The standard beach towel size is about 30 × 60 inches (76 × 152 cm), enough for one adult to lie on or dry off with. Large towels run up to about 36 × 70, oversized ones about 36 × 72 to 40 × 80, and kids' towels about 25 × 50. Bath towels are smaller, commonly 27 × 52.
Key takeaways
- A standard beach towel is about 30 × 60 inches (76 × 152 cm), sized for one adult.
- Oversized towels run about 36 × 72 to 40 × 80; beach blankets for sharing start near 60 × 70.
- Bath towels are smaller, commonly 27 × 52 to 30 × 58, and usually thicker than beach towels.
- Plan one or two beach towels per person, plus a couple of spares.
- Our shop towels come in 22 × 42 and 30 × 60 inches, each with a name.
In this guide
- Beach towel size chart in inches and cm
- What is a standard beach towel size?
- How big is an oversized beach towel?
- Beach towel vs bath towel: size and use
- Which beach towel size should you get?
- How many beach towels do you need?
- Our beach towel sizes: 22 × 42 and 30 × 60
- Pick the size for the person, then add the name
- Frequently asked questions
Beach towel size chart in inches and cm
Beach towels come in six common sizes: compact travel towels around 20 × 40 inches, kids' towels around 25 × 50, the standard 30 × 60, large towels from about 34 × 64 to 36 × 70, and oversized towels from about 36 × 72 to 40 × 80. Beach blankets for two or more start around 60 × 70.
| Size | Inches | Centimeters | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact or travel | about 20 × 40 | about 51 × 102 | Backpacks, gym bags and day trips |
| Kids | about 25 × 50 | about 64 × 127 | Toddlers and young children; easy to wrap up in |
| Standard | 30 × 60 | 76 × 152 | One adult at the pool or the beach |
| Large | 34 × 64 to 36 × 70 | 86 × 163 to 91 × 178 | Taller adults and more room on the sand |
| Oversized or XL | 36 × 72 to 40 × 80 | 91 × 183 to 102 × 203 | Lying flat, lounge chairs, wrapping up completely |
| Beach blanket | 60 × 70 and up | 152 × 178 and up | Couples, families and picnics |
The names in the first column are sales labels, not an agreed standard. A towel one brand calls large shows up as oversized at the next store, and "kids" can mean anything from a hand towel to nearly full size. Go by the inches or centimeters on the listing, and treat the name as a rough hint.
Shopping in feet? A standard 30 × 60 towel is 2 ft 6 in by 5 ft, a 36 × 72 is 3 ft by 6 ft, and a 40 × 80 oversized towel is 3 ft 4 in by 6 ft 8 in. The metric sizes in the chart are rounded to the closest centimeter.
What is a standard beach towel size?
A standard beach towel is about 30 × 60 inches (76 × 152 cm), or 2 ft 6 in by 5 ft. It's the size most brands sell as their regular beach towel: wide enough for one adult to sit or lie on, and small enough to fold into a beach bag.
Sixty inches is five feet, and that is where the standard size stops working. An adult taller than that lies with their head or feet past the edge, which is the point where large and oversized towels come in. The 30-inch width fits one person, too; two friends sitting on one standard towel will both end up partly on the sand.
Other kinds of towels have a standard of their own. A standard bath towel is smaller, commonly about 27 × 52 inches, and the next section compares the two side by side.
Rally and spirit towels are much smaller, commonly about 11 × 18 inches, and are waved in the stands rather than used to dry off. Our page on custom school and rally towels covers them.
How big is an oversized beach towel?
An oversized or XL beach towel commonly measures about 36 × 72 to 40 × 80 inches (91 × 183 to 102 × 203 cm). Large towels sit between the standard size and oversized, at about 34 × 64 to 36 × 70 inches (86 × 163 to 91 × 178 cm), so the two labels often overlap on store shelves.
The simplest rule: to lie flat with your head and feet on the towel, pick one as long as you are tall. A standard 30 × 60 towel is 5 ft long, so someone who is 5 ft 10 in (70 inches) needs a large towel of about 36 × 70, or an oversized one for room to spare.
- Worth it for: tall adults, plus-size adults who want to wrap up completely after a swim, covering a whole lounge chair, and a parent sharing one spot with a small child.
- Not worth it for: a beach bag that's already full, since there is more fabric to carry and to dry; windy days, when a big towel is harder to shake out; and small children, who trip over the extra length.
