How to start a Turkish Towel (Peshtemal) Business: A Manufacturer's Complete Guide
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Last updated: June 2026 | Published by Towel Age, Turkish towel manufacturer in Denizli, Turkey
Whether you're building a private label brand, sourcing for your hotel or spa, or setting up an Amazon FBA operation, the path starts at the same place: finding the right manufacturer and knowing exactly what to tell them. This guide covers everything you need to order custom peshtemal production — from your first design decision to shipment.
Table of Contents
- Should you use an existing design or create your own?
- What specifications does the factory need?
- Warp color and weft color: what's the difference?
- What are your branding options?
- Weaving techniques: Jacquard vs Dobby
- Minimum order quantities explained
- From order to delivery: what to expect
- Frequently asked questions
1. Should You Use an Existing Design or Create Your Own?
This is the first decision that affects your MOQ, your timeline, and your cost.
Option A — Royalty-free manufacturer patterns
Most peshtemal manufacturers, including Towelage, maintain a catalog of ready-to-produce designs. These patterns are already programmed into the loom, which means no design conversion work, no setup fee, and a lower minimum order quantity. Because these patterns have no copyright restrictions, you can sell them under your own brand.
This is the most common starting point for new brands. You focus on your label, your packaging, and your market positioning — the manufacturer handles the technical production.
Option B — Your own custom design
If you want a pattern no other brand carries, you can submit your own artwork. The factory takes your design file (AI, PDF, or high-resolution PNG/JPG/BMP) and converts it into a format the jacquard loom can read. This is a skilled technical process — it is not a simple file conversion — and it requires additional lead time before production begins.
Custom designs also carry a higher minimum order quantity, because excess production from a proprietary pattern cannot be sold to other buyers.
Which should you choose?
For a first order, catalog designs let you test your market faster and with lower investment. Custom designs make sense once you have validated demand and want to differentiate your product line.
2. What Specifications Does the Factory Need?
When you place a production order, the factory needs the following information. The more precisely you specify these parameters, the closer your production will match your expectations.
Pattern
Provide the name or reference code from the manufacturer's catalog, or attach your design files if ordering a custom pattern.
Dimensions
The standard peshtemal size is 100 × 180 cm (39" × 70"). Custom lengths are straightforward to accommodate. Custom widths (narrower or wider than 100 cm) may require additional considerations depending on the loom configuration — confirm with the factory before committing.
Plan for up to 10% shrinkage after the first wash. This is a characteristic of 100% cotton yarn and is consistent across the industry. If your end product needs to meet a specific post-wash dimension, specify the pre-wash target accordingly.
Weight (GSM)
Weight is measured in grams per square meter (GSM). The factory will calculate the appropriate yarn count based on your target GSM. If you have a specific yarn thickness preference beyond standard, mention it separately.
Peshtemal is a flat-woven textile with no looped pile, which is why its GSM sits significantly lower than terry towels (which run 500–700 GSM). Lower GSM in a peshtemal is not a quality indicator — it is a structural characteristic of flat weave construction.
Common peshtemal GSM ranges (100% cotton, flat weave):
| GSM | Category | Typical application |
|---|---|---|
| 150–180 | Ultralight | Promotional, gifting, travel accessories |
| 180–220 | Lightweight | Retail, yoga, beach — dry climates |
| 220–260 | Standard | Hotel beach towel, pool deck, spa |
| 260–300 | Premium | Luxury hotel amenity, hammam |
Towelage's standard production range starts at a piece weight of 250–270 grams per towel (at 100×180 cm). Below this threshold, the weave density opens up enough that fine sand can work through the fabric and wind resistance decreases — a practical problem for beach and pool applications.
Approximate piece weight by GSM — standard peshtemal 100×180 cm (pre-wash):
| GSM | Piece weight | In oz |
|---|---|---|
| 150 GSM | ~270 g | ~9.5 oz |
| 180 GSM | ~324 g | ~11.4 oz |
| 200 GSM | ~360 g | ~12.7 oz |
| 220 GSM | ~396 g | ~14.0 oz |
| 250 GSM | ~450 g | ~15.9 oz |
| 270 GSM | ~486 g | ~17.1 oz |
| 300 GSM | ~540 g | ~19.0 oz |
Note: After the first wash, a 100% cotton peshtemal typically shrinks to approximately 90×170 cm. Post-wash piece weight will be slightly lower than the figures above. For the full explanation of how GSM is measured and what it means for peshtemal sourcing, see our Complete GSM Guide.
Fringe
Peshtemals traditionally have fringe on the short ends. Standard options include twisted fringe, knotted fringe, short fringe, faux fringe, and fringeless (hemmed edge). Specify your preference.
