Product

Nonwoven fabric manufacturers in Gaziantep, Türkiye: what to specify

Lotvela · Gaziantep · Checked 29 October 2026

Gaziantep is Türkiye's largest nonwovens cluster. In 2025, exporters registered with the region's exporters' association (GAİB) shipped $663.2 million of nonwoven fabrics, 39.0% of Türkiye's $1,700 million, and the province had 42 nonwoven firms with 6,808 workers, more than any other province. The one thing to get right: specify the roll by technology, polymer, weight, treatment and test method, and know who carries the legal duty, because the medical-device, wet-wipe and chemical rules attach to the product you make from the fabric.

Gaziantep in numbers

The figures come from three bases. GAİB counts exports registered with its associations from all south-eastern provinces; Gaziantep firms make up most of them, but a firm may register elsewhere. The province table counts Gaziantep by HS chapter, and chapter 56 also holds wadding, felt, twine and rope. The firm count covers only firms that file an industrial capacity report.

Measure	Figure	Period	Source
Nonwoven fabric exports registered with GAİB	$663.2 million, up 10.0% from $602.7 million	2025	GAİB textile association, January–December 2025
Türkiye's nonwoven fabric exports, all associations	$1,700.0 million; 533,151 tonnes	2025	Same report, Türkiye table
GAİB share of Türkiye	39.0% by value; 53.2% by weight (283,556 tonnes)	2025	Computed from the same report
Average export value per kilogram	$2.34 (GAİB) against $3.19 (Türkiye)	2025	Same report
Gaziantep exports, HS chapter 56	$543.4 million (2024: $499.0 million)	2025	Computed from GAİB province reports for the two halves of 2025
Gaziantep exports, HS chapter 56	$298.3 million, up 10.4%	January–June 2026	GAİB province report, first half 2026
Nonwoven firms and workers (NACE 13.95)	42 firms, 6,808 workers; 1st province, with 35.3% of Türkiye's jobs and 25% of its firms in this activity	2025	TOBB industry database, in Akpirinç and Sandal (2025)
Başpınar organised industrial zone (OSB)	1,152 firms in 1,369 facilities, 519 of them textile facilities	2025	OSB directorates, in Akpirinç and Sandal (2025)

The average nonwoven firm in Gaziantep employs about 162 people (computed from the TOBB counts): an industry of large mills, not workshops.

Markets. The latest destination split GAİB has published for chapter 56 is for 2021: the USA took 17.1% of the region's $480.2 million, the UK 12.3%, Italy 9.2%, Germany 8.1%, Egypt 5.4% and Spain 5.2%. The same GAİB study, using ITC Trade Map data, ranked Türkiye sixth among exporters of nonwovens (HS 5603) in 2019, with $586 million or 3.6% of world exports. We found no newer official ranking.

For the other industries in the city, see what Gaziantep makes.

Large producers

Two companies based in Gaziantep that list nonwoven fabrics among their products appear by name on the 2025 national rankings:

Company	List, rank and year	What its own site says
Gülsan Sentetik Dokuma San. ve Tic. A.Ş. (Gülsan Holding)	İSO 500, rank 158 (2025). TİM top 1,000 exporters, rank 216 (2025), sixth in the textiles and raw materials sector, with $146.0 million of exports	Head office in Gaziantep's 1st OSB. The group lists PP spunbond, meltblown and hygienic film for hygiene and medical uses. It names spunbond plants in Çorlu, Tekirdağ (Mav Elyaf) and Egypt, and does not say which nonwoven lines run in Gaziantep
Kurt Kumaş San. ve Tic. A.Ş.	İSO second 500, rank 388 (2025)	Lists spunbond and spunmelt, spunlace, and PE film printing and lamination, for hygiene, medical and industrial uses. Address in Başpınar OSB zone 2, Gaziantep

The rankings show only part of the industry. On TİM's 2025 list many textile exporters withheld their names or did not take part, and two Gaziantep textile firms on the İSO lists did not disclose their names. TOBB counts 42 nonwoven firms in the province.

