A terry towel is described as a textile product which is made with loop pile on one or both sides generally covering the entire surface or forming strips, checks, or other patterns (with end hems or fringes and side hems or selvages). The name “terry” comes from the French word “tirer” which means to pull out, referring to the pile loops which were pulled out by hand to make absorbent traditional Turkish toweling. Latin “vellus”, meaning hair, has the derivation “velour”, which is the toweling with cut loops.
Terry towels are often very complex with yarns of different types and colors, in combination with various loop pile and flat structures. Towels are subject to changing fashions, and the market is constantly demanding new designs with improved fabric characteristics important to the consumer such as softness and absorbency. In satisfying these requirements, the content and structure of terry towels are critical decisions determining the resulting quality. Due to its super-absorbent nature, Terry woven fabrics are typically used to make bathrobes and towels for the bathroom, beach and kitchen.
India’s YTD market share in cotton sheets and terry towels to the US increased (in US dollar terms), driven by volumes: India’s YTD exports of cotton sheets to the US (in US dollar terms) increased 3.9 per cent YoY (vs. a 0.3 per cent decline in world cotton sheet exports to the US), led by a 2.6 per cent rise in volumes and a 1.3 per cent increase in realisations. India’s YTD exports of terry towels to the US increased 10.1 per cent YoY (vs. a 7.6 per cent rise in world terry towel exports to the US), driven by a significant 15.5 per cent YoY increase in volumes.