Private Label · Industrial

Industrial Dry Wipes

We manufacture private label industrial wipes and shop towels on an 80 gsm needlepunch or airlaid substrate built for solvents, oils and paint-shop work — where the two numbers that decide whether a wipe is any good are how much it holds and whether it survives holding it.

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All Dry Wipes

HIGH ABSORBENCY · SOLVENT RESISTANT · ROLL & BULK · MADE IN THE USA

Private label industrial dry wipes and shop towels manufactured by Phoenix Wipes

Substrate

Polypropylene / cellulose

Bonding

Needlepunch or airlaid

Weight

80 gsm standard

Absorbency

8–12× own weight

How it works

Choosing a shop towel by absorbency and wet strength, not by feel

Industrial wipes get bought by hand feel, and hand feel is the least informative thing about them. The two numbers that decide performance are absorbency — how many times its own weight the sheet holds — and wet strength, the fraction of dry tensile it retains once saturated. They pull in opposite directions. Cellulose absorbs enormously and turns to pulp when wet; polypropylene barely absorbs water at all and stays strong. Every industrial substrate is a position between those two, and picking the right position requires knowing what is being wiped up.

That gives a simple rule. Water-based soils — coolant, water-based paint, general spillage — want cellulose content for capacity. Oil and solvent want polypropylene, which is oleophilic and picks up oil preferentially while ignoring water, and which does not swell or shed in solvent. Our standard 80 gsm blend sits deliberately in the middle for general shop use, and we shift the ratio either way for a specific application rather than pretending one sheet is optimal for all of them.

Two details separate a real specification from a catalogue entry. Bonding: needlepunch gives a thick, high-capacity sheet with a scrubbing texture, while airlaid gives a smoother, lower-lint sheet — which matters if the wipe is used for solvent wiping before coating, where our lint-free wipes may be the better answer. And format: a perforated roll on a stand, an interfolded box at the bench and a centre-feed bucket for pre-saturation are three different consumption patterns, and the wrong one doubles usage without anyone noticing.

At a glance

✓Absorbency and wet strength specified as numbers, not adjectives

✓Polypropylene-rich for oil and solvent; cellulose-rich for water-based

✓Needlepunch for scrub texture, airlaid for lower lint

✓Roll, interfolded and centre-feed bucket formats

✓Compatible with IPA, acetone, MEK and common shop solvents

Not for: pre-coating solvent wiping where particulate matters — use a low-lint substrate for that step.

Applications

Where industrial dry wipes are used

A consumable bought by the pallet on a supply agreement, where cost per wipe-up matters more than cost per sheet.

Automotive workshops and service bays

Oil, grease and coolant — the highest-consumption application, and the one that justifies a roll on a stand.

Paint shops and body work

Tack and solvent wiping, where substrate choice directly affects finish quality.

Manufacturing and machine shops

Machine cleaning, coolant management and general maintenance across a shift.

Print and packaging plants

Ink and roller cleaning, a heavy-solvent application that destroys the wrong substrate quickly.

Marine, aviation and rail maintenance

Where the wipe has to work away from a bench and often away from a bin.

Janitorial and facilities supply

Distributors who carry a full industrial line and want a private-label tier alongside the national brands.

Specifications

Industrial wipe specifications

These are the numbers a distributor or plant buyer will actually ask for, and they change substantially with the fibre ratio.

Substrate	Polypropylene / cellulose blend, ratio adjustable
Bonding method	Needlepunch or airlaid
Basis weight	68 / 80 / 100 gsm
Standard sheet sizes	9″ × 12″ · 12″ × 13″ · 12″ × 17″
Absorbency	8–12× own weight (blend dependent)
Wet strength	Retains 65–85% of dry tensile
Oil pick-up	Preferential with polypropylene-rich blends
Solvent compatibility	IPA, acetone, MEK, mineral spirits, xylene
Texture	Scrub texture on needlepunch; smooth on airlaid
Formats	Perforated roll, interfolded box, centre-feed bucket
Shelf life	Indefinite, dry and unopened
MOQ	Flexible — pilot runs through to container volume

Packaging formats

Single sachet1 wipe per sealed sachet
Interfolded pack50–150 sheets, pop-up dispensing
Flat pack25–100 sheets, poly-wrapped
RollPerforated, 100–500 sheets
Dispenser bucketCentre-feed roll for wet systems
Bulk caseCustom count, master-carton labelled

Dry wipes are bought by the case far more often than by the pack, so the master carton, the count accuracy and the dispensing method usually matter more than the artwork. We supply interfolded, roll and centre-feed formats alongside retail packs, and we will match an existing dispenser if you send us one.

