Pair of Cotton Socks

Everyday Goods Water Fact Sheet
132
gallons of water per item, global average

One item: one pair of cotton socks (about 0.1 lb)

The same volume as

🥛
2,113
Glass of Water (8 oz)
🍶
1,057
Water Bottle (16 oz)
🪣
26.4
5-Gallon Bucket
🛁
3.67
Bathtub (36 gal)
About this figure A pair of cotton socks of about 0.1 pounds embeds about 130 gallons. Estimated from the WFN cotton figure of about 1,198 gallons per pound. Source: Water Footprint Network (Mekonnen and Hoekstra), per-item estimate. Figures are global-average total water footprints (green, blue and grey water) per item. They are not California-specific and are on a different basis from the crop sheets, which show California irrigation water applied per serving.
Sources

Global-average water footprints per item: Water Footprint Network (Mekonnen and Hoekstra) for cotton, leather and paper goods, applied to typical item mass; item-specific life-cycle assessments for the smartphone, silicon wafer, desktop computer, car, disposable diaper and bottled water, as named on each sheet.

Figures as of September 10, 2026.

How to cite

Everyday Goods Water Fact Sheet: Pair of Cotton Socks. conciseVerbosity, September 10, 2026. https://api.conciseverbosity.com/water-facts/goods/cotton-socks.html