Made in USA Towels: Bath and Kitchen, Verified

Nearly every towel sold in America is woven in Turkey, Portugal, India, Pakistan or China, including many with American names. Two makers still grow and finish theirs here.

By the Bonwits editorsUpdated September 30, 20264 picks

We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It never decides what we recommend. How we are funded

Our top picks

4 picks, each linked to the exact listing

1
Best overallRed Land Cotton Bath Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces
Check priceAmazon
2
For the guest bathRed Land Cotton Hand Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces
Check priceAmazon
3
The kitchen towel, about $18Country Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Made in the USA Kitchen Towels, Set of 2, 24 x 15
Check priceAmazon
4
The dishclothCountry Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Dishcloths, Set of 4, White, 11 x 11
Check priceAmazon

The American towel mill is mostly gone. Cannon, Fieldcrest and the Carolina mill towns that made them closed or moved production abroad, and the brands that kept the names import. Today a towel called American, or sold by a company with a flag in its logo, is usually Turkish cotton woven in Turkey. Several of the top Amazon results for "made in USA towels" are exactly that, and their listings never claim otherwise. They just let the name do the work.

The FTC's standard is the test we used. An unqualified Made in USA claim means the product is all or virtually all made here. For a towel that means woven, cut and sewn in the United States, and ideally from American cotton. We listed only towels whose Amazon listing states US manufacture and whose maker confirms it.

That left two makers, both small and both unusually open about their supply chains: Red Land Cotton, which grows its own cotton in Alabama, and Country Cottons, whose kitchen towels are grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina. Four picks from two makers is a short list. We would rather say so than fill it out with imports.

How we chose

Stated origin. The listing must say the towel is made in the USA, and the maker must confirm it. An American brand name is not enough.
Where the cotton goes. We prefer towels grown, woven and sewn here. Where a maker names the state, we give it.
Does the job. Absorbent, durable and machine washable. Origin is not a substitute for a good towel.
Sold by the maker. Sold on Amazon by the maker's own storefront.

We read makers’ specifications, warranties, care instructions and the sources listed at the end. We do not accept paid placements. How we choose

The 4 picks, in detail

Best overallNo. 1

Red Land Cotton Bath Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces

Our take. Towels that begin as cotton on one family farm in Alabama and are finished in American mills.

Check priceAmazon

Made in: USA (Alabama cotton, made in South Carolina per the listing)
Keeps for: Many years; two-ply loops wear slowly
Cotton: Grown on the maker's farm in Moulton, Alabama
Construction: Two-ply loops
Pieces: 2 bath towels, 30 x 58 in
Seller on Amazon: Red Land Cotton

Red Land Cotton is the Yeager family's farm in Moulton, Alabama, which has grown cotton since 1983 and ginned its own since 1994. In 2016 it started turning that cotton into sheets, and towels followed. The company says it partners with mills in the United States for weaving and finishing.

This listing states the towels are two-ply, crafted in South Carolina with cotton grown on the family farm. Two-ply loops put more cotton in each loop, which makes a denser, more absorbent towel. The set is two bath towels, each 30 by 58 inches.

Red Land's listings name different states for different items (South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia all appear), which reflects the mills it works with rather than any change in the claim: all are American. Skip these if you want a thin, fast-drying towel; two-ply terry is the opposite.

The catch. About $60 a towel, several times the price of imported Turkish cotton, and slower to dry.

For the guest bathNo. 2

Red Land Cotton Hand Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces

Our take. The same two-ply towel in the size that gets the most use and the most scrutiny from guests.

Check priceAmazon

Made in: USA (Alabama cotton, made in South Carolina per the listing)
Keeps for: Many years
Cotton: Grown in Moulton, Alabama
Construction: Two-ply loops
Pieces: 2 hand towels, 16 x 30 in
Seller on Amazon: Red Land Cotton

Hand towels are where a household notices quality first, since they are used a dozen times a day and washed constantly. This set is two 16 by 30 inch hand towels in the same two-ply construction as the bath towels, crafted in South Carolina from Red Land's Alabama cotton, per the listing.

It is also the cheapest way to try Red Land before buying bath towels. A matching washcloth set, two 12 by 13 inch cloths, sells for about $30, and bath sheets at 30 by 64 inches for about $120 a pair.

Skip it if your guest bath runs to paper or linen hand towels; terry this dense is a daily-use towel, not a decorative one.

The catch. White only in this listing, and $30 a hand towel is a lot for something that lives by the sink.

The kitchen towel, about $18No. 3

Country Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Made in the USA Kitchen Towels, Set of 2, 24 x 15

Our take. Thin, loosely woven cotton kitchen towels, grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina, that dry fast and do not sour.

