What Is GSM in Towels? The Key to Choosing Softer, More Absorbent Towels
GSM mäter hur mycket bomull en handduk innehåller. Vad siffran betyder, och varför fiberkvalitet är minst lika viktig som vikten i sig.
Short answer: GSM stands for grams per square metre, and it measures how dense and heavy a towel's fabric is. Higher GSM generally means plusher and more absorbent, but also heavier and slower to dry. Ours run 700 g/sqm, which sits at the plush, hotel-style end without tipping into slow-drying territory.
What GSM actually measures
GSM is simply the weight of one square metre of fabric. A towel with a higher GSM packs more cotton fibre into the same area, which is what gives it that thick, substantial feel. It has nothing to do with thread count, that measure belongs to woven bedding, not looped terry towelling.
What different ranges feel like
Towels under 400 g/sqm are thin and quick-drying, the kind you'd want for the gym or travel. 400 to 600 g/sqm is a solid everyday weight. 600 to 900 g/sqm is the plush, absorbent range hotels favour, and it's where ours sit. Above 900 g/sqm, towels get noticeably heavier and take longer to dry between uses, which matters more than it sounds if you're washing towels every few days.
Our towels are 700 g/sqm Supima cotton terry, woven in Portugal. It's heavy enough to feel substantial and absorb quickly, without holding on to so much water that it takes all day to dry on the rail.