Carpet Tile Update: The commercial sector’s largest segment, carpet tile, offers unique benefits – Aug/Sept 2025

The ability to use a particular style in different ways-mixing it with another style, changing its orientation, adding in accents-is something carpet tile excels at among the flooring categories. Using a single style of carpet tile, a finished floor can look totally different in multiple designers’ hands, and that is a unique benefit. 

The product’s modularity-enabling ease of use, transportation, installation and replacement-is easily its second greatest strength. You needn’t be highly skilled to install it or replace it, and that is a boon in the day’s installer-short market. 

While carpet tile is no longer the rapidly expanding category it was a decade ago, it remains the largest category in the commercial market and is an important focus for manufacturers, which often introduce collections of products that can work alone or in unison to enable designers’ freedom of expression. Manufacturers continue to make improvements to the category’s performance and sustainability profiles, which are often already impressive. 

Well over a decade ago, carpet tile surpassed broadloom in terms of dominance. “Carpet tile is the industry standard in most applications these days,” says Cindy Kaufman, vice president of marketing for Mannington Commercial. “Broadloom is no longer the go-to; it is the alternative, though there are still places where broadloom is preferred.” Mannington Commercial creates carpet tile and broadloom collections with patterns that speak to one another, often targeting specific sectors such as senior living and hospitality. 

“From a market standpoint, modular continues to lead the way and has overtaken broadloom. The category has so much going for it,” says Zack Adamson, vice president of Engineered Floors’ (EF) commercial division.  “It’s the convenience of getting it onto the job site. It comes in on a pallet like everything else. It can be brought up in the elevator, and maintenance is easier. It’s not super technical to replace modular. All this is what makes it desirable.”

Category snapshot

Sales of carpet tile in the U.S. peaked in 2019 at $2.7 billion in revenue.

In 2014, the carpet tile category totaled $2.046 billion (at mill sell value), according to Santo Torcivia of Market Insights. A decade later, in 2024, total sales grew to $2.268 billion, a 2.2% increase. In that same time period, however, the category’s marketshare fell from 10.2% to 9.2%. This isn’t a great surprise due to the rise in hard surface use in the commercial market, especially LVT. 

While workplace remains carpet tile’s largest sector, with $370 million in sales in 2024, the transformation of the workplace market means that carpet tile’s sales there are declining. For 2025, Market Insights anticipates that carpet tile sales in corporate will decline to $335 million, whereas in 2014, workplace accounted for $452 million in sales.

However, the category’s fortunes are increasing in other sectors, including the healthcare sector, where carpet tile had $41 million in sales in 2014, forecasted to grow to $68 million in 2025, as well as in retail, where sales were $123 million in 2014 and are forecasted to be $164 million this year (though they were $179 million in 2024). The lodging segment is another area of growth, with $51 million worth of carpet tile used in the sector in 2014, increasing to $68 million forecasted for 2025. 

Education is the second-largest segment for carpet tile. In 2014, carpet tile sales in the education segment were $360 million and are forecasted to be $331 million in 2025. 

Based on available evidence, Market Insights forecasts carpet tile quantity consumption year-to-date 2025 compared to the same period last year is estimated to be -3.5%. However, it’s important to remember that the commercial market overall is soft, with the American Institute of Architect’s Architecture Billing Index for June 2025 at 46.8, indicating softness in the commercial market nine to 12 months in the future.

Activity

Tarkett Commercial reports that in terms of carpet tile it is seeing pockets of growth. “Education is a constantly growing market,” says Antonio Bucca, senior director, sales operations, Tarkett Commercial. “We are seeing a return to workplace in 2025. Workplace has been down for so long, but we are now seeing it shift back to normalcy. People are going back to work, and that has been very helpful. In the dynamic commercial environment, adaptability is a key differentiator.” Tarkett Commercial also notes activity in healthcare and senior living.

Robb Myer, vice president of Mohawk’s Aladdin Commercial reports, “In the last 18 months, workplace activity has started to break through for cosmetic upgrades.”

“Workplace and higher education continue to be strong performers, while hospitality is gaining additional traction,” says Shaw Contract’s Carrie Edwards Isaac, vice president of marketing.

David Oakey weighs in

Legendary carpet tile designer David Oakey of David Oakey Designs believes we are in a unique period right now with regard to space design. “There is a lot of change with how and where we work,” he says. “But what we see coming from that may be something really new and different. The spaces are adjustable, flexible, nomadic and may be evolving to something better than what we expected.”

