The real reason isn’t just that carpet mills want to save money—it’s that we’re getting outbid by industries where Nylon isn't just a "nice to have," it's a survival necessity.
Flooring is essentially getting priced out of the Nylon market by these three "whales":
1. The Auto Industry (The Real Culprit)This is the big one. Modern cars use massive amounts of "Engineering Plastics" to drop weight for fuel efficiency. They specifically need
Nylon 6,6 (the good stuff we love for carpet) for under-the-hood parts like engine covers, air intakes, and radiator tanks.
- The Kicker: You can't use Polyester there—it would melt. Because Nylon is a safety and performance requirement for them, they will pay whatever the market price is. We get pushed to the back of the line.
2. Electronics & Electrical Think circuit breakers, connectors, and housing for power tools. They need a material that insulates electricity but won't warp under high heat. Again, Nylon is "mission critical" for them. For flooring, it’s just a premium feature.
3. High-End Athleisure While cheap shirts use Poly, the high-margin brands (think Lululemon) are eating up the Nylon supply for compression gear and yoga pants. They have way better profit margins per pound of fiber than a carpet mill does, so they get first dibs.
The Bottom Line: The chemical plants that make the key ingredients for Nylon (especially adiponitrile for 6,6) are bottlenecked. When supply is tight, they sell to Ford and GM first because they buy in massive bulk and pay a premium.
We’re stuck with Polyester not because it’s better (though it has improved), but because our industry can't compete with car engines and circuit boards for the raw material. Unless you have chronic "leaky pet" issues, the market has decided Nylon is too valuable to walk on.
