Quick answer: hotels and motels commonly buy bath towels between 500 and 700 GSM. 500 GSM is a hard-wearing everyday weight that dries quickly, 600 GSM feels plusher, and pool, gym and kitchen towels are often lighter, around 400 to 500 GSM. Our White Classic is 500 GSM and our White Signature is 600 GSM. GSM stands for grams per square metre. It measures how much a square metre of towel fabric weighs, which makes it the quickest way to compare two towels on paper.
What a Higher GSM Usually Means
A higher GSM generally means a heavier, plusher towel with more pile. It feels more substantial in the hand. A lower GSM is lighter, usually dries faster and packs smaller. Heavier towels hold more water, so they can take longer to dry and cost more to launder.
A Rough Guide
These bands are a loose guide, not a rule. Different buyers draw the lines in different places.
- •Under about 400 GSM: lighter towels for everyday, kitchen and gym use.
- •About 450 to 550 GSM: mid-weight towels that suit a wide range of uses.
- •About 600 GSM and above: heavier, plusher towels.
GSM Is Not the Whole Story
Yarn, weave, loop height and finishing also shape how a towel feels and absorbs. When you compare towels, compare size and weight together, and look at the product in person where you can.
Our Hospitality Weights
- •White Classic: 500 GSM
- •White Signature: 600 GSM
- •Chocolate Brown, Charcoal Grey and Navy Blue: 500 GSM
- •Bath mats: 750 GSM
