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The Towel Size Guide: How to Choose the Just-Right Towel to Fit Your Needs

By Wayne Kotulic Jr. | June 23, 2022 | Basketball Towels, Football Towels, Gym Towels, Hand Towels, Towels in Bulk
man holding towel and water bottle before workout

With so many different towels to choose from, it can be tricky to know the best towel size to buy. Most of us don’t go around our home or business with a ruler measuring our towels, so you may not know the correct dimensions to select when replenishing your supply.

In this article, we’ll cover the most common sizes available for various types of towels and give you a breakdown of how to choose the right kind of towel for every use.

5 Factors to Consider When Buying a Towel

The type of towel you choose depends on your specific needs and preferences. When shopping for towels, consider these five essential factors:

  1. Towel Size: How big the towel needs to be for a particular need
  2. Absorbency: How well the towel soaks up water
  3. Durability: How strong the towel is and how many washes it can withstand
  4. Thickness: The thicker the towel, the longer it will last
  5. Softness: The softer, the better when it comes to bath towels

Towel size is the first factor you’ll need to determine before narrowing your choices down by other factors, like durability. (For instance, if you’re looking for a towel to take to the beach, you probably don’t need to look at washcloths.)

Once you determine how big your towel needs to be, you can start looking more closely at the specific dimensions available as you shop.

What Are the Most Common Towel Sizes?

When shopping for towels, you’ll see many different types in varying sizes. An important thing to note is that depending on where the seller is located, some will list the dimensions in centimeters and meters, while others use inches and feet—so pay close attention as you shop. (Texon is based in the United States, so we use inches to show our towel dimensions.)

Here are some common towel size options (in inches):

What Additional Towel Size Options Are Available?

There are many other varieties and sizes in the towel family made for different activities and uses. For example, children’s towels will typically be smaller and come in a range of sizes for babies, toddlers, and big kids.

Other specialty towels include:

The Benefits of High-Quality Towels

Whether you’re buying towels for your home, business, or athletic team, you want them to feel soft, absorbent, and durable enough to withstand frequent washing.

Over time, towels begin to lose fibers and gradually wear out. Eventually, they may become threadbare and even start to tear (they also won’t feel great on your skin at that point).

The higher the quality of your towels, the longer they’ll last and stay soft. That means you’ll have to replace them less often.

However, while high-quality towels will last longer than those of lower quality, all towels will need to be replaced eventually. Inspect the condition of your towels regularly, and replace any that have:

  • Started to develop a musty or mildew-like odor that doesn’t come out in the wash
  • Lost their absorbency or softness
  • Have stains that you’re unable to get out

FAQs About Towel Size

If you have questions about choosing the right towel size, the experts at Texon have the answers. Here are some frequently asked questions.

What Is the Size of an XL Bath Towel?

An XL bath towel will typically be 24″x50″ or larger. Bath towels that measure 27″x54″ are pretty standard. Bath sheets are even bigger, usually measuring between 30″x60″ and 35″x70″.

What’s the Biggest Towel Size?

Texon’s 35″x70″ premium cotton bath sheet is the largest towel we carry. It’s the most luxurious towel to wrap up in after a bath or shower and is great for spas and hotels—or to have in your linen closet at home.

The most oversized towels on the market are beach towel blankets; they can be as big as 7-feet long to accommodate multiple people. While they’re made of absorbent material, this towel size is meant to be sat on rather than wrapped up in.

How Many Towels Do I Need?

If you run a busy gym, hotel, or athletic club, we recommend having a two- or three-day supply of towels on hand in case you have an issue with your washer or dryer and can’t do the daily laundry. If you have multiple machines, you’ll probably be okay with one or two days’ worth of towels.

What Do You Call the Small Towel?

The washcloth is the smallest towel size and is typically used for washing the face and body rather than drying it. You can buy washcloths in various colors and save money by buying them by the dozen from a wholesaler like Texon.

When buying in bulk, you save on the price you pay per towel compared to purchasing a single washcloth or small multipack from a traditional retailer.

What Is the Size of a Fingertip Towel?

A fingertip towel is a small towel typically used to dry your fingertips after washing your hands (hence the name). The towel size of a fingertip towel is 11″x18″. They’re smaller than hand towels but larger than washcloths.

Since you can find fingertip towels in various colors, designs, and patterns, they are also often used for decoration. People will hang them to spruce up a kitchen or bathroom.

Which Towel Is Best for the Body?

Ring Spun cotton is made with a softer yarn that feels the best on the body. Texon uses 16 single ring-spun cotton in our premium towels. Economy bath towels are typically less soft, so they come at a lower cost.

At Texon, every towel we carry that is 24″x50″ or larger is made with 16 single ring-spun cotton for premium quality and softness.

What Fabric Is Used for Towels?

Towels can come in a wide range of materials, including cotton, lyocell, bamboo, cotton-polyester blend, linen, and synthetic microfibers.

Most of the towels we sell at Texon are made of 100% cotton. We also offer microfiber towels that are great for cleaning and can be used wet or dry.

Don’t Get Hung Up on Standard Towel Sizes

When it comes right down to it, the exact size of the towels you choose isn’t as big of a deal as the quality and durability.

An extra inch or two of length or width won’t make much of a difference in most cases. Just make sure the towel is big enough to get the job done, will last through many uses and washes, and comes at a great price.

Texon Has the Towel Size You’re Looking For

Whether you run a busy gym, fitness center, hotel, or athletic program, we have the perfect towel size and quality to meet your needs.

Texon customers trust us and keep coming back because our towels are absorbent, durable, and built to last. Our family-owned, family-run business strives to provide the best products at the best prices.

Get a great deal with our online-exclusive, advantage pricing for large orders.

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