Terry and cushioned socks

Loops on the inside, doing the cushioning.

A terry sock is knitted with extra yarn pulled into loops on the inside face. Those loops sit between the foot and the shoe, absorbing impact and holding warmth. From the outside it looks like an ordinary sock; the difference is entirely on the skin side.

Terry is a density decision more than a yarn decision. The same cotton knitted with a dense pile and a light pile produces two socks that feel like different products and fit different shoes.

Full terry or sole only. Full terry lines the whole foot and leg and is warmer. Half terry cushions only the sole and keeps the leg breathable. They are different products sold to different customers.

Pile density. Denser pile means more cushioning, more yarn, more cost and a thicker sock. Tell us the shoe: a dense terry that works in a work boot will not fit a trainer.

Pile yarn. The loop yarn can differ from the ground yarn. Cotton pile is soft and absorbent, wool pile is warmer and dries slower, synthetic pile keeps its loft longer through washing.

Sizing allowance. A terry sock takes up real space inside a shoe. Size ranges have to be set with the pile already in the sample, not adjusted afterwards.