Choosing the Right Yarn

October 03, 2026

Yarn choice has a huge impact on how your rug feels, looks, and holds up over time. Here's what you need to know.

The Best Yarns for Tufting

Wool

Wool is the gold standard for rug tufting. It's durable, naturally resilient, holds color beautifully, and feels wonderful underfoot. Our Reflect Wool is specifically formulated for tufting machines. If you're making a floor rug meant to last, wool is the best choice.

Polyester (PolyTuft)

Our PolyTuft is a production tufting yarn made of 100% polyester. It's the same kind of yarn used in commercial rug production, so it stands up to wear better than other synthetic yarns. It holds saturated color and resists fading, which makes it a great pick for bold graphic work and high-traffic pieces. It runs double strand on standard cut-pile and loop-pile tufting machines.

Cotton

Cotton is soft, natural, and great for wall hangings or decorative pieces that won't see heavy foot traffic. Cotton can be a bit more challenging to tuft with than wool.

Acrylic

Acrylic yarns are affordable and come in an enormous range of colors, which makes them attractive for beginners experimenting with bold designs. They're slightly less durable than natural fibers, but work well for wall art or decorative pieces. Acrylic can be "too soft" at times — if you're experiencing machine cutting problems, switching to a firmer yarn is often the fix.

What to Avoid

Very thin or fuzzy novelty yarns often cause feed problems in tufting machines. Stick with a smooth, consistent-twist yarn with enough body to feed through the machine reliably. Extremely soft yarns are a common cause of cutting issues — see Why is my machine cutting the yarn?

Strands and Density

Most tufters feed two strands of yarn simultaneously for a fuller, denser pile. Thinner yarns may require three, four, or even five strands to achieve a satisfying density. You can either set up a multi-cone yarn feeder stand, or rewind multiple strands together onto a single cone before tufting.

Preparing Your Yarn

If your yarn comes as a ball (rather than a cone), rewind it onto a cone before tufting. The machine feeds much more smoothly from a cone. Balls tend to bounce, snag, and create tension inconsistencies that affect your pile quality.

Reflect Wool Colors and Dye Lots

All of our Reflect Wool yarn is custom dyed for us, so our colors aren't available from other suppliers. Colors are dyed in lots, and some shades (Sky in particular) are especially hard to match exactly between dye lots. If you're planning a large piece or need to match an earlier project, buy enough of each color from the same lot at once.

Custom Yarn Colors

Can't find the exact shade you need? We can have custom colors dyed for you. Our dyer can match almost anything — a fabric swatch, another yarn, or a Pantone color. Custom dye orders have a 10 lb minimum, and pricing is reasonable. To get started, email support@tufttheworld.com and send a few yards of the yarn (or a sample of the color) you'd like matched. Once a color is approved and ordered, dyeing and delivery typically take about 6–8 weeks.

Bulk Yarn Pricing, Custom Dyeing and Sample Cards

• Texture: Rug wool is coarser than many other yarns. It is less refined, which helps it hold up to constant foot traffic.
• Acrylic yarn: A good choice for wall pieces and low-traffic areas.
• Wool sample cards: Available on request.
• Bulk discounts: Order 12 or more cones (of any yarn, colors can be mixed) and enter code Bulkyarn12 at checkout for 20% off. Order 20 or more and enter code Bulkyarn20 for 25% off. These discounts can't be combined with any other offer.
• Custom dyeing: We can dye yarn to order in about 700 colors, with a 10 lb minimum. Allow approximately 6–8 weeks.
• Limited colors: Some colors are limited runs and are only available until they sell out.

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