Sock and Hosiery Manufacturers in Turkey

Sock manufacturers in Turkey knit ankle, bootie (patik), knee-high, pantyhose and sports socks directly as finished products on sock-knitting machines; the order unit is mostly the pair. Pantyhose and hosiery tights are on this page, while bras, briefs, boxers and undershirts are in underwear and lingerie, and athletic leggings and jerseys in sportswear. For sock-knitting machines see knitting machines; for sock yarn see yarns and spandex yarn. If you want to buy finished socks from stock, wholesale clothing companies are another option. A company that makes baby socks can also select baby and kids clothing, and one that makes compression (varicose vein) socks can also select medical textiles.

Socks in Turkey: export share and production location

According to the April 2026 sock report of İHKİB, the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (in Turkish), Turkey was the world’s second-largest sock exporter by value after China in 2024, with US$1.2 billion and a 7.5% share. In 2025 exports were about US$1.16 billion (down 3.8%) and made up 6.2% of apparel and garment exports. These figures show export value, not production volume.

For where socks are made, a February 2021 pre-feasibility report (in Turkish) prepared by the North Anatolia Development Agency (KUZKA) under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology shows, in the records of TOBB (the national union of chambers and commodity exchanges), 313 of the 363 producers of knitted cotton socks and 905 million of about 1.2 billion pairs of capacity in Istanbul. Denizli shows 9 producers and Ankara 5. The table covers a single product code and 2019 capacity, so it is dated; for the current distribution, use the province filter on this page.

From design to finished pair: contract knitting and minimum order

The master-level skills exam criteria for industrial sock knitting of Turkey’s Ministry of National Education (MEB; in Turkish) require the candidate to go through these steps: drawing the design and preparing the pattern in a computer program, feeding yarn and knitting, toe closing, shaping on forms (boarding) and pairing, followed by checks of size, stretch, weight and color. It is an exam form, not an industry standard, but it works as a list of steps: ask in the quote which step is done outside the company.

Each new style needs its own design and pattern program before knitting starts. No common minimum order has been published for socks, so ask for the minimum in pairs, per style and color, with design and sampling preparation on a separate line. If you are placing a contract-manufacturing order, have it written who buys the yarn; see CMT versus full package for that split and our private label guide for how minimums work.

Machine gauge, yarn and capacity

Sock machines are defined by cylinder diameter, needle count and gauge (E). The example machine at the University of Zagreb has a 3¾-inch (95 mm) cylinder, 108 needles and E9 gauge, and is meant for medium-size cotton or sports socks. On the same diameter, more needles make the knit denser and call for finer yarn. The KUZKA report lists cotton, nylon (polyamide) and polyester as the main raw materials; it says a machine’s daily output varies with the sock type and gives capacity in both pairs and dozens. Ask for capacity as daily pairs for your product, not as a machine count, and compare quotes at the same yarn, spandex content, needle count and sock length.

Documents for organic and recycled socks

GOTS 8.0, published in March 2026, applies to all certified entities from March 1, 2027. In its fiber table (Table 1), recycled synthetic fiber is limited to 20%, with an exception of 30% for socks; virgin polyamide and spandex (elastane) are capped at 10%. But under the “Organic” label all other fibers together may total at most 5%, so the socks exception helps in practice only in the “Made with (x%) organic materials” grade, where other fibers may reach 30%. As of the date of this page (October 2026), confirm with your certification body which version the audit will follow and which grade your blend falls under. Voluntary certificates such as OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 may also be requested for harmful-substance testing; see the certifications guide for details.