Buying Persian carpets: a trade guide to hand-knotted and machine-made rugs

Persian carpets fall into two very different trades: hand-knotted rugs, where each knot is tied by hand and price follows knot density, materials, size and design, and machine-made carpets from Kashan and Aran-Bidgol, which are sold by reed and density count. Before you compare offers, know which one you are buying, the density in the correct unit, the pile and foundation materials and the city or style. Then check the rug itself, from the back, the fringe and the colours, rather than relying on the description.

Hand-knotted vs machine-made

Both are legitimate trades with different buyers. Hand-knotted rugs serve the high-end retail, collector and interior design market. Machine-made Iranian carpets serve volume retail and are widely exported to the Middle East, Central Asia and the CIS. Check the full HS code with your customs broker.

Feature	Hand-knotted	Machine-made (machine-woven)
How it is made	Knots tied by hand on a loom; one rug can take months	Woven on power looms in hours
Density unit used in Iran	Raj (knots per about 7 cm of width), or knots per square inch or per m²	Reed (shaneh) and density (tarakom), giving points per m²
Pile materials	Wool, kork wool, silk, wool with silk highlights	Acrylic, polypropylene (heat-set), polyester, viscose or bamboo silk, some wool
Back of the rug	Design clearly visible, small irregularities	Very regular, often stiffer
Fringe	Ends of the warp threads	Often sewn or glued on
Main centres	Tabriz, Isfahan, Nain, Qom, Kashan, Kerman, Mashhad, Heriz, Hamadan, tribal Fars	Kashan and Aran-Bidgol, plus other industrial areas
HS code (6-digit, indicative)	5701.10 (wool) or 5701.90 (other materials)	Usually 5702 (woven); tufted under 5703

Knot density: raj, KPSI and reed

Iranian weavers and traders count hand-knotted density in raj: the number of knots along about 7 cm of the rug's width. A higher raj means finer, more detailed drawing and more work. Western buyers often use knots per square inch (KPSI); the conversion below assumes the knot count along the length is similar to the width.

Machine-made carpets are described by reed (shaneh), the number of warp threads per metre of width, and density (tarakom), the number of weft rows per metre of length. Multiplying them gives points per square metre. Common reeds are 700, 1000, 1200 and 1500; higher reed and density give finer design and usually a higher price.

Raj (hand-knotted)	Approx. knots per cm²	Approx. KPSI	Typical quality level
25–30	About 13–18	About 80–120	Coarse village and tribal rugs
35–40	About 25–33	About 160–210	Good commercial city and village rugs
45–55	About 41–62	About 270–400	Fine city rugs
60–80 and above	About 73–130	About 470–850	Very fine Isfahan, Nain, Qom and silk rugs

Materials: wool, kork and silk

Wool pile on a cotton foundation is the standard for most city and village rugs; it is durable and takes dye well.
Kork wool is fine wool from the neck and shoulders of the sheep, softer and with more sheen; it is used in finer rugs.
Silk pile, often on a silk foundation, is typical of Qom and allows very fine knotting; it is less durable underfoot.
Wool with silk highlights, common in Nain and Isfahan rugs, uses silk to outline parts of the design.
In machine-made carpets, 'silk' or 'bamboo silk' usually means viscose, a regenerated cellulose fibre. A burn test on a single fibre helps: real silk smells like burnt hair, viscose like burnt paper.
Dyes: natural (vegetable) dyes and good synthetic (chrome) dyes are both used; ask which, and test colour fastness.

Main weaving centres and styles

Centre	Knot type	Typical character
Tabriz	Symmetrical (Turkish)	Wide range of qualities; medallion, Mahi (fish) and pictorial designs
Isfahan	Asymmetrical (Persian)	Very fine, kork wool, often silk foundation; classical medallion and arabesque
Nain	Asymmetrical	Fine, ivory and blue palettes, silk highlights
Qom	Asymmetrical	Silk rugs, very fine, garden and pictorial designs
Kashan	Asymmetrical	Classical medallions, deep reds and blues; also the centre of machine-made carpets
Kerman	Asymmetrical	Soft colours and floral designs
Mashhad	Asymmetrical	Large sizes, red and navy, medallion designs
Heriz	Symmetrical	Bold geometric designs, very durable, coarser knotting
Bidjar	Symmetrical	Dense, heavy and stiff, very hard-wearing
Hamadan region villages	Symmetrical	Geometric, durable, more affordable
Fars tribal (Qashqai), gabbeh	Mostly symmetrical or asymmetrical by group	Tribal motifs; gabbeh is thick with simple, open designs