Past oversized, a beach blanket of about 60 × 70 inches and up holds two or more people, and that is what most "double size" beach towels are. It's made for sitting on rather than drying off. For blankets at home, from throws to king beds, see our blanket sizes chart.
Beach towel vs bath towel: size and use
A beach towel is bigger than a bath towel: about 30 × 60 inches, against a typical bath towel of 27 × 52 to 30 × 58 (69 × 132 to 76 × 147 cm). Beach towels are cut long enough to lie on and are usually thinner, so they dry faster and shake off sand more easily.
| Towel | Common size (inches) | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|
| Bath towel | 27 × 52 to 30 × 58 | 69 × 132 to 76 × 147 |
| Bath sheet | about 36 × 72 | about 91 × 183 |
| Standard beach towel | 30 × 60 | 76 × 152 |
| Oversized beach towel | 36 × 72 to 40 × 80 | 91 × 183 to 102 × 203 |
Size is only one of the differences between them:
- Purpose: a beach towel is something to lie on, whether on sand, grass or a lounge chair; a bath towel is for drying off after a shower.
- Weight: beach towels are usually lighter and thinner so they dry in the sun, while bath towels are thicker and plusher to soak up water indoors.
- Look: beach towels lean toward bright patterns you can spot on a crowded beach; bath towels tend toward solid colors that match a bathroom.
A bath sheet is the oversized bath towel, about 36 × 72 inches. That's close to an oversized beach towel in size, but a bath sheet is heavier and made for indoors.
How thick a beach towel should be depends on the fabric and its weight. Our guide to microfiber vs cotton beach towels compares them.
Can you use a bath towel at the beach?
Yes, in a pinch. A bath towel is shorter, so your head or feet end up on the sand, and thick terry soaks up water and sand and stays heavy and damp in the bag. It works the other way too: a beach towel dries you off after a shower, it's just larger and thinner than most bath towels.
If you swap them often, the difference you'll notice most is drying time. A thin beach towel hung over a chair is usually dry by the end of the afternoon; a thick bath towel left in a beach bag is not.
Is 27 by 54 a big towel?
Not really. At 27 × 54 inches (69 × 137 cm) it's a regular bath towel, a couple of inches longer than the common 27 × 52. Taken to the beach it's small: a standard 30 × 60 is 3 inches wider and 6 inches longer, and the big option indoors is a bath sheet of about 36 × 72.
A 27 × 52 bath towel is the same story: an everyday size for drying off, not a big one. For a towel that wraps all the way around an adult, look at bath sheets indoors and large or oversized beach towels outside.
Which beach towel size should you get?
Pick the size by who uses the towel and where: about 25 × 50 for a small child, 30 × 60 for most teens and adults, 36 × 70 or larger for tall or plus-size adults and lounge chairs, about 20 × 40 to pack for travel, and a beach blanket of 60 × 70 or more to share.
| For | Size to look for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Toddlers and young kids | about 25 × 50 or smaller | Easy to wrap up in, nothing to trip over |
| Older kids and teens | about 30 × 60 | Room to lie down, still light to carry |
| Most adults | about 30 × 60 | Fits one person sitting or lying on the sand |
| Tall or plus-size adults | about 36 × 70 or larger | Head and feet stay on the towel; wraps all the way around |
| Pool lounge chairs | about 36 × 72 or larger | Covers the whole cushion |
| Travel and day hikes | about 20 × 40, compact | Packs into a backpack and dries quickly |
| Couples and families | a beach blanket, 60 × 70 and up | One shared spot for everyone |
Kids move up a size sooner than parents expect. A 25 × 50 towel is about 4 ft 2 in long, so once a child is taller than that, the height rule above points to a standard 30 × 60.
For a family day out, one shared beach blanket to sit on plus a towel each to dry off works better than one giant towel for everyone, because wet swimmers don't soak the spot where the snacks are. Couples who want a matching look without sharing a towel can pick his and hers beach towels.
How many beach towels do you need?
Plan on one to two beach towels per person, plus a couple of spares for guests and laundry days. That works out to about two for one person, two to four for a couple and four to six for a family of four; pool owners often keep one per swimmer plus two or three extras.
| Household | Beach towels to keep |
|---|---|
| One person | 2 |
| Couple | 2 to 4 |
| Family of three | 3 to 5 |
| Family of four | 4 to 6 |
| Family of five | 5 to 7 |
| Home pool | 1 per swimmer, plus 2 to 3 spares |
The rows for families of three and five follow the same pattern as the family of four: one towel each, plus a couple of spares. Laundry habits decide where you land in the range. If beach towels only get washed once a week, keep the top number so there is always a dry one in the closet.
