The story
Karur on the Amaravathi river had a long handloom tradition of coarse cotton cloth. From the 1970s local weavers began making furnishing fabrics for export buyers, and powerlooms replaced handlooms. Exporters now run integrated units with weaving, processing and stitching, supported by many small job-work weavers. A Ministry of Textiles integrated textile park was set up here to add common infrastructure.
In numbers
Trade-press reports put the cluster's annual manufacturing near ₹9,000 crore, of which roughly ₹6,000 crore is exports, mainly to the United States and the European Union.
US tariffs force Karur textile exporters to cut working days — Apparel Resources · 2025A TIFAC study put Karur's contribution at ₹4,292 crore across nine home-furnishing product groups, against about ₹47,800 crore for India in those groups.
Home furnishing cluster, Karur, Tamil Nadu — TIFAC executive summary
Ways in for a newcomer
- Stitching and packing job-work for made-up exporters
- Powerloom weaving of furnishing fabric on contract
- Domestic e-commerce brand of bed and kitchen linen
- Design, sampling and compliance-certification services
Problems the cluster faces
- US tariffs and order cuts
- Shipping disruptions and freight costs
- Effluent rules for processing units
- Rising cotton yarn prices
Businesses to start here
Textile Made-Ups (Napkins, Mats, Aprons) →Bedsheet Weaving Unit (Power Loom) →Bed Linen Stitching Unit (Bed Sheets and Pillow Covers) →Curtain Making →Towel Manufacturing →Cotton Yarn Dyeing (Hank and Package Dyeing) →