This area specializes in the  medium and low-fine qualities and accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the total production of carpets in India. The quality here ranges between 100 and 200 knots per square inch. The fineness of a carpet is judged from the number of knots per unit area, and the design, colors and quality of yarn. The firmness, thickness and appearance of the back of a carpet are the important considerations in determining the quality of the carpet. The Indian carpet industry is export oriented with the largest importers being Germany and the USA followed by Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

The wool used in carpets varies greatly. The best grades of Indian wool are used for medium quality carpets while imported wool blended with Indian high-grade wool is used for superior quality carpets. For fine quality carpets, such as Jaipur quality carpets worsted yarn is used. The best quality carpets made with high-grade wool develop a beautiful luster after use and therefore old carpets have special values.

Today, however, when customers desire to have that effect immediately, the wool is washed with special chemicals to enhance its natural luster. Traditionalists however maintain that the process not only reduces the life of the carpet but also fails to produce the same luster that comes with age and use.

They also believe that carpets should never be dry-cleaned. Instead, they should be washed with ritha (a kind of hard berry, which is ground, and then soaked in water to produce a rich lather with which the carpet is brushed).
The origins of hand-knotted carpets can be traced back more than 2000 years. In India, the hand knotted carpets appeared in the 15th century. In Rajasthan it attained a high degree of perfection especially in the 16th and 17th centuries under the Mughal emperors. Wool is the basic material but in Rajasthan silk is also commonly used not only for the pile but also for the warp and weft. Sometimes silk or cotton is used for the warp with quality wool pile for weft. The appearance and number of knots on the back of the carpet indicates the quality. Among the hand knotted ones the Bokhara Carpets are one of the finest with about 125-500 knots in a square inch.

Every winter, Rajasthan carpet vendors with small carpets piled high behind their scooters or motorcycles (the wealthier ones have cars and, consequently, bigger carpets) are a common sight in Delhi and other big cities in northern India. These vendors often agree to clean old carpets, but of course it is usually only a known person who may be trusted. They are often on the look out for old carpets and many an interesting bargain can be struck an old for a new.