Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Crushed areas

Footprint Tracking vs Shading vs Crushing (Carpet)

Floor Detective® Claims and Conditions Guide

Summary

Footprint tracking, shading, and crushing are appearance-related carpet conditions involving changes in pile orientation, light reflectance, and pile recovery behavior. Footprint tracking develops when pile yarns are temporarily displaced by foot pressure or grooming, shading develops when yarn groups orient in different directions and reflect light unevenly, and crushing develops when pile fibers lose resilience after sustained or repeated compression. These conditions affect surface appearance and texture rather than dye stability, backing integrity, or structural carpet construction. Visibility is strongly influenced by lighting direction, viewing angle, carpet style, fiber type, and pile density. The conditions may appear similar visually but differ in reversibility, traffic relationship, and long-term pile recovery characteristics. See also Shading, Crushing, and Carpet Problems for broader context.

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