Edge Finishing (Long Sides)
The long edges of a peshtemal require a finished selvedge. Towelage's looms use automatic tucking, a process in which excess weft threads are looped back into the fabric during weaving to create a clean, self-finished edge without post-production stitching. This is the more durable method and eliminates the risk of edge unraveling over time.
Some looms use a cutting mechanism instead, which requires a subsequent folded-hem stitch on the long edges. When evaluating suppliers, ask which method they use — it affects both durability and production consistency.
Packaging
Specify how you want units packaged: loose, individually bagged in polybag, banded in sets, or boxed. If you have branded packaging, confirm whether the factory offers that service or whether you'll need a separate packaging step. Standard Towelage export cartons are 40×60×40 cm or 26×50×60 cm; custom-branded boxes can be arranged with prior notice.
3. Warp Color and Weft Color: What's the Difference
In woven textiles, the warp is the set of threads running lengthwise through the loom; the weft is the thread that passes across. In a peshtemal, the warp determines the base structure, and the weft carries most of the visible color and pattern.
Warp color options:
- Natural (undyed/ivory) — the default. Undyed cotton in its natural state. Slightly warm in tone.
- White (white-dyed) — White warp is achieved through white dyeing, not bleaching. Available without minimum order restrictions, used when the design requires a bright white base or when the finished product needs a clean white appearance.
Both warp options are available at standard minimum order quantities — there is no volume threshold required to access white warp.
Weft color options:
Towelage maintains a stock of 64 pre-dyed yarn colors (including white and black). Selecting from this palette eliminates dyeing lead time and has no additional MOQ implications — you're ordering from ready-to-use stock.
If your design requires a color not in the standard palette, the factory will commission a custom yarn dyeing batch. Custom Pantone-matched colors are possible but subject to the dyehouse's own minimum quantities, which vary by shade. These orders are evaluated on a project-by-project basis.
4. What Are Your Branding Options?
Most buyers want their products to carry their brand, not the manufacturer's. Standard branding methods in peshtemal production include:
Woven label — a fabric label with your brand name and logo woven in, sewn into the edge or hem of the towel. Durable, premium appearance, used by most established towel brands.
Printed ribbon label — your brand name printed on a cotton ribbon, sewn onto the product. Faster to produce than woven labels.
Embroidery — your logo or text embroidered directly onto the peshtemal fabric. Pricing depends on stitch count, color count, and placement. Best for logos with limited colors and clean lines.
Hangtag — a paper or cardstock tag attached to the fringe or a corner. Often used in combination with a woven or ribbon label.
Each branding method has different lead times and minimum quantities. If you're ordering samples before a production run, clarify with the factory whether branding will be applied to samples or added only at full production.
5. Weaving Techniques: Jacquard vs Dobby
The weaving technique determines what patterns are possible and how complex the design can be.
Jacquard looms control each warp thread individually, which allows for highly detailed, photographic-quality patterns with smooth color gradients. Jacquard weaving is used for complex geometric patterns, figures, and tonal designs. It is also the technique used for heavier GSM products.
Dobby looms create patterns by controlling groups of threads together using a mechanical system. This produces clean geometric and striped patterns at high efficiency. Dobby is well-suited for herringbone, stripe, and simple diamond weaves.
Both techniques produce 100% cotton peshtemals of comparable durability. The choice depends on the complexity of your design: if your pattern requires gradients or dense detail, jacquard is the right tool. For bold stripes and simple geometrics, dobby delivers excellent results at competitive production costs.
6. Minimum Order Quantities Explained
MOQ at Towel Age depends on whether you're ordering from the existing catalog or producing a custom design.
Catalog designs (royalty-free patterns)
300 units per design per color variant. A color variant means the same design woven in a different color combination — for example, the same stripe pattern in navy/red vs. the same pattern in sage/cream. Each color variant requires a minimum of 300 units.
You can order multiple color variants of the same design in a single order. There is no cross-variant volume requirement.
Custom designs (buyer-provided artwork)
Custom designs require additional production setup (design file conversion, loom programming) and carry higher minimums:
- 1 color variant: 500 units minimum
- 2 color variants: 300 units each (600 units total)
- 3 or more color variants: 300 units each per variant
The per-variant MOQ decreases with multiple variants because the fixed setup cost is distributed across larger total volume.
Why does custom design MOQ differ from catalog?
When Towelage produces a catalog design, any surplus from a production run can be sold to other buyers. With a custom design, surplus units carry your proprietary pattern and cannot be redistributed — so the production economics require a larger guaranteed commitment from each buyer.
7. From Order to Delivery: What to Expect
Payment
Full payment is required before production begins. Towel Age accepts credit/debit card payments through the site checkout or SWIFT bank transfer.
Production time
Lead time varies depending on current loom capacity. It typically ranges from two to six weeks from payment confirmation. If your project has a hard deadline, confirm capacity with the factory before placing the order.