Bath towels work on the same two-towel idea for one person: one in use, one drying or in the wash. That rotation is why a single person rarely needs more than two of each.
Vacation rental hosts commonly stock about twice the guest capacity, plus around 15% for towels that go missing or wear out. By that rule, a home that sleeps 8 keeps about 18 to 19 beach towels.
Hosting a party at the pool rather than renting out a house? One towel per guest, each with a name, keeps them from getting mixed up; see our pool party towels with each guest's name.
Our beach towel sizes: 22 × 42 and 30 × 60
Our personalized beach towels come in two sizes, 22 × 42 and 30 × 60 inches, each in Standard 360 GSM or Premium 450 GSM. Both have a polyester print face and a cotton back, are printed on one side, and take a name in 30 fonts and 10 text colors.
To personalize one, type the name or short text, pick a font and text color, then check the preview.
| Size (inches) | Centimeters | Feet | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 × 42 | 56 × 107 | 1 ft 10 in × 3 ft 6 in | Younger kids, a pool or gym bag |
| 30 × 60 | 76 × 152 | 2 ft 6 in × 5 ft | Teens and adults, the beach and lounge chairs |
Prices are $19.90 for the 22 × 42 in Standard and $22.90 in Premium, and $23.90 for the 30 × 60 in Standard and $26.40 in Premium. Premium is the heavier of the two weights; our guide to Standard vs Premium towel weight explains what GSM means for a towel.
For care, follow the care label on your towel. General tips are in our guide to washing beach towels.
We also make golf (16 × 24), gym and sport (16 × 32), hand (16 × 27) and kitchen (16 × 24) towels by quote, with a logo or your own design; see custom towels by quote. Teams, schools and businesses have their own pages for swim team towels, school towels and logo towels.
Pick the size for the person, then add the name
Start with who will use the towel: about 25 × 50 for a small child, 30 × 60 for most adults, 36 × 72 or more for a tall adult or a lounge chair, and a beach blanket to share. Then count one or two per person. For a logo, a team order or a golf, gym, hand or kitchen towel, ask us for a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Is 30 by 60 a big towel?
It's the standard beach towel size, and large for a bath towel, which commonly runs 27 × 52 to 30 × 58. At about 76 × 152 cm it fits one adult sitting or lying down, but anyone taller than 5 feet will have their head or feet past the end, so tall adults often move up to a large towel of about 36 × 70. In our shop, 30 × 60 is the larger of the two sizes.
What size is a pool towel?
Pool towels are usually sold in the same sizes as beach towels, so about 30 × 60 inches is the common choice for drying off after a swim, and about 36 × 72 or larger covers a lounge chair from end to end. Keep a couple of spares for guests. For pool towels with a hotel, club or gym logo, see our custom logo towels page.
What are the three sizes of towels?
Most bath sets come in three sizes: a washcloth for the face, a hand towel for the sink and a bath towel for drying off after a shower. Beach towels and bath sheets are the bigger extras, made for lying on sand or wrapping up. If you want a matching hand towel with a design of your own, ours is made by quote and measures 16 × 27 inches.
What's the point of a beach towel?
A beach towel gives you a clean, dry place on sand, grass or a shared lounge chair, keeps hot sand off your skin and dries you off after a swim. It's cut longer than a bath towel so you can stretch out on it, kept thinner so it dries in the sun between swims, and often printed in bright colors so you can find your spot again.
Can an oversized beach towel still pack small?
Yes, if the fabric is thin. A lightweight flat-woven or microfiber oversized towel rolls into a tote, while a thick terry or velour towel of the same size can fill most of a beach bag. Rolling instead of folding saves room, and a compact travel towel of about 20 × 40 packs smallest. Our beach towel materials guide compares the fabrics.
Where can I get a personalized bath towel for my child?
Our personalized beach towels work as a child's own towel at the pool, at the beach or after bath time. Pick the 22 × 42 size for a younger child, type the name, and choose one of 30 fonts and 10 text colors; prices start at $19.90. Browse the personalized beach towel designs, then pick it up free in Alpharetta or have it shipped with tracking.
How many beach towels should I pack for a week away?
With a washing machine where you stay, one or two per person covers a week; without laundry, plan two to three each so damp towels can dry between beach days. For a weekend, one per person usually does it. If the rental supplies beach towels, ask the host how many there are before you pack, so you only bring what's missing.
