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Short answer: GSM on a quote is a target. What a laundry receives is a spread of piece weights around that target. A narrow spread means predictable machine loads, fair billing and even drying. A wide spread costs money on every cycle. Specify the piece weight and its tolerance, not only the GSM.
Why variation costs a laundry
| Where | What happens when weight varies |
|---|---|
| Machine loading | Loads set by piece count come out overweight or underweight |
| Drying | Heavier pieces come out damp, lighter ones are overdried and harden |
| Billing by weight | Customers are charged differently for the same towel |
| Billing by piece | Your cost per piece moves while your price does not |
| Customer perception | A hotel guest gets a thick towel one day and a thin one the next |
| Purchasing | You paid for cotton you did not receive |
How much variation is normal
Terry weaving and finishing are not exact. A fair commercial tolerance is plus or minus 5 percent on piece weight. Tighter than that is possible and costs more, because more pieces are rejected at source.
| Target 540 g | Range |
|---|---|
| Plus or minus 3 percent | 524 to 556 g |
| Plus or minus 5 percent | 513 to 567 g |
| Plus or minus 10 percent | 486 to 594 g |
At plus or minus 10 percent, the lightest towel has nearly a fifth less cotton than the heaviest. They are no longer the same product.
Write it like this
*"Bath towel 70 x 140 cm after wash, 550 GSM, piece weight 540 g plus or minus 5 percent. Average weight of any 20 pieces to be not less than 535 g."*
The second sentence matters. Without it, a supplier could deliver every piece at the bottom of the tolerance. An average requirement stops that.
Check it in ten minutes
- Take 20 towels from at least five different cartons or bales.
- Weigh each on a scale that reads to the gram.
- Note the lightest, the heaviest and the average.
- Compare with the spec.
Weigh them as delivered, in normal room conditions. Cotton takes up moisture from the air, so a towel weighed in a damp store reads a little heavier than one from a dry room. For a dispute, weigh after a wash and full dry.
What causes variation
- Yarn that varies in thickness.
- Loop height drifting during weaving.
- Different shrinkage between dye or bleach lots.
- Pieces cut slightly over or under size.
A supplier who checks weight at each stage catches drift early. One who checks only at the end ships whatever came out.
Why GSM alone misleads
Two towels can both be "550 GSM" and still differ, because GSM is weight per square metre, and the size may vary too. A towel that is 2 cm short in each direction at the same GSM weighs less. Piece weight catches both. The GSM calculator converts between the two.
What to ask for with each delivery
A weight record: the readings taken at inspection, with the average and the range. We include weight and size readings with the inspection report on every order.
See the hotel linen weight chart for standard piece weights by size. To get a quote that states piece weight and tolerance, send us your sizes.
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Written by
Dr Abin Babu
Founder & Chairman, Anabyn Global Ventures
Anabyn exports hotel and home linen from Kerala, India. These guides come from the questions buyers ask our desk. About the team
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