Pile (textile)

In textiles, pile is the raised surface or nap of a fabric, which is made of upright loops or strands of yarn. Examples of pile textiles are carpets, corduroy, velvet, plush, and Turkish towels. The word is derived from Latin pilus for "hair"

The surface and the yarn in these fabrics also called "pile". In particular "pile length" or "pile depth" refer to the length of the yarn strands (half-length of the loops).