Comparison

Industrial wipes vs. the rest of the dry wipe range

This is the heaviest and most absorbent substrate in the range, and the only one where shedding a little fibre is an acceptable trade for capacity.

Product	Substrate	Bonding	Key property	Typical use
Lint-Free Wipes	Polyester / cellulose blend, 55 gsm	Hydroentangled	Ultra-low particle shed	Optics, electronics, finishing
Dry Cleansing Cloths	Viscose spunlace, 45 gsm	Hydroentangled	Soft, wets out instantly	Personal and infant care
Disposable Washcloths	Viscose / PET spunlace, 60 gsm	Hydroentangled	High wet strength, large format	Adult and patient care
Optical & Lens Wipes	Microfibre-blend, 30 gsm	Hydroentangled	Non-abrasive, coating safe	Eyewear, optics, instruments
Industrial Dry WipesThis page	Polypropylene / cellulose, 80 gsm	Needlepunch or airlaid	High absorbency, solvent resistant	Workshops and paint shops
Spunlace Nonwoven Wipes	Viscose, PET, lyocell, 30–90 gsm	Hydroentangled	No chemical binder	Converters and private label
Dry Wipes for Wet Systems	Specified to your chemistry	Hydroentangled or airlaid	Unsaturated, dispenser-ready	In-house saturation systems
Dry Sterile Wipes	Sterile nonwoven	Hydroentangled, gamma-irradiated	SAL 10⁻⁶	Clinical procedures and wound care

Industrial dry wipe roll converting and packing line in the USA

Private Label & OEM

Where private label beats the national brand

Industrial wipes are the strongest private-label opportunity in this range, because the buyer is a distributor whose customer is loyal to the distributor rather than to the wipe. A branded tier at a specified absorbency undercuts the national brand and is far stickier than a generic import — particularly when it is made in New York and the lead time is weeks rather than a container crossing.

✓Fibre ratio set from your actual soil type, not from a catalogue

✓Roll, interfolded and centre-feed formats from the same substrate

✓Absorbency and wet-tensile data for your distributor documentation

✓Dispenser matching if you sell equipment alongside

✓FOB, EXW and DDP terms — we handle the paperwork

FAQ

Industrial wipes FAQ

What is the difference between a shop towel and an industrial wipe?

Commercially, very little — “shop towel” is the name the end user searches for and “industrial wipe” is the name on the invoice. Technically, shop towels tend to mean the heavier, textured, roll-format product, while industrial wipe covers the whole family including flat interfolded and low-lint grades. We make both, and it is worth carrying both names on the pack because the two audiences do not use the same word.

Which substrate is best for oil and solvent?

Polypropylene-rich, and by a wide margin. Polypropylene is oleophilic, so it picks up oil preferentially and largely ignores water, and it does not swell, weaken or shed in solvent. Cellulose absorbs far more by volume and turns to pulp once saturated, which is why a paper-based shop towel disintegrates in a parts washer. If you are wiping coolant and water, invert that advice.

How do I compare wipes properly between suppliers?

On two numbers and one test. Absorbency as a multiple of the sheet weight, wet tensile as a percentage of dry tensile, and a real trial with your own soil. Comparing on cost per sheet is what leads plants to buy a cheap wipe and use three of them for every job — the number that matters is cost per wipe-up, and a heavier sheet frequently wins it.

Can industrial wipes be used before painting?

For degreasing, yes. For the final solvent wipe immediately before coating, use a low-lint substrate instead — a needlepunch industrial sheet will leave fibre that ends up in the film as a defect. Most paint shops run two products for exactly this reason, and our lint-free wipes are the second one.

Do you supply rolls and dispenser formats?

Yes — perforated rolls for stands, interfolded boxes for the bench and centre-feed rolls for pre-saturation buckets, all from the same substrate. Format choice has a bigger effect on consumption than most buyers expect: a poorly matched dispenser routinely doubles usage because people take two sheets when one is awkward to pull.

Can you supply them pre-saturated with a solvent or degreaser?

Yes, in a sealed bucket or canister with a stated pick-up weight, which removes the decanting step and the open-solvent handling that goes with it. Customers who prefer to saturate on their own line take the substrate dry — see our dry wipes for wet systems for how that programme is specified.