For the products he rolled out at NeoCon 2025 under the Interface brand, Oakey looked back to another unique period of transition: the time after World War II. In those years, a freedom of design took hold that differed from the Oriental patterns, florals and drab colorations of prior years. 

At NeoCon, Oakey saw that other companies were also tapped into this post-war period with both their designs and their stories. Miller Knoll displayed Florence Knoll’s 1954-designed sofa. Steelcase showcased Frank Lloyd Wright’s desk, as it has for the last several years. And at Clerkenwell Design Week, Case featured British furniture designer Robin Day’s work. Day’s career spanned from 1945 to the early 2000s. 

“If they are selling this style of furniture, they will need carpet to coordinate with it that has the same feel,” Oakey reasons. “As a carpet tile designer, you are designing Lego pieces for people to assemble. Each year, we want to introduce a collection with five or six products that relate to one another and can be used together or apart-product at lower price points for larger areas of the building and then carpet tile with texture and color for creating area rugs. Flexibility is very important.”

And while some may see familiar elements in current designs, it’s also important to remember that “what is old to us is new for the next generation of designers,” Oakey notes. “Good design will always stay around.”

The upheaval of the corporate workplace due to Covid has thrust the sector into a period of change. “The number of products being used in interiors is at an all-time high,” says Oakey. “We used to have standards across corporate workplaces, but we are starting to see more diversity of local, taking inspiration from the area in which the building is located.” As workplaces seek to create unique looks, there is more demand for product variety.

Similarly, the comfort and design style of hospitality has had a significant impact on other sectors. “There are blurred lines between hospitality, workplace, residential and education today,” explains Oakey. “They’re becoming more unified. And if I had to pick what area it’s landing in more, it’s hospitality. Hotels are a destination. We will spend a little more money for a nicer hotel with a nicer room and a view.”

He continues, “Today, some people don’t want to go into the office, so workplace needs to elevate the experience. I call it peacocking the office, attracting people back to the space. And this isn’t only about color and design. It’s also focusing on function, wellness, food, fitness, relaxation, privacy, quiet and acoustics, which is one of biggest trends that I saw at NeoCon. These are community environments-space as destination that you want to go to, not that you have to go to. All those things affect what we put on the floor.”

Improvements in technology continue to offer carpet tile designers new opportunities. “The machines provide designers so much flexibility in design,” says Oakey. “It used to be that we were limited by yarn or the machine, but we have machines today that can make something look like an Oriental rug or plush broadloom. I believe we will see more technology as far as the efficiency of the machines. I would like to see more robotics used in manufacturing and also would like to see innovation around making smaller runs more efficiently, enabling us to make what the customer wants when they want it.”

Workplace

Carpet tile and the modern workplace have long been paired, so the category has certainly felt the impact of the sector’s recent struggles. “When Covid hit and workplace went off the rails, carpet tile went with it,” says Kaufman. “Workplace has not found its true footing yet. It’s still a question mark.”

While the corporate workplace continues working to define its next era, the need to attract workers-both new and existing-to the office remains important, meaning that corporations cannot allow their spaces to become aged and unappealing, even if there are fewer employees in them than there once were. Luckily for carpet tile, it shines in renovation, as it can be used to refresh particular zones, and installation does not require that the full floorscape be cleared in one go. 

“As more employees return to the office, we’re seeing many companies refresh their spaces and adapt to the changing needs of their teams,” says Interface’s vice president of global product category management, Anne Marie Lisko.

So, while corporations and commercial real estate developers may not be dropping substantial money on renovations currently, many are completing refreshes that can involve flooring. 

Further, the merging of the hospitality aesthetic into other sectors, including workplace, yields a desire for soft surfaces and, often, splashes of color and design, both of which carpet tile is adept at providing. Here, carpet tile may serve as the primary floor or as an area rug accent atop a hard surface base. 

Replacement reality

Early on, carpet tile replacement was billed by many as simply popping out a sullied tile and popping in a fresh one. That scenario is true in spirit but not necessarily in letter. In fact, there are a number of factors contingent to the success of carpet tile replacement. 

First and foremost is the material itself. The face of carpet tile can be constructed from any number of different fibers, and products manufactured from superior fibers will retain their integrity much longer than commodity ones. Carpet tile made from solution-dyed fiber is non-fading. 

Second is the placement of the tile. Regardless of how high-quality a carpet tile is, those placed in challenging conditions-i.e., direct sunlight, extremely high-traffic areas, wet zones-are lightly to experience aesthetic degradation, meaning new tiles are likely to stand out. 

