Fabric weight — usually measured in GSM, grams per square metre — is one of the biggest levers in a custom textile quote. Get it right and you hit your price point; get it wrong and you either feel cheap or ship heavy.
What GSM actually measures
GSM is the weight of one square metre of fabric. A higher number means a denser, heavier cloth. It's a more reliable comparison than "thick" or "premium", because two fabrics can look similar and feel very different once you check the number.
Why weight matters
- Feel. A heavier cloth reads as more premium in the hand; a lighter one reads as entry-level or promotional.
- Durability. More fibre usually means it holds up to more washes — important for anything sold as "hotel quality" or "gym tough".
- Cost. More fibre per metre means a higher fabric cost per piece.
- Shipping. Heavier products cost more to move, which matters at container scale.
Weight is a cost lever
Because weight drives both material and freight, it's often the fastest way to move a quote up or down. A heavier terry towel feels more premium but costs more per piece and more to ship. A lighter weave keeps the price down for a promotional or entry product — a legitimate choice when you're competing on shelf price rather than on "best in category".
There's no single "right" weight. There's a weight that fits your use and your target retail price.
How to pick a weight range
The same category can span a wide range. Bath, beach and gym towels, for example, each sit at different weights because they do different jobs. Rather than memorising numbers, the practical approach is to tell us two things:
- What the product is for (bath, beach, gym, kitchen, gifting)
- Where it needs to land on price (entry, mid, premium)
From there we propose a weight range with your first sample. Once the weight is set, the fibre choice and the print method complete the picture.