Reference · 33 Terms
Linen Sourcing Glossary
The vocabulary of a bulk linen order - specification, construction, quality, certification and export terms, defined in plain English.
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Specification
GSM
Also called: Grams per square metre · Fabric weight
- Grams per square metre - the weight of one square metre of fabric, and the single most important number when specifying a towel. Hotel bath towels are typically 400-700 GSM, pool towels 350-500 GSM, and bath mats 800-1200 GSM. Higher GSM means denser pile, more absorbency and slower drying.Hotel linen weight chart by GSM
Thread Count
Also called: TC
- The number of warp and weft threads in one square inch of woven fabric, used to specify bed linen rather than towels. Hotel bed linen is commonly 200-400 TC; above roughly 600 TC the gains are marginal and often come from multi-ply yarn counting rather than a genuinely finer weave.300 thread count bed sheets
Yarn Count
Also called: Ne · 16s · 21s · 30s
- A measure of yarn fineness, written as a number followed by "s" (16s, 21s, 30s). A higher number means a finer yarn. Coarser 16s yarn gives a firmer, hard-wearing towel favoured by high-turnover properties; finer 21s and 30s yarns give a softer hand-feel at the same GSM.16s vs 21s yarn towels
Tech Pack
Also called: Technical specification sheet · Spec sheet
- The document that defines exactly what is being manufactured: dimensions, GSM or thread count, yarn count, weave, colour reference, border style, logo placement, packing and labelling. A quotation without a tech pack is an estimate, not a price - anything left unstated becomes the factory's default.
Pantone TCX
Also called: Pantone Textile · Colour reference
- The cotton-swatch edition of the Pantone colour system, and the correct reference for textiles. Specifying a TCX code rather than a printed TPX/TPG or a screen colour is what makes a colour reproducible across dye lots and repeat orders.
Construction
Terry
Also called: Terry towelling · Loop pile
- A woven fabric with uncut loops standing proud of the ground weave, which is what makes a towel absorbent. The loops are formed on the loom from a separate pile warp - denser and taller loops give higher GSM and greater water uptake.Terry towel collection
Zero Twist
Also called: Untwisted yarn
- Pile yarn spun with minimal twist, so the fibres stay open rather than being wound tight. The result is a notably softer, faster-drying and more absorbent towel at a given GSM, at the cost of some long-term durability compared with a conventional twisted pile.
Ring Spun Cotton
- Yarn made by continuously twisting and thinning the cotton strand, producing a finer, stronger and smoother yarn than open-end spinning. Ring-spun pile gives a softer hand-feel and holds up better through repeated commercial laundering.
Combed Cotton
- Cotton that has been mechanically combed before spinning to remove short fibres and impurities. Fewer short fibres means less linting and pilling in service - which matters most on bed linen and on towels destined for high-wash-cycle hospitality use.
Percale
- A one-over-one-under plain weave for bed linen, giving a matte finish and a crisp, cool hand-feel. Percale is the traditional hotel sheeting weave and is generally more breathable and more durable than sateen at the same thread count.Hotel bed linen
Sateen
- A weave that floats several warp threads over each weft thread, putting more yarn surface on the face of the cloth. This produces a soft, lustrous, slightly heavier sheet that drapes better than percale but shows wear sooner under commercial laundering.
Waffle Weave
Also called: Honeycomb weave
- A recessed grid weave that creates a large surface area with very little fabric weight. Waffle bathrobes and towels dry far faster and pack far smaller than terry, which is why spas and warm-climate resorts specify them.
Dobby Border
- The flat woven band across the ends of a towel, produced on a dobby loom. It gives a towel its finished look, is the usual location for a woven logo or stripe, and reinforces the hem against fraying.
Hemming
Also called: Double-fold hem
- The stitched finish on the cut edges of a towel or sheet. A double-fold hem with a locked stitch is the hospitality standard because a single-fold hem is the first thing to fail after repeated industrial washing.
Quality
AQL 2.5
Also called: Acceptable Quality Limit · AQL inspection
- A statistical sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) that defines how many units to inspect from a lot and how many defects may be found before the lot is rejected. AQL 2.5 for major defects is the normal acceptance level for hospitality and retail textile shipments.AQL 2.5 inspection in practice
Master Sample
Also called: Counter sample · Approved sample · Sealed sample
- The physical sample both buyer and factory sign off before bulk production, retained by each side as the reference for the order. Bulk goods are judged against the master sample, so approving one without physically handling it removes your main quality remedy.