Product types and what to specify

Gaziantep producers sell roll goods, and some also convert them. Specify each of these:

Technology. Spunbond (S), meltblown (M) and their laminates (SMS, SMMS, SSMMS); spunlace (hydroentangled); needle-punched; thermal-bonded; airlaid. Spunbond and meltblown are made from continuous filaments. Spunlace, needle-punched and thermal-bonded webs are usually made from staple fibres. The difference also changes the tariff line (see HS codes below).
Polymer and fibre. Polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), bicomponent fibres, or viscose and its blends with polyester for spunlace. If you need recycled or bio-based content, ask for the evidence behind the claim.
Weight. Grams per square metre (gsm) with a tolerance. HS 5603 splits at 25, 70 and 150 g/m².
Width and roll. Slit width, roll length or diameter, core inner diameter, and the maximum number of splices per roll.
Treatment. Hydrophilic (state single or repeated wetting) or hydrophobic; UV stabilisation for crop covers (state the exposure it must survive); antistatic and alcohol-repellent finishes for medical fabric; softness; printing.
Colour. White or a stated colour standard, and opacity if it matters.
Performance. Tensile strength and elongation in both directions, tear, liquid strike-through and wetback for topsheets, hydrostatic head and air permeability for barrier layers, and filtration efficiency for meltblown media. Name the test method for each, with test conditions.
End use. Hygiene topsheets, backsheets, leg cuffs and core wraps; surgical gowns, drapes and masks; crop covers; furniture and bedding (spring-pocket and dust covers); filtration; geotextiles; wipes substrate. Producers in Gaziantep list hygiene and medical uses on their own sites. Ask each producer which of the other uses it supplies.

Capacity, minimum order quantity, lead time and price are confirmed per producer and per order. We do not quote them.

Quality, and how to check a producer

Test methods. The Nonwovens Standard Procedures (NWSP), published jointly by the industry bodies EDANA and INDA, cover the structure and performance of nonwovens; the ISO 9073 series also sets nonwoven test methods. Write the method number into the specification, so mill and buyer test the same way.
Medical fabric. In the EU, the harmonised standards under the Medical Devices Regulation include EN 13795-1:2025 (surgical drapes and gowns) and EN 14683:2025 (medical face masks), harmonised since 20 October 2025. EN 13795-2:2025 covers clean air suits, not drapes. The device maker certifies the finished gown or mask, but it needs fabric test reports to build its file, so ask the mill which reports it holds and from which laboratory.
Quality systems. EN ISO 13485:2016 (medical device quality management) has been harmonised under the regulation since 5 January 2022. Expect it from producers that make finished medical items. A mill selling only roll goods may hold ISO 9001 instead. Ask which applies to the lines making your fabric.
Harmful substances. STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX tests textiles for harmful substances in four product classes. Class 1, the strictest, covers products for babies and children up to 3 years, such as diapers. Check any certificate number in the OEKO-TEX Label Check.
Laboratories. In Türkiye, TÜRKAK (Türk Akreditasyon Kurumu) accredits testing laboratories. Ask for report numbers and the laboratory's accreditation scope.
Site visit. Look at the line type and width against your specification, the in-house laboratory and how often it tests, resin and masterbatch storage, hygiene conditions for hygiene and medical grades, roll labelling and lot traceability, and retained samples. Visit the plant that will actually run your order: some groups run lines in more than one province or country.

Our guide to checking a Turkish factory covers registers, documents and the visit in more detail.

