The Complete Towel Size Guide: How to Choose the Right One?

Choosing the right towel isn’t just about color or softness. Size and material play a major role in the performance, comfort, and durability of towels. For businesses, selecting the right towel size can help reduce operating costs and improve brand perception.

In this complete guide, we break down the most common towel sizes, their everyday uses, and optimal material options.

Standard Towel Sizes

Towel sizes vary by application, manufacturer, and design. There is no standard towel size. However, the towel industry does have recommended towel dimensions.

Table 1 – Industry standards for towel sizes.

Larger towels are generally made from premium long-staple cotton fibers. Spa, salons, and other hospitality industries often get custom oversized towels because they are associated with luxury and quality.

Smaller towels are meant for portability. So they mostly use compact microfibers, which are more absorbent than cotton.

How to Measure Towels: Inch vs. Cm?

One last thing before we go over the towel size charts. US and other North American businesses measure towels in inches. Outside of the US, the centimeter is the more common unit.

A 12×16 in. The towel is 12 inches wide and 16 inches tall. You can convert this to centimeters by multiplying the towel dimension by “2.54”. Which gives you a width of 30.48 cm and a length of 40.64 cm. Manufacturers will round these numbers to 30×40 cm.

Please note that these are rough dimensions and there is ±1.5 cm (0.5 inch) tolerance. Fabrics shrink and compress after stitching, which can change the final towel size.

Every Towel Size By Application

It’s always best to choose a towel size by application. This is especially true for hospitality and cleaning service businesses.

Small towels are better for cleaning, and larger ones are recommended for personal hygiene. Hotel towels are a mix of small and large ones for different applications.

Here is your complete guide to towel sizes based on the eight most popular applications.

1. Hand Towel

Cotton hand towels are most commonly used in bathrooms for drying hands. Some people like them for everyday use, while others prefer them as guest towels. Especially if you rent your space for short terms, like on Airbnb.

Microfiber hand towels are more versatile. The softer microfibers are better for people with sensitive skin. It also has anti-microbial properties that prevent bacterial growth in the towel.

You can also use microfiber towels for scratch-free cleaning. We recommend microfiber hand towels for cleaning glass tables, kitchen counter tops, windows, and TV screens. Microfibers are also more absorbent, so they are less likely to leave water stains.

2. Face Towel

Face towel, also called a face cloth, refers to small towels specifically marketed for facial cleansing. You can find face towels in very small and compact sizes. The smaller size serves two purposes.

1. Travel Companion: The idea is to have a compact towel that you can carry with you at all times. It helps you avoid sharing towels during trips.
2. Single Application: You should have a separate dedicated face towel in your powder rooms. Avoid using hand towels for drying hands and faces. Cross-contamination can cause acne and other skin conditions.

Washcloths are less soft versions of a face towel and are designed for general cleaning applications.

3. Bath Towel

Bath towel sizes vary drastically. A standard bath towel is large enough to wrap around an average person’s body. It’s two and a half feet wide and four and a half feet tall.

This size provides maximum coverage and comfort, all while being super absorbent. Towel size is directly related to absorbency. Larger towels can absorb more water without feeling damp and mushy.

A jumbo bath towel size is naturally associated with luxury bath towels. High-quality towels use premium materials, high-quality stitching, and plush textures to give customers a luxurious feel. Which makes them ideal for large hotels, spas, and salons.

4. Bath Sheet

A bath sheet is an oversized bath towel. It’s considerably larger in size and designed for a more comfortable feel. It requires more bathroom space to store. So it’s less suited for smaller bathrooms.

In the application, the bath towel and sheets are the same. The name change helps customers pick the perfect towel for their needs. With bath sheets, customers know that they will get at least a 60 in. tall towel size without reading the product description. It’s guaranteed to give you full body coverage.

5. Kitchen Towel (Dish Towel)

Kitchen towels are smaller and lighter than other towels on this list. There are two reasons behind this design choice.

