Carding is the processing of brushing raw or washed fibers to prepare them as textiles. A large variety of fibers can be carded, anything from dog hair. Carding can also be used to create mixes of different fibers, or different colors. Carding ensures that the fiber is thinned out and evenly distributed along a roll to facilitate spinning. Machine carding is done on a device called a drum carder. These devices vary in size from the one that easily fits on the kitchen table, to the carder that takes up a full room.

The carding machines which are used currently in mills differ from those which were used twenty - thirty years ago.