Low-stretch and dimension stable floor covering

A low-stretch floor covering material applicable both as broadloom carpets and as carpet tiles, said material exhibiting both dimensional stability under climatic change and the ability to be wound onto broadloom rollers, said covering material comprising:

• a primary backing layer having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface,
• a pile material extending outwardly from said first surface and retained to said primary backing layer so as to form a top layer, and
• an underlying secondary backing layer having s specific weight of 70-1000 g/m.sup.2 and comprising a needled non-woven fibre structure of continuous or staple fibres formed of thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polyesters and combinations thereof, wherein the individual fibres are connected and inter-fixated by heating the fibre structure to a temperature corresponding to the softening temperature of the thermoplastic fibres so as to form a low stretch, three dimensionally stable fibre structure, and
• an intermediate adhesive layer for bonding said secondary backing layer to the second surface of said primary backing layer and comprising an organic, polymer-containing binder which has been activated by heat application at an activation temperature which is lower than the melting temperature of a majority of the thermoplastic fibres forming the fibre structure, said binder being essentially non-moisture absorbing after it has been activated to bond the secondary backing to the primary backing.