Thread Count

Does thread count matter when buying bed linen?

May 28, 2020 by Forgotten Cotton

Not as much as you think! When I first started out in the bed linen business, sales representatives referred to cotton bed sheets and duvet covers as five year and ten year cotton. This referred to the life expectancy of the different qualities. Both qualities were still classed as regular cotton. In fact even the five year cotton that they were selling at the time, I still use now over thirty years later so perhaps they were selling themselves and their product a little short. However the ten year cotton sheets did have that extra bit of body in it and a better finish, and I will still reach for those sheets unless I’m stuck. The five year quality had a light quality about them that I never really liked. I only bought them at the time to check the quality out and see what the sales people were talking about The five year quality never made it to the shop shelf.

A lot of suppliers will tell you that the quality of the cotton thread and the quality of the weave would be of more concern than the thread count. Also some people like a sturdy sheet and others are into the light silky sheets. For those with sensitive skin and particularly those with allergies, softness and pliability might be what works best, so check out the feel of what you have at home and decide on your favorite type of cotton for your sheets and duvet covers.

Are high thread count sheets worth it?

May 27, 2020 by Forgotten Cotton

In theory the greater the number of threads per square inch the better the fabric. However this has become a bit of a marketing tool also. Originally the standard of a 180 thread count was rated as a percale and considered a “very good” quality cotton bedding for durability, and superior to regular cotton bedding. Now one now regularly sees 300 thread counts and 500 and 600 thread counts as a norm. Some companies will quote 1000 or 1200 thread counts in their products.

Thread counts can be a good guideline but it’s not the full story of the quality of cotton and the numbers can be manipulated. Also ensure when comparing sheet sets on the basis of thread count, that you are comparing like with like. Some manufacturers use threads per inch but some may use threads per square centimetre which is a larger piece of fabric so the same consistency will appear to have more threads. An example of this is shown in the picture of this blog

What thread count do you need for good sheets?

May 26, 2020 by Forgotten Cotton

Anything over 180 thread count is considered a superior weave and should give years of wear assuming the cotton thread used is a reasonable quality cotton. The term percale refers to a closely woven fabric with a thread count of 180 or greater using a good quality cotton. A percale sheet should be smoother and more durable than regular cotton sheets. I would always recommend a percale for the bottom sheet if it is within your budget as this takes the most wear. Remember the percale label is used for polycotton duvet covers and bed sheets as well as cotton duvet covers and bed sheets.

percale cotton on left versus regular cotton on right — percale cotton on left versus some regular cotton on right

In this photograph I have put a percale sheet, which is a 200 thread count, on the left and a regular cotton pillowcase on the right. Both have been in use in my own house for in excess of five years, (and probably a lot longer) so they will have been through the wash many times which means the threads will now have “fluffed out”. If you look closely you will see the difference in the weave. There are about fifty or sixty threads per square inch more in the percale. The percale is using a finer thread so more threads will fit in a square inch. The percale has a crisper feel to it whereas in the regular cotton on the right, the cotton is much softer and pliable, though it may not look it up close. In case anyone is wondering, the colour difference is nothing to do with the quality of the cotton. They just happen to be from two totally different suppliers and batches. If it was paint I was talking about, I would probably describe the regular cotton as a soft white or winters white or some such colour.

Thread counts in bedlinen explained

May 23, 2020 by Forgotten Cotton

What does thread count mean in bed sheets?

Most people have a vague idea that thread count matters when buying bed linen. Equally some people may be unsure exactly why. Put simply, thread count is a term used for the total number of threads that make up any woven piece of fabric. The thread count in bed linen usually refers to the total number of warp and weft threads woven together in either a square inch or in 10 cm squared of fabric. The vertical threads are called the warp and the horizontal threads are called the weft.