Oriental rugs are traditionally made by hand with the use of a loom. They fall into two categories: hand-woven Kelim rugs and hand-knotted pile rugs. The fringes of these rugs depend on the underlying structure of string that will hold the rug together.

Warp strings go lengthwise and will make up the fringes. Wefts go widthwise and will form the selvedges or side of the rug. Together warps and wefts make up the structure and form the framework of the rug being mad.

There are three types of rug fringes:

Tied Fringes consist of two or more wrap strands tied together to form a knot. This incorporates the last weft strand and holds the rug in place. This technique is the most common and relatively simple to do.

Kelim or plaited fringes use the wefts strands. These strands are continued past the pile section of the rug. The wefts strands are interwoven with the wrap strands. Together they form a length of kelim. This technique is also quite common to use for rug finishes.

Woven fringes incorporate a strip of pile which is added to the kelim fringe. This can be a continuous or segmented section. It runs along the top and bottom fringes and midway between the end of the fringe and beginning of the main body of the rug. This technique is less common and associated more with master workshop rugs.

Fringes need to be cleaned properly along with the main body of the rug. However, it is often overlooked. Professional rug cleaners give expert attention to rug fringes. After the rug had been washed, the fringes will be brushed out. If there is any discoloration the rug cleaner will carefully bleach the fringes when possible.