In pictures

Explainer

Fabric weight, GSM

Explainer

From size and GSM to a price per piece

In this article

What drives each price
Converting per kg to per piece
Why per-kg pricing is useful to you
Where per-kg pricing can mislead
Why sheets don't work this way
Next step

Short answer: in a towel, most of the cost is yarn, and yarn is bought by weight. So the trade prices towels per kg. In a sheet, the fabric is light and the cost sits in fine weaving, width and stitching, so sheets are priced per piece or per set.

What drives each price

Fabric weight, GSM

Bed sheet110 to 150

Terry towel400 to 700

Bath mat800 to 1,000

	Terry towel	Bed sheet
Fabric weight	Heavy, 400 to 700 GSM	Light, roughly 110 to 150 GSM
Biggest cost	Yarn, by the kg	Weaving fine yarn at wide widths, then cutting and sewing
Price moves most with	Weight	Thread count, width and size
Usual quote unit	Per kg, or per piece	Per piece or per set

Converting per kg to per piece

From size and GSM to a price per piece

1.155 m²

Length x width

550

GSM

$4.80

Price per kg

$3.05

Bath towel, 635 g

Piece weight in grams = length in metres x width in metres x GSM.

Price per piece = price per kg x piece weight in kg.

Towel	Size	GSM	Piece weight	At $4.80 per kg
Face towel	30 x 30 cm	550	50 g	$0.24
Hand towel	43 x 69 cm	500	150 g	$0.72
Bath towel	76 x 152 cm	550	635 g	$3.05
Bath mat	51 x 76 cm	900	350 g	$1.68

The $4.80 is an example rate to show the method. Small pieces usually cost more per kg than this, because hemming a face towel takes nearly as long as hemming a bath towel. That is why our public price bands are quoted per piece. The GSM calculator does the weight sum for any size.

Why per-kg pricing is useful to you

It lets you compare suppliers quoting different sizes. If one quotes a 70 x 140 cm towel and another a 68 x 136 cm towel, the per-kg price shows who is really cheaper.

Where per-kg pricing can mislead

Weight you did not get. A per-kg price is only fair if the pieces weigh what the spec says. Weigh ten on arrival.
Weight you did not want. Some of a towel's weight can come from heavy finishing that washes out. Weigh a sample after three washes.
Different yarn. Two towels at the same weight can differ in softness and life. Per kg tells you how much cotton, not how good.

Why sheets don't work this way

A 300 thread count sheet weighs barely more than a 200 thread count sheet, yet costs noticeably more. The cost is in the finer yarn and denser weave, not the weight. Our published bands show it: a 200 thread count percale set is $5.00 to $7.50 and a 300 thread count set is $8.00 to $11.00. See why two sheets with the same thread count cost different amounts.

Next step

Current per-kg ranges are on the towel price per kg page. If you want a quote in both units, say so in your request and we'll show per kg and per piece on the same line.