Choosing a towel that is right for you is very much a personal decision. Here at The Turkish Towel Company, we get asked “Are Turkish towels absorbent?”. In a word, the answer is “Yes!” Turkish towels are absolutely absorbent, and for many reasons. Turkish cotton is known for its durability as well as its absorbency.
As outlined in our Towel Care section, Turkish cotton:
- Provides the perfect balance between absorbency and softness, which makes it the best cotton to be used in towels
- Provides maximum absorbency and efficient drying
- Becomes even softer, fluffier, and more absorbent with successive washings
The nitty-gritty on towel absorbency
Let’s take a closer look at why Turkish cotton makes for absorbent (and awesome!) towels.
Every towel consists of two main parts: the base weave, and the pile, also known as the loops of the towel. Loops play a key role in determining just how effectively you’ll be able to dry off; their number, length and tightness all affect your towel’s absorbency.
More loops, and longer loops, increase the towel’s surface area, which results in greater water absorption. Yarn thickness is also a factor. Thinner yarn allows for more loops per square inch, which leads to a greater surface area.
So if absorbency is your bottom line, what you want to look for are towels with a deep pile (i.e., plenty of long loops) and thin yarn. In other words, towels made from Turkish cotton, which have long, thin fibers, and can yield thinner yarns than other types of cotton.
How to know if your Turkish towels have a deep pile and thin yarn
Fabrics are measured by a standard number called GSM, which is short for “grams per square meter.” The number refers to the fabric’s density; the higher the number, the more dense – and therefore absorbent – your towel will be.
Our GSM guide can help you figure out what density is right for you. But in general, a GSM of more than 500 is a good indication of a quality towel. Our high-quality Turkish cotton towels tend toward the heavier side (600+), making them extremely absorbent.
To learn more, you can read up on our fabulous ring-spun cotton towels. Happy bathing!