SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Business

The Company's business consists principally of marketing, manufacturing and selling finished carpet and rugs. The Company is in one line of business, carpet manufacturing.

Principles of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of The Dixie Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the "Company"). Significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and these differences could be material.

Fiscal Year

The Company ends its fiscal year on the last Saturday of December. All references herein to "2011," "2010," and "2009," mean the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 25, 2010, and December 26, 2009, respectively. The year 2011 contained 53 weeks, all other years presented contained 52 weeks.

Reclassifications and Adjustments

The Company reclassified certain amounts in 2010 to conform to the 2011 presentation.

During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company identified a misstatement in its Consolidated Balance Sheets included in its Form 10-K for 2010 related to a misclassification of certain net customer credits approximating $2,800 reflected as reductions in receivables that should have been reported as accounts payable. The Company has corrected this classification difference for 2010. The Company believes the correction of the error to be immaterial to its Consolidated Financial Statements. This correction had no impact on earnings, equity, working capital or operating cash flows.

Discontinued Operations

The financial statements separately report discontinued operations and the results of continuing operations (See Note P). Disclosures included herein pertain to the Company's continuing operations unless noted otherwise.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased are reported as cash equivalents.

Credit and Market Risk

The Company sells carpet to floorcovering retailers, the interior design, architectural and specifier communities and supplies carpet yarn and carpet dyeing and finishing services to certain manufacturers. The Company's customers are located principally throughout the United States. One customer accounted for 12% of net sales in 2011. No customer accounted for more than 10% of net sales in 2010 or 2009, nor did the Company make a significant amount of sales to foreign countries during 2011, 2010 or 2009.

The Company grants credit to its customers with defined payment terms, performs ongoing evaluations of the credit worthiness of its customers and generally does not require collateral. Accounts receivable are carried at their outstanding principal amounts, less an anticipated amount for discounts and an allowance for doubtful accounts, which management believes is sufficient to cover potential credit losses based on historical experience and periodic evaluation of the financial condition of the Company's customers. Notes receivable are carried at their outstanding principal amounts, less an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover potential credit losses based on the financial condition of borrowers and collateral held by the Company.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is determined using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method, which generally matches current costs of inventory sold with current revenues, for substantially all inventories. Reduction of inventory quantities in 2010 and 2009 resulted in liquidations of LIFO inventories carried at prevailing costs established in prior years and decreased cost of sales by $28 in 2010 and $1,158 in 2009.

Inventories are summarized as follows:



	2011			2010
Raw materials	$	19,624		$	18,144
Work-in-process	13,116			11,417
Finished goods	45,840			36,959
Supplies, repair parts and other	351			326
LIFO reserve	(14,992		)	(8,557		)
Total inventories	$	63,939		$	58,289

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is stated at the lower of cost or impaired value. Provisions for depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment have been computed for financial reporting purposes using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, ranging from 10 to 40 years for buildings and improvements, and 3 to 10 years for machinery and equipment. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment, including amounts for capital leases, totaled $9,417 in 2011, $11,376 in 2010 and $13,284 in 2009. Costs to repair and maintain the Company's equipment and facilities are expensed as incurred. Such costs typically include expenditures to maintain equipment and facilities in good repair and proper working condition.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be fully recoverable. When the carrying value of the asset exceeds the value of its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized equal to the difference between the asset's carrying value and its fair value. Fair value is estimated using discounted cash flows, prices for similar assets or other valuation techniques.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the fair market value of identified net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill, if any, is tested for impairment annually or when an indication of impairment exists. The Company measures goodwill impairment, if any, by comparing the carrying value of the applicable reporting unit, including goodwill, with the present value of the reporting unit's estimated future cash flows (fair value). The Company has no goodwill recorded at 2011 or 2010. (See Note C).

Customer Claims and Product Warranties

The Company provides product warranties related to manufacturing defects and specific performance standards for its products. The Company records reserves for the estimated costs of defective products and failure of its products to meet applicable performance standards. The level of reserves is established based primarily upon historical experience and the Company's evaluation of pending claims.

Self-Insured Benefit Programs

The Company records liabilities to reflect an estimate of the ultimate cost of claims related to its self-insured medical and dental benefits and workers' compensation. The amounts of such liabilities are based on an analysis of the Company's historical experience for each type of claim.

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences of the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, if any, in income tax expense.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company does not hold speculative financial instruments, nor does it hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes. The Company uses derivative instruments, currently interest rate swaps, to minimize interest rate volatility.

