The weight of a towel and what it means

Short answer: Grams per square metre is the only figure that says anything about a towel. Four hundred is light, five hundred is standard, six hundred and up is thick.

What the number measures

The weight of one square metre of the fabric. The higher the number, the more yarn there is in it and the more water the towel can hold. It is the most direct way to compare two towels.

What it means in practice

A light towel dries in four to six hours and takes up little space. A thick one dries in twelve to twenty four hours and fills the cupboard. See bamboo towels.

What you should choose

For daily use in a bathroom with no window: four to five hundred grams. For a well ventilated bathroom where you want the luxury feel: six hundred. See Turiform and bamboo bedding.

Frequently asked questions

Is the weight always in the description

Often yes. Otherwise you can weigh the towel and divide by its area.

Does heavy mean better

Only if it has time to dry. Otherwise it turns musty.

How much does an ordinary towel weigh

A fifty by one hundred at five hundred grams weighs around two hundred and fifty grams.