What is the Best Thread Count for Sheets?
The bedding industry puts a lot of emphasis on thread count and its effect on sheet quality—the best thread count is seemingly synonymous with the highest thread count. A high thread count suggests sheets are comfortable and last a long time, however, this isn’t always true.
While thread count is useful to gauge quality, there are more elements to determine if sheets are worth the buy. As you shop, you will come across several types of bed sheets, each with a different weave, staple length, and thread count.
What is Thread Count?
Thread count refers to the number of yarns used per square inch of fabric. Companies add up the number of wefts (horizontal yarns) and warps (vertical yarns) to calculate thread count.
Thread count as we know it is mainly pertinent to cotton. Linen is also measured by thread count, but linen and cotton threads aren’t comparable—a 120 to 200 thread count is great for linen, but subpar for cotton. Other materials, such as silk or flannel, are measured by weight, not thread count.
Is High Thread Count Better?
A high thread count is typically associated with high-quality fabric, but this isn’t totally accurate.
Be skeptical of sheets with thread counts of 1000 or higher, especially if they’re unusually cheap. This likely means the manufacturer used two or more strands of fibers to make one thread, a tactic to double or triple thread counts. Multiple fibers wrapped into one thread is known as multi-ply threads—versus the standard single-ply thread—and results in loose and rough fabrics.
Multi-ply sheets are prone to breakage because manufacturers use low-quality fibers to squeeze in as much thread per square inch as possible. Single-ply fabrics, while they have a lower thread count than multi-ply fabrics, often have high-quality materials and last longer. The ideal thread count for soft and durable bed sheets is actually between 300 and 500.
What Makes High-Quality Sheets?
Measuring thread count isn’t your only tool when looking for high-quality sheets. Take a look at a sheet’s fibers, staple length, and weave pattern—together, these factors outweigh thread count’s impact on fabric quality. Fibers, staple length, and weave impact the feel, appearance, and durability of bed sheets.
Fiber
Sheets are available in different fibers, including cotton, polyester, bamboo, and more. The type of fiber affects features such as a bed sheet’s longevity, aesthetics, maintenance needs, and more.
Linen, bamboo, Egyptian cotton, and Tencel fabrics are popular because they’re strong, yet plush and comfortable. Choosing a fiber can come down to personal preference, such as if you simply enjoy the feel and look of silk or satin. Also, if you tend to get cold in the evenings, you might prefer fleece or flannel sheets as opposed to Tencel or cotton.
Staple Length
Staple length refers to the length of fibers used to create a fabric such as cotton or wool. The main staple lengths are short, long, and extra-long. The longer the staple length, the softer the fabric feels. Long and extra-long staples are considered high-quality since they’re light and smooth, yet durable.
On the other hand, short-staple fabrics are often rough and thick, so they don’t make for comfortable bed sheets. However, short-staple fabric is popularly used for denim, towels, and t-shirts.
Weave
The weave is the pattern in which warp and weft yarns are interlaced. Different weaves affect a textile’s feel, look, and durability. The most common and durable weaves are percale and sateen.
A percale weave feels crisp and looks matte. Percale sheets are breathable and great for warm nights. Sateen sheets feel soft, smooth, and luxurious, though they hold more heat than percale sheets.