1. Easier Handling: A lower GSM towel is lighter and easier to use when cleaning hard-to-reach areas or sanitizing kitchen appliances.
2. Microfiber Benefits: Most modern kitchen towels are made from microfiber cloth. Compared to cotton, microfibers offer higher absorbency even at lower GSM weight.

Microfiber’s quick-drying properties make it an incredible dish towel. Your dishes and towels both dry faster. Thus reducing the mess in the kitchen.

6. Gym Towel

Gym towels don’t have standard sizes. Instead, you are buying a small, easy-to-carry towel for your workouts. Occasionally, you will see some gym branding and logos on the corner.

Microfiber is the go-to material here. It’s more absorbent even at smaller sizes. Which makes it easy to carry around. And it’s naturally bacteria-resistant. So you don’t have to worry about sweat smell or hygiene during your workout.

Gyms often get custom OEM towels that they can sell to gym members. It adds an additional revenue source for the business and provides a great branding opportunity.

7. Beach Towels

Beach towels are similar to a bath sheet. They are large enough that you can place them on the sandy beach and lie down.

These towels are not designed for absorbency. They are designed to be lightweight, easy to carry, and visually appealing. So a lower GSM weight is quite common in the industry.

8. Car Drying Towels

Auto detailing is one of the most popular applications for towels. From car washing to drying to polishing, all steps need a good quality towel.

Larger towels are great for quick clean-ups. You can spread one over your car windshield and, with one wipe, dry the entire surface. Selecting towels for your car is all about comfort.

Large car drying towels provide maximum coverage, which makes car drying easier. But that extra coverage comes at the cost of convenience. It takes more effort to use a larger towel size, and the maintenance can also be a hassle.

The right towel here makes your job easier.

Complete Towel Size Guide

Let’s take everything we learned above and combine it into a detailed chart. Here is a complete list of the most common towel sizes, their marketing terms, and recommended GSM weight.

Table 2 – The complete towel size guide based on intended use.

5 Key Considerations for Towel Procurement

Here are six important factors all businesses and B2B companies should consider before forming a towel procurement plan.

1. Towel Materials

There are basically four material options for every towel.

• Microfiber towels offer softness and a compact design.
• Cotton towels offer natural fabrics and sustainability.
• Cotton and polyester blended towels offer a lower initial cost.
• Egyptian cotton and bamboo fabrics offer a luxurious experience.

2. Industry Specific Towels

It’s very important that you choose towels specifically designed for an application. You cannot use a hand towel as a gym towel. Even if they have the same size, the design is completely different.

Hand towels are designed to be soft and plush. A plush towel won’t fit in most gym bags. So you need a compact microfiber towel for gym use.

3. Offer a Limited Size Selection

For smaller businesses, it’s best to only offer one standard size per towel design. This significantly reduces your procurement costs.

Too many size options can also lead to consumer confusion. Choose the most broadly appealing towel size based on market research.

4. Storage Considerations

You need to take proper care and precaution when storing your towels. Towels are relatively low-cost items, but they take up a lot of storage space. Not only does it increase storage cost, but it also increases the chances of fiber damage while in storage.

We recommend that businesses adopt a just-in-time manufacturing business model to save time and money.

5. Benefits of Bulk Purchase

Procurement is always more financially sensible at large volumes. Many manufacturers offer discounts on larger orders. This also ensures that you always have enough towels in storage and never run out.

Conclusion

Towel sizes are not standardized. Each industry prefers specific towel sizes that are fine-tuned for their respective applications. Cleaning towels are generally smaller, and hygiene towels are generally much larger. Microfiber towels are larger while staying lightweight. Hence, they have slowly become the go-to option for homes and businesses alike. Use this guide when selecting towels for your business.

Get Towels in Every Size and Design from Manywell!

Manywell is a leader in the microfiber manufacturing industry. We produce high-quality microfiber towels, scrubbing mitts, and disposable towels with ethically sourced materials.

All Manywell products are 100% customizable. Take advantage of our OEM/ODM services and add your brand colors and logo to premium-feeling towels.

Get a free quote today. Contact us now!