We’re launching a new polyester tufting yarn line today, in 60 colours. We call it Ultra-Vivid: vivid colour, core spun, polyester. Here’s why we built it, and why we chose polyester over acrylic.
Why polyester
Acrylic has been the standard budget yarn choice in tufting for a long time, but it has a few real limitations: a slightly matte finish, less resilience under foot traffic, and a tendency to shed and pill over time. Polyester addresses all three.
More vivid colour. Polyester fibres have a smoother, more even surface than acrylic or wool, which scatter light in a diffuse way and give that familiar matte look. The smoother surface of polyester reflects light more directly, which makes colours read as noticeably more intense and saturated: the basis for the “vivid colour” in Ultra-Vivid.
A softer feel, without giving up strength. Ultra-Vivid is core spun: a strong core fibre wrapped in soft outer fibres, rather than a single uniform strand. The core is what gives the yarn its resilience and helps it hold its shape under pressure. The outer layer is what your hand and your feet actually touch, and it’s spun specifically for a soft, silky handle. You get the durability of a strong core material with the softness of a fine outer fibre, instead of having to trade one off against the other.
Better durability. That same core is also why the yarn resists crushing better than standard acrylic: the pile bounces back rather than staying flattened under regular foot traffic. Polyester is also less prone to shedding and pilling than acrylic or wool, which keeps a finished rug looking cleaner for longer with less maintenance.
Wool or polyester: two different strengths
We’re not replacing our wool yarn range with this. Wool and polyester are genuinely different materials with different strengths, and which one is right depends on what you’re making and what matters to you.
Wool is a natural fibre with its own depth and texture, and it remains our recommendation for rugs where that natural character is the point. Polyester gives you a wider, more vivid colour palette and a yarn that holds up particularly well in high-traffic pieces. Having both in the range means you can choose based on the project in front of you, rather than being limited to one material for everything.
60 colours, from day one
The new line launches with 60 colours, alongside our existing wool yarn colours. Whether you’re after bold, saturated tones or something closer to a natural palette, there’s now more room to match the yarn to the design rather than the other way round.
Explore the full polyester colour range: https://tuftingeurope.com/product-categorie/yarn/polyester-tufting-yarn/