Rules by market

European Union

REACH. Under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, a supplier of an article containing a Candidate List substance (a substance of very high concern) above 0.1% weight by weight must give the recipient enough information for safe use (Article 33). Producers and importers of articles must notify such a substance above one tonne a year, unless an exemption applies (Article 7(2)). Ask the producer for a declaration against the current Candidate List.
Restricted substances. Entry 72 of REACH Annex XVII, added by Regulation (EU) 2018/1513, has restricted listed carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances in consumer clothing, skin-contact textiles and footwear since 1 November 2020. It does not apply to disposable textiles in the skin-contact category, or to products covered by the medical devices or personal protective equipment regulations.
Medical devices. Regulation (EU) 2017/745 binds the maker of the finished gown, drape or mask, not the fabric mill.
Wet wipes. Directive (EU) 2019/904 treats pre-wetted personal care and domestic wipes made wholly or partly of plastic as single-use plastic products. Plastic here excludes natural polymers that have not been chemically modified, so PP and PET substrates count. Since 3 July 2021, packs of 10 cm² or more must carry the harmonised "PLASTIC IN PRODUCT" marking set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2151, on the front or top of the pack. Wet wipes are also under extended producer responsibility (Part E of the Directive's Annex).

United Kingdom

UK REACH regulates chemicals placed on the market in Great Britain; EU REACH continues to apply in Northern Ireland.
Wet wipes ban. From 19 May 2027, selling or supplying single-use wet wipes containing plastic will be illegal in England under the Environmental Protection (Wet Wipes Containing Plastic) (England) Regulations 2025. There are exemptions for medical use, pharmacies and supply to businesses. The other UK nations are bringing in their own bans on different dates.
Medical devices. Devices must be registered with the MHRA before sale in Great Britain, and an overseas manufacturer needs a UK Responsible Person. General medical devices that comply with the EU regulation can be placed on the Great Britain market until 30 June 2030.

United States

Medical apparel. Under 21 CFR 878.4040, surgical gowns and surgical masks are Class II devices; FDA says surgical gowns need 510(k) premarket notification. Other surgical apparel is Class I and exempt. FDA recognises the ANSI/AAMI PB70 barrier levels 1 to 4 for gowns.
Children's products. If the fabric goes into a product designed or intended mainly for children aged 12 or under that is subject to a children's product safety rule, the US manufacturer or importer must issue a Children's Product Certificate based on tests by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory.

Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE)

Saudi Arabia. Medical devices need marketing authorisation (MDMA) from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority; overseas manufacturers act through an authorised representative. SABER, the platform run under SASO, issues product conformity and shipment certificates for regulated products. Ask your importer whether your HS code needs a SABER certificate.
UAE. The Emirates Drug Establishment registers medical devices. The applicant is a licensed local marketing office or medical warehouse, and the file includes the factory's registration, a free sale certificate and a quality certificate such as an EU certificate or a US 510(k).

HS codes and proof of origin

Nonwoven fabric is heading 5603. Subheadings 5603.11 to 5603.14 are of man-made filaments (spunbond, meltblown and their laminates); 5603.91 to 5603.94 are other nonwovens, such as staple-fibre spunlace, needle-punched and thermal-bonded webs. Within each group, the line depends on weight: up to 25 g/m², over 25 up to 70, over 70 up to 150, and over 150. Garments made of nonwoven fabric of heading 5603 move to heading 6210. Confirm the code with your broker.

EU. Nonwovens are industrial goods inside the EU–Türkiye customs union. Goods in free circulation move with an A.TR movement certificate, which proves customs status, not origin.
UK. The UK–Türkiye free trade agreement gives zero tariffs on industrial goods only if they originate under its rules of origin. EU materials can be cumulated, but EU processing cannot for textiles. The importer claims the preferential rate with the exporter's origin declaration on the invoice; no EUR.1 or A.TR is used for the UK.
US. On 29 October 2026, the general duty rate for every HTS 5603 line was Free. Additional duties introduced since 2025 sit in chapter 99 of the HTS and have changed often, so check the rate for your entry date with your broker. Under 19 CFR 134.11, imported articles or their containers must show the English name of the country of origin to the "ultimate purchaser", generally the last person in the US to receive the article in its imported form. Agree roll and carton marking before shipment.

