Two British factories.
Thirty-one ranges.
Forbo Tessera carpet tiles are made in Bamber Bridge, Preston. Forbo Flotex flocked flooring is made in Ripley, Derbyshire. This is the complete guide to both — every range, every specification, every colourway — supplied, fitted and exported worldwide by DCTUK.
One is a carpet tile. One is not.
They are made in different counties by different processes, and they answer different briefs. Knowing which is which saves a lot of time.
Bamber Bridge, Lancashire
Tessera
Tufted carpet tile. Loop, cut-and-loop and textured constructions in polyamide, 60–76% recycled content, up to 27 dB impact sound reduction. The conventional commercial carpet tile, done properly. 19 ranges.
Explore Tessera →
Ripley, Derbyshire
Flotex
Flocked flooring. 80 million nylon fibres per m² standing upright on a waterproof backing — completely waterproof, genuinely washable, and the only textile flooring with the Allergy UK Seal of Approval™. 12 ranges.
Explore Flotex →Two of Forbo’s twelve plants are here
Forbo Holding AG is Swiss, headquartered in Baar in the Canton of Zug and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, operating in 39 countries with around 5,050 people. It runs twelve manufacturing plants worldwide.
Three of them are in the United Kingdom, and two of those make the products on this site: Tessera carpet tiles at Bamber Bridge in Preston, and Flotex flocked flooring at Ripley in Derbyshire — the latter also serving as Forbo Flooring UK’s registered head office on High Holborn Road.
Buying British-made flooring from outside the UK
Forbo makes no public claim about exporting its UK production, so we won’t make one on their behalf. What we can tell you is what DCTUK does.
We ship British-manufactured Forbo flooring worldwide — consolidated palletised freight or full container loads, quoted EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP, with commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin confirming UK manufacture, and the Environmental Product Declarations your green building submission will need.
Specify with confidence
Written for architects, contractors and facilities teams choosing commercial textile flooring.
Flotex vs carpet tiles
When flocked flooring beats a carpet tile, and when it does not. The honest comparison.
Read the guide →How to specify carpet tiles
Wear classes, castor ratings, pile weight, acoustics, adhesives and attic stock.
Read the guide →Carpet tiles for offices
Castor traffic, open-plan acoustics, access floors and agile zoning.
Read the guide →Carpet tiles for schools
BB93 acoustics, colour-coded wayfinding and installing in a half term.
Read the guide →Carpet tiles for healthcare
Where textile flooring belongs in a clinical building, and where it does not.
Read the guide →For retail & hospitality
Barrier zones, soil concealment and replacing a floor without closing.
Read the guide →Nationwide Forbo fitting from DCTUK
Free site survey within 72 hours. Fixed pricing with no hidden charges. A 12 month fitting warranty. Typically around 15 working days from first call to fitted floor, and old flooring uplifted and recycled with a carbon savings certificate.
Forbo flooring — common questions
Are Forbo carpet tiles made in the UK?
Yes. Forbo states that all Tessera carpet tiles are designed and manufactured at its facility in Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire. Flotex flocked flooring is made at Ripley, Derbyshire, which is also Forbo Flooring UK's head office. Two of Forbo's twelve manufacturing plants worldwide are these sites.
What is the difference between Tessera and Flotex?
Tessera is a tufted carpet tile — conventional loop, cut-and-loop and textured constructions in polyamide. Flotex is flocked flooring: up to 80 million nylon fibres per square metre standing upright on a waterproof backing, which makes it completely waterproof and genuinely washable. Tessera is made in Lancashire, Flotex in Derbyshire.
Is Flotex suitable for healthcare and schools?
It is widely specified in both. Flotex is completely waterproof, can be wet-cleaned and dries in 4–6 hours, and Forbo states it is the only textile flooring to hold the Allergy UK Seal of Approval™. In clinical areas where an impervious welded sheet floor is required by infection control policy, that policy still governs.
Who supplies and fits Forbo in the UK?
This site is published by DCTUK, a UK commercial and residential flooring supplier based in Liverpool with a London showroom. DCTUK supplies the full Forbo range and runs a dedicated Forbo fitting service nationwide.