There are many things that we may use on a daily basis but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we understand everything there is to know about them. In fact, some things may fly under the radar and unless we ask, we will never know.

One thing that we probably use every day but we don’t fully understand is a towel. I’m talking about a simple bath towel or one that you would use to dry your hands and they are usually hung in the bathroom.

When you look at a towel, you may notice that there are some lines running across it. Those lines are typically indented into the fibers and they don’t have the absorbable texture like the rest of the towel. This may make you wonder, what are they and why are they included?

These ‘towel stripes’ have been a topic of discussion recently on Twitter, after somebody posted a post to see what they were. There were plenty of fun responses and others that were closer to the point.

Some people consider them to be a ‘face/butt delineation line’ or perhaps even ‘racing stripes’ that would help the towel drive faster. Were they close to the truth?

Not even close.

The lines on the towel actually have a name. It is known as a ‘dobby border’ and they serve a number of useful purposes. Perhaps the most important is that they give strength to the towel, helping to improve absorbency and prevent them from fraying after they are used and washed frequently.

One website explains it in this way: “Absorbency is one of the most important qualities of a good towel, but achieving the perfect balance between thickness and performance can be challenging.”

The dobby border prevents the edges from becoming overly bulky and helps them to maintain evenness. You can thank these little racing stripes for keeping our towels lightweight, soft, and efficient for what they are used for.

Something else that maybe isn’t as easy to recognize is the little bit of elegance that the dobby border adds to the design of the towel. They also help to add a visual cue so you can fold them properly and hang them.

It may be a simple piece of design, but it is one that plays its part.