Packing, loading and shipping

Agree roll size, core material and inner diameter, wrapping (hygiene and medical grades usually need sealed film), roll labels (lot, gsm, width, length, net and gross weight), and pallet or floor loading.
Nonwoven rolls are light for their volume, so a container fills by space before weight. Ask each producer for its load plan for your roll size; it differs per mill and per specification.
Store and ship UV-sensitive and hydrophilic grades as the producer specifies, and agree the shelf life of treated fabric.
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, (EU) 2025/40, has applied since 12 August 2026 to packaging placed on the EU market. Ask your importer what it means for roll wrap, cores and pallets.

Questions buyers ask

Who are the largest nonwoven fabric manufacturers in Turkey?

Gaziantep is the largest cluster: 42 nonwoven firms and 6,808 workers in 2025, first in Türkiye. On the 2025 rankings, Gülsan Sentetik Dokuma is 158th on the İSO 500 and 216th among TİM's top exporters, and Kurt Kumaş is 388th on the İSO second 500. Many exporters withhold their names from the rankings, so the lists are incomplete.

Can I source SMS or meltblown fabric for surgical gowns and masks from Türkiye?

Gaziantep producers list medical uses for their spunbond, spunmelt and meltblown fabrics. Under EU, UK and US rules, the legal duty sits with whoever makes the finished gown or mask, who needs fabric test reports to EN 13795-1:2025, EN 14683:2025 or ANSI/AAMI PB70. Ask each mill which reports it holds and which laboratory issued them.

Is there import duty on Turkish nonwoven fabric?

Into the EU, none for goods in free circulation moving with an A.TR. Into the UK, none if the fabric originates in Türkiye under the trade agreement's rules, shown by the exporter's origin declaration on the invoice. Into the US, the general HTS rate for heading 5603 was Free on 29 October 2026, but additional chapter 99 duties may apply: check with your broker.

What is the minimum order for spunbond fabric from Turkey?

It depends on the producer, the line and the specification: weight, width, colour and treatment all change the run a mill will accept. We do not quote a minimum. State your quantity per specification and your yearly volume in the brief, and producers confirm what they can run and when.

Do Turkish mills make spunlace and PET spunbond?

Kurt Kumaş in Gaziantep lists spunlace on its own site, and Gülsan lists PP spunbond and meltblown. Whether a mill runs PET spunbond, needle-punched or airlaid fabric has to be confirmed per producer: the two ranked producers' sites do not mention PET spunbond. Put the polymer and technology in your brief.

Are Turkish nonwovens OEKO-TEX certified?

Some producers hold STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certificates. The certificate names a product class: Class 1 is the strictest, for products for babies and children up to 3 years, such as diapers. Check the certificate number in the OEKO-TEX Label Check, and confirm that it covers the article you buy.

What to put in your brief

Item	What to state
Technology	Spunbond, meltblown, SMS or SMMS, spunlace, needle-punched, thermal-bonded or airlaid
Polymer and fibre	PP, PET, bicomponent, viscose or blend; any recycled content and its evidence
Weight	Grams per square metre and tolerance
Width and roll	Slit width, roll length or diameter, core inner diameter, splices allowed
Treatment and colour	Hydrophilic or hydrophobic, UV, antistatic, alcohol repellent, softness; colour standard
Performance and tests	Required values and the NWSP, ISO or EN method for each
End use and market	Product the fabric goes into, and the countries where it will be sold
Documents	SVHC declaration, OEKO-TEX class, medical test reports, ISO 9001 or EN ISO 13485
Quantity and timing	First order per specification, yearly volume, wanted delivery window
Packing	Wrap, labels, pallets or floor loading, container type
Delivery and origin	Incoterm and port; A.TR for the EU, an origin declaration for the UK, origin marking for the US

Sending a brief to Lotvela

Lotvela is a sourcing intermediary based in Gaziantep, the city where these mills operate. Send a brief and we contact and visit the producers that fit it, large or mid-size: we check product fit, a free production window, export record and documents, then send a dated shortlist with every claim marked confirmed or not confirmed. It is free for buyers: the producer pays a commission at the same rate for every producer, invoices and ships, and money never passes through Lotvela.