Commercial carpeting must withstand extremely heavy traffic, day-in and day-out, in all sorts of weather. It suffers from accidents, abuse and spills of all kinds. It is cleaned frequently and often with harsh cleaning agents. The crucial parameters in the specification of a carpet for a contract location are:

-	The intensity of (foot) traffic.
-	The projected wear life of the carpeting- i.e. the expected time before replacement.
-	The specific requirements of the location-e.g. regarding castor chair use, stairs, static, thermal resistance, underfloor access, etc.
-	Design or style preferences (color, pattern, pile configuration).
-	The available budget.
-	The traffic density and the expected wear life together indicate the carpet grade required.
-	The likelihood of heavy soiling or frequent spillages require special consideration of overall color or design, as well as resistance to frequent wet cleaning.
-	Colorfastness or lightfastness, as it is sometimes referred to, is a very important factor in the appearance retention of a carpet.