Choosing the right terry gsm:
400 or 500 grams per square metre
The gsm is the first figure on every terry quotation and the one most often misread. It says how much cotton is in the towel, not how good the towel is. This guide explains where 400 grams are enough, where 500 grams pay off and why a heavier towel is not automatically the better one.
Three weight classes in the hotel bathroom
Terry is specified in grams per square metre. For a hotel, three classes are enough: the 400 line for rooms, the 500 line for suites and wellness, and the heavy qualities for bath mats that are meant to stay put. Bathrobes follow a scale of their own.
Towel line 400 gsm
- The choice for standard rooms
- Dries fast, puts little strain on the laundry
- Six sizes from face cloth to sauna sheet
- Dries the guest to their satisfaction
Towel line 500 gsm
- For suites and wellness areas
- Noticeably fuller in the hand
- The same six sizes
- Needs longer in the dryer
Bath mat 650 and 700 gsm
- 50 x 70 cm in front of shower and tub
- Heavy enough to stay where it is laid
- Dense enough to keep the floor dry
- A class of its own, not comparable with towels
What the gsm tells you, and what it does not
Grams per square metre measure the weight of the finished fabric. More grams mean more cotton per area, so more pile, more volume and more water the towel can take up. The figure says nothing about the yarn, nothing about the hem and nothing about how the towel feels after thirty washes. Whoever buys by gsm alone compares weight, not quality.
Under 400 grams: thin in daily hotel use
Under 400 grams a hotel towel becomes thin. It dries fast, but it does not dry the guest to their satisfaction, and that is exactly the moment in which they judge the room. For the gym, where a light towel to wipe down is enough, a light quality can fit. For the room it is the wrong place to save.
400 to 500 grams: the range most properties work in
Between 400 and 500 grams, absorbency, drying time and laundry cost are in proportion. The 400 line is the choice for standard rooms because it dries fast and does not slow the laundry down. The 500 line belongs in suites and wellness areas, where the guest stays longer and looks more closely. Laid side by side you do not see the difference at once, after the shower you feel it.
Over 500 grams: fuller, but dearer to run
Above that the towel becomes noticeably fuller. But it needs longer in the dryer and costs more in daily operation, on every single wash cycle. A property that uses the heavy quality everywhere pays that surcharge in the rooms where the guest does not notice it too. That is why it pays not to use the same quality throughout the house.
Yarn and hem have a say as well
Two features that no photo shows weigh more in daily use than fifty grams of difference. Ring-spun cotton gives a more even, firmer loop than open-end yarn, sheds less lint and keeps its structure over more washes. And a double-stitched hem stands up to the commercial laundry, where a towel sees more cycles in a year than a private one in its whole life. If the hem tears, the towel is lost, even if the pile is still good.
In short: The gsm compares weight. Yarn and hem compare quality. Only when both are right is the figure on the quotation a statement.
Which gsm for which area
The right gsm follows from the place where the towel is used, not from the catalogue. Five areas, five answers.
Standard room: 400 gsm
Here turnover counts. The towel is changed daily or every other day, runs through the laundry and has to be back in the room the next morning. The 400 line dries fast and keeps the rhythm without the dryer becoming the bottleneck.
Suite and wellness: 500 gsm
Where the guest stays longer, drapes the towel over their shoulders after the sauna or spreads it on the lounger, they feel the weight as comfort. That is where the 500 line pays off. For sauna and lounger the sauna sheet 100 x 180 cm comes in, for suite and tub the bath sheet 100 x 150 cm.
Bath mat: 650 or 700 gsm
The bath mat is not a hand towel lying on the floor. It has to be heavy enough to stay put and dense enough to keep the floor dry after the shower. That is why it stands in a class of its own, in 650 and 700 grams, and is not compared with the gsm of the towels.
Bathrobe: 380 or 450 gsm
Bathrobes follow their own scale because weight on the body works differently from weight in the hand. The 380 quality is the standard for rooms, light enough for the robe to get through the dryer quickly and dense enough to keep the guest warm after the shower. The 450 quality belongs in suites and wellness areas, where the robe is worn longer. Both come with shawl collar in six sizes from S to 3XL.
Made to order: no fixed ceiling
The stock range ends at 500 grams for towels, production does not. From light towels for the gym to heavy qualities for the suite, all of it is feasible, at the same weaving mill as the stock goods. Tell us gsm, size and colour and we will cost it properly.
How weave, dyeing process and care work together is explained on the overview page Terry Towelling for Hotel and Spa.
Frequent questions about gsm
Short answers to the questions that come up when choosing between 400 and 500 grams.
Unsure between 400 and 500 grams?
Tell us the number of rooms, the areas and the change rhythm, and we will recommend the gsm per area, with quantities.
