Almost like fabric, but a very substantial weave. It's held up very well, I'm reviewing this a few years later and have been very impressed at the quality. Vacuums well. I'd recommend a pad for this rug as it is slippery without.

We needed a flat rug for our office since we are using rolling chairs on it. This one works perfectly and is very pretty. I was surprised that the "white part" is actually more like silver stitching, but it's actually prettier than white would have been! Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 just because it is a bit thin. But with a pad underneath, it works just fine.