Machine-made rugs are woven on power looms operated either by hand, machine, or computer. The design and colors are determined, and a computer card is created which tells the computer which size and color it needs to produce. The loom is strung with a warp of jute, or sometimes cotton.

The rug is then woven using wool, nylon, polypropylene, olefin, or any other yarn suitable. Wool is the most durable and easiest to clean, as well as the most expensive. Some of the common synthetic materials are olefin, which is resilient and if heat set, is not as shiny as many others; polypropylene, which tends to flatten more readily; and nylon which is generally less durable. All of the synthetics do not clean as well as wool, but can be more cost-effective.

There are two types of looms used to create three different categories of oriental reproductions: Wilton, Cross-woven Wilton, and Axminster. Each of these can be designed to achieve different pile heights and densities, as well as various finishes and qualities.