatch.

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Questions

Rug specifications: frequently asked

Which rug constructions does Raheem & Son make?

Hand-knotted, hand-tufted, handloom, hand-woven and flatweave rugs, plus jute and natural-fibre rugs, leather rugs, poufs and pillows, all produced in and around Bhadohi.

Can sizes, colours and pile heights be customised?

Yes. All constructions are available in custom sizes, shapes, colours and pile heights to buyer specification.

What quality checks are applied?

Pieces are inspected at four points: on raw material intake, in-process at the loom, post-wash and at finishing, and in a final check of dimensions and colour against the approved sample before packing.

Where can I find knot counts, tolerances and pile heights?

Typical ranges are on this page: hand-knotted about 80 to 250 KPSI, hand-knotted pile about 6 to 13 mm, hand-tufted pile about 8 to 15 mm. The exact figures depend on the construction and quality you choose, so we confirm them for your specification and write them into the order.

What size tolerance do you work to?

Plus or minus 3% on size, with skew held to 1 inch (about 2.5 cm), and plus or minus 5% on weight. Every piece is measured and weighed against the specification before it ships. Any tighter requirement for your order is agreed in writing on your quote.

What tolerance do you work to on weight, size and skew?

Every piece is weighed and checked against the specification: plus or minus 5% on weight, plus or minus 3% on size and 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) on skew.

How do you match colour to my reference?

We make a lab dip and you approve it before production. Colour is viewed under standard conditions: D65 (daylight), TL84 (store light) and A (incandescent). Lab dips fall inside the 5 to 20 day sampling window.

Do you check the weight of each rug?

Yes. Every piece is weighed and compared with the specification, with a tolerance of plus or minus 5% on weight.

How long does bulk production take?

Bulk production runs 8 to 16 weeks from sample approval, for every construction. Sampling takes 5 to 20 days. Finer densities and larger orders are confirmed on your quote.

What is the minimum order?

Minimum order: 1 piece. Sampling cost is credited against your order.

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