Pricing terms
All prices are quoted EXW (Ex Works), meaning the quoted price is the factory-gate price in Denizli, Turkey. Freight is separate and is quoted after production is complete, once the shipment weight and dimensions are confirmed. Shipping options include express courier, air freight, sea freight, and road transport (where applicable). You may also arrange your own freight forwarder to collect directly from the factory.
Quality and production tolerance
In woven textile production, a tolerance of ±5% on delivered quantity is standard practice industry-wide. This reflects the nature of loom production, where defective units are removed from the lot and the factory does not always produce a separate supplemental run to compensate for small shortfalls. Towel Age aims to deliver the full ordered quantity; in cases where this is not possible, the shortfall will not exceed 5% of the ordered amount. This tolerance is documented in Towel Age's proforma invoice and sales order.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
Can I order a sample before placing a production order? Yes. Two types of samples are available, depending on what you need to evaluate:
Existing inventory samples: If you want to assess construction quality, yarn feel, weight, and absorbency before committing to a production order, we can send samples from products we have already produced. If you proceed with a wholesale order, the sample units are credited toward your order at wholesale pricing.
Pre-production samples for custom designs: If you want to review and approve a sample of your own custom design before mass production begins, the full production order must be placed and paid first. Once production is underway, a pre-production sample is prepared for your review and approval. Any revisions are incorporated before the full run is completed.
Do I need to send my design in a specific file format? For custom designs, vector formats (AI, PDF) are preferred. High-resolution raster files (PNG, JPG, BMP at minimum 300 dpi) are also accepted. The factory will assess the file and confirm whether it is suitable for loom conversion before production begins.
Can I get a pre-washed product? Yes — and it is our default. All Towel Age orders are shipped pre-washed as standard: each peshtemal goes through a hydrophilic pre-wash, is dried and pressed before packing. This removes sizing from the yarn, leaving the fabric soft and fully absorbent from first use. For hotels, spas, and retailers who want to hand the product directly to the end user without additional processing, this is the ready-to-use option.
If you prefer to skip the pre-wash — for example, if you plan to launder the products in bulk at your facility before use, or if your customers routinely wash textiles before first use — we can ship unwashed at a slightly lower per-unit cost. Just let us know at the inquiry stage.
What certifications do your products carry? Towel Age uses OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified yarns, meaning the materials have been tested and confirmed free of substances harmful to human health. This certification is relevant for buyers sourcing for hospitality, children's products, or markets with strict chemical compliance requirements.
Can you ship directly to an Amazon FBA fulfillment center? Yes. Towel Age offers Amazon FBA labeling and preparation services. See our Amazon FBA labeling guide for specifics on barcode requirements and carton labeling standards.
What are the payment options for international orders? Orders can be placed and paid through the following channels:
Bank transfer (SWIFT): USD or EUR transfers accepted to our Turkish bank accounts. The most straightforward option for international wholesale buyers.
Credit/debit card (via İyzico): We can issue a payment link for Visa and Mastercard. American Express is not supported through this channel.
Via Carettalia LLC (U.S. entity): Buyers from any country can place their order through Carettalia LLC, our Delaware-registered U.S. entity. Carettalia invoices the buyer and ships to their address — Towel Age bills-to U.S., ship-to anywhere. This unlocks a significantly wider range of payment options: Stripe (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later), Wise (multi-currency transfers at mid-market rates), and Mercury Bank transfer. For buyers who prefer U.S.-based invoicing or need flexibility in payment method, this is the recommended route.
Your preferred payment channel and invoicing entity can be confirmed at the inquiry stage.
Ready to place an order or request a quote?
Every production inquiry is different. Send us your specifications — pattern preference, dimensions, GSM target, color direction, quantity, and any branding requirements — and we'll respond with a formal quote.
You can also browse our ready-to-produce catalog patterns in Dobby and Jacquard, or visit our catalog.
Related reading
- What is GSM? The Complete Guide to Peshtemal Weight
- The Art of Selecting the Perfect Yarn for Peshtemal Towels
- What Advantage Does Jacquard Loom Production Provide?
- Should I Order a Sample Peshtemal Set?
- Should I Have the Factory Do a Pre-wash?
- What is the OEKO-TEX Certificate?
- Do You Provide Labeling Services for Amazon FBA?
About this guide
This guide covers the full production ordering process for custom peshtemal (aka Turkish towel, fouta, loincloth) manufacturing. Topics include design selection, product specifications, GSM and piece weight, warp and weft color options, Jacquard vs Dobby weaving, minimum order quantities for catalog and custom designs, branding methods, pre-wash options, payment channels, and lead time expectations.
Towelage is a B2B peshtemal manufacturer based in Denizli, Turkey. We produce 100% cotton Turkish towels for hotels, spas, retail brands, and corporate buyers worldwide. All products use OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified yarns. Operated by Carettalia LLC (Dover, Delaware, USA).