How bath towels are made
The loops that make a towel absorbent are extra threads on the loom, bunched up on purpose.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 34
- raw sources
- 14
- steps from the ground
- 8
The short version
Terry towels use two warp sheets at once: one held tight for the base, one left loose for the pile. Three picks of weft beat up together and push the slack yarn into loops. Rolls leave the loom for inspection and a continuous J-Box bleacher, then get dyed, washed and air dried before being cut, hemmed and checked one at a time.
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Prepare two warps
Pile and ground yarns both go through warping, sizing and drawing-in. Better fibers and low-twist yarns go in the pile for absorbency, while coarser two-ply yarns make a strong ground.
Goes in -
Weave the loop pile
One warp runs at normal tension and one loose. Two picks go in with a light beat and a small gap left, then a heavy third beat drives all three home and the loose warp buckles up into loops.
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Inspect the gray rolls
Staff check the first towels on and off the loom against the weaving plan. Rolls are cut to the specification sheet and looked over in an inspection room before going on.
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Bleach in a J-Box
A continuous J-Box machine treats the rolls with hydrogen peroxide and caustic recipes at a set speed and reaction time. Washing machines then remove every trace of chemicals.
Goes in -
Dye the rolls
Dried, uncut rolls go to the dye house for color, then get washed again to remove loose dye and dried on an air-drying machine.
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Cut and hem
Finishing opens the rolls, cuts them to the instruction sheet and stitches the edges of each towel.
Goes in -
Inspect and pack
An inspector at each table checks both sides and a senior inspector passes it for labeling. Rejected pieces are kept apart, and holes and broken ends are among the common faults.
Worth repeating
- The modern terrycloth towel is associated with the city of Bursa, Turkey, in the 17th century.
- Towels did not become affordable until the 19th century, when the cotton trade and mechanization made terry towelling available by the yard.
- The Greek geographer Strabo described asbestos towels that were cleaned by placing them in a fire.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and bath towel starts as these 14 raw sources.
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Sources
- Textile School: Terry towels, fabrics that can absorb large amounts of water
- Online Clothing Study: Towel manufacturing overview
- Towel
- Cotton
Cite this page: "How bath towels are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/towel