The knot or line count is a measurement of the density of the knots that make up the rug’s pile. Generally speaking, the higher the knot count, the higher the quality of the rug. This, however, is not an absolute rule. There are other significant factors that will also affect the overall quality and aesthetic appeal of a particular rug. These include the skill with which a given design has been executed, the balance and subtlety of the color palette, the quality of the wool, and various finishing details.

The line count method is primarily used for Chinese rugs. The number of lines of knots per linear foot determines the line count. Qualities range from 50 to over 300 lines per foot.

Rugs made in India are described by a somewhat more complicated method. A rug may be referred to as a nine-sixty (9/60). The 9 refers to the number of knots for every 9/10ths of an inch in width, and the 60 refers to the number of knots for every 41/2 inches in length. In effect, a 9/60 construction would yield 135 knots per square inch.

Whatever the count, you can readily see the density of the knotting of a rug by looking at the back of the piece. Each knot shows itself as a single square on the back of the rug. Here, the difference between a 90-line and a 120-line is usually readily apparent, since the knots in the 90-line rug are much larger and hence less densely packed.

One further note may be useful. Tufted rugs are not given specific knot counts. However, for comparative purposes, their pile densities are sometimes given a sort of "benchmark" number. For instance, a well-constructed, densely-piled tufted rug might be said to be comparable to a 120-line knotted rug.

Handmade Rug Knot Count Chart

Chinese Rugs

Term	Knots per foot of width	Knots per foot of length	Knots per square inch	Knots per square foot

65 Line	65	65	29	4,225
70 Line	70	70	34	4,900
80 Line	80	80	44	6,400
90 Line	90	90	56	8,100
120 Line	120	120	100	14,400
160 Line	160	160	177	25,600
200 Line	200	200	277	40,000
300 Line	300	300	625	90,000

Indian Rugs

Term	Knots per 9/10 inch of width	Knots per 41/2 inch of length	Knots per square inch	Knots per square foot

4/25	4	25	25	3,600
4/30	4	30	30	4,320
5/40	5	40	50	7,200
9/60	9	60	135	19,440

Pakistani Rugs

Term	Knots per inch of width	Knots per inch of length	Knots per square inch	Knots per square foot

9/16	9	16	144	20,736
10/20	10	20	200	28,800
16/18	16	18	288	41,472

From: http://www.nourison.com/NU/8knots.asp

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