How to check quality

Turn the rug over: on a hand-knotted rug, each knot is visible and the design shows clearly on the back.
Check the fringe: on hand-knotted rugs it is the warp itself, not a separate strip sewn on.
Count the knots along the width and length in a measured section to confirm the raj or KPSI claimed.
Rub a damp white cloth on dark and red areas to check for colour bleeding.
Lay the rug flat: it should lie without waves, with straight, parallel sides and even ends.
Measure both dimensions; hand-knotted rugs vary slightly, but the invoice should state the actual size.
Look for repairs, moth damage, painted areas or uneven pile, especially on older or second-hand rugs.
Natural variations in colour (abrash) are normal in hand-knotted rugs and not a defect in themselves.

Sizes and what drives price

Iranian traders often name sizes by area in square metres. Exact dimensions differ from rug to rug, so always ask for the measured size.

Hand-knotted: knot density, pile and foundation materials, size, design complexity, city and workshop, dye type, condition and age.
Machine-made: reed and density, yarn type (acrylic, polypropylene, viscose, wool), pile height, size, finish and quantity.
Compare offers per square metre only when type, density and materials are the same.

Iranian size name	Approximate size
Zar-o-nim	About 150 × 100 cm
6-metre (shesh metri)	About 300 × 200 cm
9-metre (noh metri)	About 350 × 250 cm
12-metre (davazdah metri)	About 400 × 300 cm
Runner (kenareh)	About 70–100 cm wide, various lengths

Buying Persian carpets on ASL Market

See /buy/persian-carpets-wholesale for current listings. Chat with suppliers to ask for photos of the back, close-ups with a ruler for knot counting, the measured size and materials. Messages go through ASL Market, so contact details stay private. For collections or container orders, post a buying request at /post-request.

The supplier confirms price, quantity, freight, Incoterm and ship-by date before you pay. Payment is in USDT today; more payment methods are coming soon. ASL Secure Pay holds the money until you confirm receipt, and receipt is confirmed automatically after a set period if you neither confirm nor dispute. ASL Market does not physically inspect goods; if rugs do not match the agreed description, open a dispute before you confirm receipt, and ASL Market decides, including partial refunds. Import rules differ by country; check your own country's rules on trade with Iran before you order.

FAQ

How can I tell a hand-knotted Persian rug from a machine-made one?

Look at the back: a hand-knotted rug shows individual knots and slight irregularities, while a machine-made rug is very regular. On hand-knotted rugs the fringe is the warp itself; on machine-made rugs it is often sewn or glued on.

What does raj mean on a Persian carpet?

Raj is the Iranian measure of hand-knotted density: the number of knots along about 7 cm of width. A raj of 40 is a good commercial quality, while 60 or more indicates a very fine rug.

What do reed and density mean for machine-made carpets?

Reed is the number of warp threads per metre of width, and density is the number of weft rows per metre of length. Their product gives points per square metre. A 1200-reed carpet is finer than a 700-reed one at the same density.

Is bamboo silk real silk?

No. Bamboo silk and art silk are trade names for viscose, a regenerated cellulose fibre. It has a silk-like sheen but is less durable and more sensitive to water. Ask for the exact fibre in writing.

Which Persian carpet city is the best?

No single city is best; each has its own style and quality range. Isfahan, Nain and Qom are known for very fine rugs, Heriz and Bidjar for durable ones, and Tabriz for a wide range. Choose by the market you sell to and check each rug's density and materials.

What is the HS code for Persian carpets?

Hand-knotted carpets are under HS 5701, with 5701.10 for wool. Machine-woven carpets are usually under 5702 and tufted carpets under 5703. Check the full national code with your customs broker.