Check priceAmazon

Made in: USA (grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina)
Keeps for: Years of daily use
Size: 24 x 15 in, set of 2
Material: 100% cotton, loose weave
Care: Machine washable, preshrunk
Seller on Amazon: Carolina Cottons

Country Cottons is a small family business in North Carolina, and its listing makes the most complete claim on this page: 100% cotton grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina. A profile by the retailer Lehman's describes the owners, Pete and Toni Hogan of Locust, buying cloth from weavers in Newton and having it pressed and hemmed by a sewing contractor in Albemarle.

These are old-fashioned kitchen towels, not terry. The weave is loose and thin, so they are lint free on glasses, dry quickly on a hook and do not hold the damp smell that thick dish towels develop. Each is 24 by 15 inches, preshrunk and machine washable, in nine colors.

Skip them if you want a thick towel for drying hands at the sink; they are for dishes and glassware. Buy a few sets, since they are cheap enough to rotate.

The catch. Small by modern dish towel standards, and too thin to double as a hand towel.

The dishclothNo. 4

Country Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Dishcloths, Set of 4, White, 11 x 11

Our take. Cotton dishcloths that replace a sponge and go in the wash instead of the trash.

Check priceAmazon

Made in: USA (grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina)
Keeps for: Months to years, depending on how hard they are used
Size: 11 x 11 in, set of 4
Material: 100% cotton
Care: Machine washable, preshrunk
Seller on Amazon: Carolina Cottons

The companion to the kitchen towels: four 11 inch square dishcloths in the same loose cotton weave, with the same claim on the listing, grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina.

A cotton dishcloth scrubs well, rinses clean and dries quickly, which is why the listing can say it resists souring. Wash them with the towels and they last far longer than sponges.

Skip them for scouring baked-on pans; they are for plates, glasses and wiping down counters.

The catch. Plain and utilitarian; they will look like working cloths, because they are.

Compare the picks

Pick	Best for	Made in	Keeps for	Buy
Red Land Cotton Bath Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces	Best overall	USA (Alabama cotton, made in South Carolina per the listing)	Many years; two-ply loops wear slowly	Check priceAmazon
Red Land Cotton Hand Towel Set, 100% Cotton, White, 2 Pieces	For the guest bath	USA (Alabama cotton, made in South Carolina per the listing)	Many years	Check priceAmazon
Country Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Made in the USA Kitchen Towels, Set of 2, 24 x 15	The kitchen towel, about $18	USA (grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina)	Years of daily use	Check priceAmazon
Country Cottons Old Fashion 100% Cotton Dishcloths, Set of 4, White, 11 x 11	The dishcloth	USA (grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina)	Months to years, depending on how hard they are used	Check priceAmazon

Compared.

Every comparison

American names, imported towels

Search Amazon for American-made towels and the top results include brands with American in the name selling Turkish cotton towels. Their listings do not claim US manufacture, and we did not include them. Well-known direct-to-consumer brands are no different: Brooklinen and Coyuchi towels are made in Turkey, and Onsen's in Vietnam and China from American Supima cotton.

"Made with US cotton" or "Supima" describes the fiber, not the weaving. A towel can be American cotton and still be woven abroad.

How to read a towel label

Look for Made in USA and, ideally, a state. The FTC standard says an unqualified claim means all or virtually all of the product is made here. If a listing says only "American designed," "American owned" or nothing at all, the towel is almost certainly imported.

Caring for cotton terry

Wash towels before first use, skip fabric softener, which coats the loops and cuts absorbency, and dry fully so they do not sour. Two-ply towels like Red Land's take longer to dry on a hook; hang them open rather than folded.

Frequently asked questions

Are any bath towels still made in the USA?

A few. Red Land Cotton makes bath towels, hand towels, bath sheets and washcloths from cotton grown on its Alabama farm, finished in American mills. They are sold on Amazon by the maker.

Are kitchen towels made in the USA?

Country Cottons kitchen towels and dishcloths are grown, woven and sewn in North Carolina, according to the maker's listing.

Is Turkish cotton the same as Made in USA?

No. Turkish cotton towels are woven in Turkey. A brand can be American and sell Turkish towels; the listing will usually say Turkish cotton and nothing about US manufacture.

Are Supima cotton towels made in the USA?

Supima is cotton grown in the US. The towel itself may be woven anywhere, and many Supima towels are made abroad. Check the listing for where it was made, not where the cotton grew.

Why are American towels so expensive?

Almost all of the country's towel weaving capacity has closed, so what remains is small-batch work. Red Land's towels cost several times what imported Turkish towels do.