The Company recognizes all derivatives on its Consolidated Balance Sheet at fair value. Derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges are linked to specific liabilities on the Company's balance sheet. The Company assesses, both at inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of the hedged items. When it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective or the derivative expires, is sold, terminated, or exercised, the Company discontinues hedge accounting for that specific hedge instrument. Changes in the fair value of effective cash flow hedges are deferred in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) ("AOCIL") and reclassified to earnings in the same periods during which the hedge transaction affects earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are not effective cash flow hedges are recognized in income.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues, including shipping and handling amounts, are recognized when the following criteria are met: there is persuasive evidence that a sales agreement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Delivery is not considered to have occurred until the customer takes title to the goods and assumes the risks and rewards of ownership, which is generally on the date of shipment. At the time revenue is recognized, the Company records a provision for the estimated amount of future returns based primarily on historical experience and any known trends or conditions that exist at the time revenue is recognized. Revenues are recorded net of taxes collected from customers.

Advertising Costs and Vendor Consideration

The Company engages in promotional and advertising programs that include rebates, discounts, points and cooperative advertising programs. Expenses relating to these programs are charged to earnings during the period in which they are earned. These arrangements do not require significant estimates of costs. Substantially all such expenses are recorded as a deduction from sales. The cost of cooperative advertising programs is recorded as selling and administrative expenses when the Company can identify a tangible benefit associated with the program, and can reasonably estimate that the fair value of the benefit is equal to or greater than its cost. The amount of advertising and promotion expenses included in selling and administrative expenses was not significant for the years 2011, 2010 or 2009.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes all costs related to manufacturing the Company's products, including purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs, warehousing costs, freight costs, internal transfer costs or other costs of the Company's distribution network.

Selling and Administrative Expenses

Selling and administrative expenses include all costs, not included in cost of sales, related to the sale and marketing of the Company's products and general administration of the Company's business.

Operating Leases

Rent is expensed over the lease period, including the effect of any rent holiday and rent escalation provisions, which effectively amortizes the rent holidays and rent escalations on a straight-line basis over the lease period. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their economic lives or the lease term, excluding renewal options. Any leasehold improvement made by the Company and funded by the lessor is treated as a leasehold improvement and amortized over the shorter of its economic life or the lease term. Any funding provided by the lessor for such improvements is treated as deferred costs and amortized over the lease period.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company recognizes compensation expense relating to share-based payments based on the fair value of the equity or liability instrument issued. Restricted stock grants with pro-rata vesting are expensed using the straight-line method. (Terms of the Company's awards are specified in Note K).

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. This ASU represents the converged guidance of the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("the Boards") on fair value measurement. The collective efforts of the Boards and their staffs have resulted in common requirements, including a consistent meaning of the term "fair value." The Boards have concluded the common requirements will result in greater comparability of fair value measurements presented and disclosed in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The ASU is effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and its adoption is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income. This ASU eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of stockholders equity and requires the presentation of comprehensive income in either (1) a continuous statement of comprehensive income or (2) two separate but consecutive statements. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011 and should be applied retrospectively. The Company early adopted this ASU and presented the components of other comprehensive income in a separate statement following the statement of operations. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-12, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05 . ASU 2011-12 deferred the changes in ASU 2011-05 that relate to the presentation of reclassification adjustments to other comprehensive income. These amendments were delayed to allow the FASB time to redeliberate whether to present the effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income on the components of net income and other comprehensive income on the face of the financial statements for all periods presented. While the FASB is considering the operational concerns about the presentation requirements for reclassification adjustments and the needs of financial statement users for additional information about reclassification adjustments, the Company is required to continue reporting reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income consistent with the presentation requirements in effect before ASU 2011-05.

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-09, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Multi-employer Plans (Subtopic 715-80): Disclosures about an Employer's Participation in a Multi-employer Plan. ASU 2011-09 is intended to address concerns from various users of financial statements on the lack of transparency about an employer's participation in a multi-employer pension plan. Users of financial statements have requested additional disclosure to increase awareness of the commitments and risks involved with participating in multi-employer pension plans. The amendments in this ASU require additional disclosures about an employer's participation in a multi-employer pension plan. Previously, disclosures were limited primarily to the historical contributions made to the plans. ASU 2011-09 is effective for annual periods for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2011. ASU 2011-09 should be applied retrospectively for all prior periods presented. The Company adopted this ASU and because it impacts disclosures only, its adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-11, “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.” The amendments in this ASU require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this ASU will have a a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.