Water absorbency is one of the most important features in towel production in textile sector. The basic stages of towel production are yarn dyeing, weaving, and sewing. In the structure of terry fabrics, one or both sides of the fabric are looped. With today's technological possibilities, towels are produced using completely electromechanical machines and production stages are under the control of electronic systems. Moreover, thanks to the machines integrated in the system, the desired logos and patterns can be applied to the towels during the weaving stage.

The main criteria to be considered in towel production are unit weight, type and quality of the yarns used in weaving, weaving density, sewing quality, type of dyestuffs and most importantly water absorbency.

Water absorbency, or, in technical terms, hydrophilicity, is the first feature in towel production. In the tests, the sinking time of the towels by absorbing water is measured and the water absorbing quality of the towels is determined. For quality towels, this time must be at most 100 seconds.

There are many factors affecting absorbency. For example, the raw material of towel yarns, twist, number, density of weaving, pile height and finishing processes applied to the towel are factors that affect the water absorption of the towel separately or together.

For physical tests performed in accredited laboratories, standards issued by local and foreign organizations are complied with. In this context, the following standards are taken into consideration in water absorption tests:

• TS 629 (Annex B) Textile products - Towels and terry fabrics - Knitting - Specifications
• TS EN 14697 (Annex B) Textiles - Towels and terry fabrics - Properties and test methods
• AATCC 79 Test Method TS-018, Absorption procedure

All laboratories are required to use state-of-the-art equipment and equipment in order to obtain quality, fast and reliable results. It is also important to have a strong technological infrastructure and an experienced and trained staff.