What does broadloom mean?
Broadloom is a term from the flooring trade for carpet that has been woven on a wide loom — typically twelve feet or broader — allowing large areas to be covered without seams. Because such carpets are usually installed edge to edge across a floor, 'broadloom' is closely associated with wall-to-wall carpeting, though it technically refers to the weaving width rather than the installation method. The word is most common among carpet manufacturers, interior designers, and retailers, while general speakers tend to say simply 'carpet' or 'carpeting.' Broadloom is often used attributively, as in 'broadloom carpet,' and stands in contrast to alternatives like carpet tiles, squares, and area rugs. It carries no strong connotation beyond its practical, commercial register, and it remains a standard term wherever rolled, seam-free carpeting is specified.
nounCarpet woven on a wide loom (typically about 12 feet or more across), produced in broad widths without seams; by extension, any wide-width carpet sold by the roll as opposed to tiles or rugs.
- Carpet of wide width (about 12 feet or more) woven on a broad loom and sold in rolls, typically installed wall to wall; also used attributively to describe such carpeting.
"The office was fitted throughout with grey broadloom."
"The hotel corridors were recarpeted with durable blue broadloom."
"She chose a plush wool broadloom for the bedrooms instead of hardwood."
Rarely pluralized, since carpet is usually treated as a mass noun; the plural may appear when referring to different types or rolls of broadloom carpeting.
"The warehouse stocked wool and synthetic broadlooms in several widths."
The name says it all: broadloom carpet got its name simply because it's woven so wide — often twelve feet or more — that an entire room can be covered with one seamless piece.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broadloom
Broadloom is a compound of 'broad' and 'loom', formed in English to describe carpets woven on unusually wide power looms developed during the industrialization of textile manufacture in the 19th century. The word's origin lies entirely in English, combining native Germanic elements: 'broad' from Old English 'brād' and 'loom' from Middle English 'lome', a weaving frame. There are no classical cognates, but it shares its Germanic roots with other weaving vocabulary such as 'webster', an Old English term for a (female) weaver.
How broadloom is actually used
Used chiefly in the carpet, flooring, and interior-design trades; in everyday speech people more often say 'carpet' or 'wall-to-wall carpeting'. Broadloom is frequently used attributively ('broadloom carpet'). It contrasts with carpet squares, tiles, and area rugs.
Easily confused with broadloom
A loom is the machine that weaves fabric, whereas broadloom is the wide-woven carpet itself.