Colourfastness
Also called: Color fastness · Wash fastness
- How well a dyed fabric resists losing or transferring colour under washing, rubbing, light and perspiration, graded 1-5 on ISO test methods. Hospitality linen is usually specified at grade 4 or better for wash and rub fastness, since it is laundered far more aggressively than domestic linen.
Shrinkage
Also called: Residual shrinkage · Dimensional stability
- The dimensional loss a textile shows after washing, quoted as a percentage. Cotton terry typically shrinks 5-8% and cotton sheeting 3-5%; a specification should state finished-after-wash dimensions, otherwise "70x140cm" is ambiguous.
Linting
Also called: Shedding
- The loose short fibres a new towel sheds in its first several washes. Some shedding is normal on any terry; persistent linting past roughly five wash cycles usually indicates lower-grade or insufficiently combed cotton in the pile.
Certification
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
- A product certification confirming every component of a textile - fabric, thread, dye, trim - has been tested against limits for substances harmful to human health. It certifies chemical safety of the finished article; it says nothing about organic fibre content or social compliance.Anabyn certifications
GOTS
Also called: Global Organic Textile Standard
- The leading certification for organic fibre textiles, covering organic content, permitted chemical inputs, wastewater treatment and social criteria across the whole processing chain. GOTS goods require an unbroken certified chain of custody with a transaction certificate per shipment.
ISO 9001:2015
- The international standard for quality management systems. It certifies that a manufacturer runs documented, audited processes for handling specifications, inspection and corrective action - it is a process certification, not a product quality grade.
Commercial
MOQ
Also called: Minimum Order Quantity
- The smallest quantity a factory will produce for an order, usually counted per colour and size rather than across the whole order. It exists because dyeing and loom set-up costs are fixed per run - which is why splitting one quantity across many colours raises the price.Request a quote with your quantities
OEM / Private Label
Also called: White label · Own brand
- Manufacturing goods that carry the buyer's brand rather than the factory's - woven labels, custom packaging, buyer-specified construction. OEM production requires the buyer to own the specification, which is why it is usually paired with a signed tech pack and master sample.OEM and private label programs
Proforma Invoice
Also called: PI
- A binding quotation issued before production that states goods, specification, quantity, price, Incoterm, payment terms and delivery window. Signing it is what converts an enquiry into an order, and it is normally the document a buyer's bank needs to release an advance payment or open a letter of credit.
Letter of Credit
Also called: LC · Documentary credit
- A bank undertaking to pay the exporter once it presents documents matching the credit exactly. It protects both sides on larger orders, but payment turns on document compliance rather than on the goods, so the LC wording must match the shipping documents precisely.
Lead Time
- The time from order confirmation to goods being ready to ship, excluding ocean transit. For bulk bed and bath linen it typically runs 30-45 days from receipt of the advance payment, with samples taking a further 7-14 days beforehand.The export process step by step
Export & Logistics
Incoterms
Also called: FOB · CIF · DDP · ExW
- The ICC-published trade terms that define where the seller's responsibility for cost and risk ends and the buyer's begins. FOB puts the goods on the vessel at the origin port, CIF adds sea freight and insurance to destination, and DDP delivers duty-paid to the buyer's door - so two quotes are only comparable on the same Incoterm.
FOB Cochin
- Free On Board at Cochin (Kochi) port, Kerala - the price of goods loaded aboard the vessel at Cochin, with sea freight and insurance for the buyer's account. Cochin is the natural gateway for Kerala-made linen and routes efficiently to the Gulf, Europe and the Indian Ocean rim.
HS Code
Also called: Harmonised System code · Tariff code
- The international commodity classification that determines the import duty payable. Terry towels normally fall under HS 6302.60 and cotton bed linen under HS 6302.21 - declaring the correct subheading is what makes a preferential duty claim stand up.
Certificate of Origin
Also called: COO
- The document certifying where goods were manufactured, issued by an authorised chamber or export council. It is the paperwork that unlocks preferential duty rates under schemes such as the UK DCTS or the India-UAE CEPA - a missing or wrong COO is the most common reason a buyer pays full duty on goods that qualified for zero.
FCL / LCL
Also called: Full Container Load · Less than Container Load
- FCL means the shipment fills a container booked for one buyer; LCL means it is consolidated with other shippers' cargo. LCL suits trial and small repeat orders, while FCL gives a materially lower cost per piece - which is why volume price breaks usually appear at full-container quantities.
IEC
Also called: Importer Exporter Code
- The ten-character code issued by India's DGFT that a business must hold to export from India. Asking a prospective Indian supplier for its IEC is a quick way to confirm you are dealing with a registered exporter rather than an unregistered intermediary.Verify Anabyn's registrations
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