Design also matters. Some manufacturers design for replacement, mixing products from different dye lots and integrating color variations in the product that will enable new tiles to blend in. “We do a lot of unique things so tiles are mergeable, and can do a lot of unique things that are mergeable,” says Myer. “That way, if a facility needs to replace flooring, they don’t have to worry. The products aren’t dye-lot dependent.”

In any case, attic stock is helpful in ensuring that new tile are available when they are needed. 

Whether looselaid or glued, carpet tiles are relatively simple to replace, as they don’t require taking up whole rows or sections, as a modular hard surface replacement does. However, it’s important that specifiers and maintenance staff realize that while a single damaged tile can be replaced, that isn’t always the best course of action. Often, replacing a section is a better approach, allowing for a better-blended repair. 

Aesthetic insights

Non-literal organic textures are popular looks in carpet tile because they hide seams well. Texture is also important in this effort. “Organic doesn’t always mean plant but organic movement and texture, both physical and visual,” says Kaufman. “When modular is done beautifully, there is visual texture and literal texture. It fools the eye and makes seams disappear.”

That said, visual seams aren’t as undesirable as they once were. “Aesthetically, the design community, ownership and developers don’t have an issue with seams,” says Adamson. “Industry designers have done a wonderful job getting a seamless look out of modular. Where there is seam visibility, it’s not unsightly but instead part of the overall design make-up.”

Designers often pair different carpet tile products together to define zones and create wayfinding, and, in these situations, design collections curated by manufacturers are highly valued. 

“Biophilic design and organic patterns are popular,” says Bucca. “Design that tries to connect people with nature; layered textures; tone on tone, which is calming and grounding;   plank products that offer multidirectional layout-designers want that flexibility.”

Adds Myer, “Consumers are looking for on-trend, elevated designs with lots of movement.”

The manufacturers 

Shaw Contract serves a wide range of commercial segments-including workplace, education, hospitality and healthcare-with its modular solutions.

Nylon remains the preferred fiber for its resilience and cleanability, and its EcoWorx polyolefin backing system supports recyclability and low embodied carbon. EcoWorx is designed for recyclability and high performance, and it’s Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. Through its ReTurn reclamation program, the company takes back EcoWorx-backed products at the end of their useful life, which are then recycled into new EcoWorx products, supporting a closed-loop system that has diverted nearly one billion pounds of post-consumer carpet from landfills since 2006. 

The company’s carpet tile products are primarily manufactured in the U.S.

Shaw Contract continues to see strong demand for layered textures, geometric patterns and biophilic influences, and it has recently launched two collections, Grounded Spaces and Origin of Color. Grounded Spaces is a carpet tile collection rooted in affordability, performance and sustainability. The collection is engineered with EcoSolution Q100 fiber and EcoWorx backing, offering low embodied carbon and carbon-neutral certification, with up to 2,500 square yards available for quick ship. Origin of Color celebrates the emotional impact of color. Designed for workplace and education environments, the collection is also made with EcoSolution Q100 fiber and EcoWorx backing. 

Interface offers modular carpet with 100% solution-dyed, recycled-content nylon and high-performance backing systems. Through its proprietary preservative, Intersept, mold growth and odor-causing bacteria are inhibited, and the company offers TacTiles installation system, which eliminates the need for glue, resulting in an environmental footprint 90% lower than that of traditional glue adhesives. Interface’s carpet tile products are GreenCircle Certified as recyclable at end of life through its third-party verified ReEntry Reclamation and Recycling Program.

Interface closed 2024 with carpet tile billings up globally.

The company’s priority segments are corporate office, education and healthcare. It also supports a handful of other segments, including government, retail, and hospitality, that each represent a small percentage of business. In addition, the company serves the residential market through its Flor brand, introduced in 2003, and, in 2024, the brand launched its first immersive collaborative collection, the Trina Turk X Flor area rug collection, which has seen significant success both residentially and commercially. Twenty percent of the collection’s overall sales are for commercial spaces, and Flor expanded the collection in February 2025 with four new styles.   

In February 2025, Interface expanded its i2 portfolio, marking 25 years since its introduction. These styles offer flexibility for commercial spaces as they are made to blend effortlessly, rather than match exactly, eliminating matching dye lot concerns. The company has also built on its Open Collective coordinating carpet tile styles made for affordability, performance and fast lead times with Open Road, a collection that is made to be adaptable and mergeable. It also launched Material Impressions under the i2 portfolio.

