Top Cuts
Top Cuts (Carpet)
Floor Detective® Claims and Conditions Guide
Summary
Top cuts are a damage condition in which carpet face yarns are partially or completely severed by blade contact with the pile surface. The condition most commonly occurs when materials are cut directly on top of installed carpet, allowing knife pressure to damage underlying yarns without fully penetrating the backing. It may resemble snags or pilling, but involves clean or partially cut filament ends rather than yarn displacement. Visibility may be delayed and often increases as severed yarns bloom or fray with use. The condition reflects post-manufacturing mechanical interaction rather than inherent material behavior. Top cuts affect the face yarn structure and are not related to backing failure or manufacturing defect.
What You Need to Know
• Top cuts are caused by blade contact with the carpet surface.
• Damage involves partial or complete severing of yarns. ….
Carpet Problems
Carpet Fiber Identification (Field and Laboratory Methods)
Wool and Wool Carpet Properties
Carpet Beetle Damage
Fiber Properties
Missing Row
Wrinkles in Backing
Unraveling / Runs (Carpet)
Core Crush / Roll-Core Pile Reversal (Carpet)
