Velvet or plush carpets are made of yarns with very little twist. The yarn ends blend together, producing a smooth surface. Velvet has a shorter pile height than plush. Saxony textures are made of twisted, heat-set yarns. The tips of the yarns remain distinct rather than blending together.
Footprints show easily and the carpet color looks different in one place than it does in another.
This is the result of fibers lying in different directions, reflecting light differently. Permanent removal of shading is impossible. The tight twist of the yarn creates a coarse, pebbly texture good for hiding tracks and soil, and gives good wear-resistance. A tip-sheared texture has a level surface with cut and uncut loops. Multi-level loop pile carpet with the tops of the highest loops shorn away produces random sheared texture.