Interface has carpet tile manufacturing in each of its regions: one location in North America, two in Europe, one in Asia, and one in Australia. 

Interface is a leader in sustainability. The company has reduced the carbon footprint of its carpet tile products by 35% since 2019 and by 83% since 1996. It has also increased the use of recycled or biobased content to 67%. In April 2025, it announced that its carpet tile manufacturing processes in the U.S. and Europe now use captured carbon.

Mohawk sells carpet tile through its Mohawk Group (specified) and Aladdin (mainstreet) brands. The Aladdin brand, sold through the retail sales associate, has the goal of offering specifiable-looking products and 99% feature the Matrix backing, which, Myer reports, has strong performance with very few claims. 

Mohawk Group targets the major commercial sectors with its carpet tile offerings, while Aladdin targets education (K-12 and private), healthcare, workplace and retail. 

The company’s carpet tile products are all manufactured in the U.S., made from both solution-dyed PET and solution-dyed nylon. According to Myer, “We are coming up with better colorations and new technologies. Our Color Pulse is a solution-dyed nylon that looks like space-dyed yarn, enabling us to create multicolored yarn for pops of color. The education sector loves it.”

Engineered Floors sells specified carpet tile under its EF Contract and J+J Flooring brands. While there is some crossover with price points between the brands, the brands’ styles differ. In addition, EF’s Pentz Flooring brand targets mainstreet cash-and-carry business and includes carpet tile in its portfolio. The company uses both nylon and polyester face fibers and utilizes two different backings, its Nexus PVC backing and Advance, which is a PVC-free backing.

Adamson reports that workplace remains its primary target for modular. “It’s the lion’s share of market,” he explains. “That water level hasn’t risen, but it’s still 50% of the market. We are able to make carpet tile less expensively than we once did, so it meets budget requirements, too.” In fact, Adamson and his team are rolling out new carpet tile products every six to eight weeks. 

The company has also seen growth in higher education and K-12, though that tends to be regional, as well as senior living. 

EF’s carpet tile operation is vertically integrated and located in a 700,000-square-foot facility in Dalton, Georgia, built in 2018.

Tarkett strives to be bold with color, mix of textures and patterns with its carpet tile products, says Bucca, noting that “we also want to make sure it’s built to perform.” 

The company has moved away from PVC-based backings, offering Ethos, with a lot of green attributes, and Flexor, built for comfort underfoot and durability. It primarily uses its in-house Dynex SD nylon.

Tarkett is expanding its partnership with Myocycle, working in all categories, including carpet tile. Myocycle is a Chicago-based, nature-inspired biotech startup that leverages the root structure of mushrooms to break down construction waste.

Across all its product categories, education is a strong focus of Tarkett, in part because of its Powerbond product. Workplace, senior living and healthcare are other important sectors for the business. The company also sees its lower-price-point tile products increasingly used in multifamily and residential applications, often in home offices. 

Tarkett’s carpet tile products are manufactured in Dalton, Georgia. The company is currently working to “introduce collections that blur the lines between hard and soft from a visual and functionality standpoint,” explains Bucca. “We want the function of LVT but soft. With our new launches, we are asking, ‘How can we have that seamless transition from a product standpoint but also the visuals, acoustics and modularity tailored for the modern workplace. We want to make sure we are catering to our customers’ demands.”

In addition, the company continues to invest in its water-resistant backing, Ethos Omnicoat. Ethos is a circular product made of polyvinyl butyral, which is recovered from used car windshields and other safety glass. 

Mannington Commercial’s modular carpet offering, which targets all commercial sectors, features two backing options: Infinity 2 and rEvolve II PVC-free. The company’s two largest sectors for modular are workplace and education.

The company manufactures its carpet tile products in Calhoun, Georgia. In sourcing its materials, the company tracks down to 100 parts per million. 

In terms of sustainability, the company is currently focused on efforts around recycled content and reducing embodied carbon. It recently transitioned from Universal Fiber’s Prisma to its Thrive nylon 6,6 fiber, which is high in recycled content and reduces the company’s embodied carbon. It also uses nylon 6 from Aquafil. 

Mannington Commercial partners with CARE and Build Reuse to reclaim carpet tile and track it for reuse. “One of the challenges with our industry is that there isn’t an existing structure to support reuse,” says Kaufman. “I hope that’s changing. We should be designing for reuse and building for disassembly.”