A two-stage wear mechanism in a loop pile wool carpet is confirmed by current experi mental studies. A loop pile wear model is then developed on the basis of the two-stage wear mechanism. This model meets the initial and final conditions of carpet wear and shows that a loop pile construction of similar pile density has a longer life than the cut pile construction, as proved by observations. The sensitivity tests show that the delay of second-stage wear is insignificant to the wear life of a loop pile wool carpet, whereas the influence of the shape parameters b and B of the life distributions is remarkable.