Thread count is the number of threads in one square inch of fabric, adding the warp to the weft. It tells you how fine and how tightly woven the fabric is. To know how a sheet will feel in bed, read it together with three other things: the fibre, the weave and the finish.
What the number counts
A square inch is about 6.5 cm˛. You count the threads running lengthways, the warp, and the threads running across, the weft, and add them together. A 200TC percale has two hundred threads crossing in that small square.
To fit more threads into the same space, each thread has to be finer. A fine, strong yarn can only be spun from long fibres, because short fibre breaks or pills when it is spun that fine. That is why the number and the fibre always travel together.
The first thing beside the number: the fibre
Egyptian Cotton™ has a long fibre that spins into fine yarns, and that makes for stronger, softer sheets. At senseslinen, the 200TC percale, the 400TC percale and the 430TC sateen are woven from Egyptian Cotton™. The 300TC Colour Band sateen is 100% cotton.
In practice, a number only compares cleanly with another number in the same fibre. Two hundred threads of Egyptian Cotton™ and two hundred threads of another cotton are the same number and different fabrics.
The second: the weave
In percale, each thread goes over one and under the next. The result is matte, dry to the touch and cool, and it lets air through.
In sateen, the thread floats over several before it goes under again. More yarn sits on the surface, so the fabric is smoother, has a sheen, drapes more heavily and holds more warmth.
That is why a 400TC percale and a 430TC sateen carry almost the same number and give very different nights. The choice between them is set out inShould you choose percale or sateen?
The third: the finish
The finish changes the handle and the look once the fabric is woven. The 200TC percale also comes stonewashed, washed to give it a relaxed look so it never needs an iron.
Other finishes change the look rather than the feel: the coloured piping on the 400TC percale, the open stitch on the 430TC sateen and the colour band on the 300TC Colour Band sateen.
The four senseslinen cottons, side by side
Full care instructions for each fabric are in thecare guide.
Is a higher count always better?
Within the same fibre and the same weave, yes: more threads mean a finer yarn and a denser fabric, which is softer and lasts longer. A 400TC percale has more body than a 200TC.
Across weaves the number stops ranking things. Percale and sateen are two different feels, and people prefer one or the other because of how they sleep.
Above 500 threads, the fabric can only be woven from extra-long fibres that spin very fine without losing strength. We explained how inThread count over 500: is it even possible?
How to choose
You sleep hot, or you like a cool sheet.200TC percale or400TC percale. Percale is the weave that lets the most air through, and the 400 gives it more body.
You do not want to iron. The stonewashed 200TC percale. It comes out of the machine looking the way it should.
You want the smoothest feel cotton can give.430TC sateen. It has the strongest sheen and the heaviest drape.
You want sateen with a touch of colour.300TC Colour Band sateen, in 100% cotton, washed on a delicate cycle at 30 °C.
You are dressing your first bed. 200TC percale in Egyptian Cotton™. It comes in every size and it is where most people start.
Frequently asked questions
What is thread count?
The number of threads in one square inch of fabric, warp and weft added together. It measures how fine and how tightly woven the fabric is.
What is the best thread count for sheets?
The one that matches the feel you want. In percale, 200 is light and cool and 400 has more body. In sateen, 300 and 430 are smooth with a sheen, and the 430 is the silkiest.
Why does sateen shine and percale does not?
Because of the weave. In sateen the thread floats over several others before it goes under, so more yarn sits on the surface to catch the light. Percale crosses one over one and stays matte.
Are 1000 thread count sheets better?
Very high numbers can only be reached with extra-long fibres and very fine yarns. When you see a high number, look for the fibre stated beside it, because that is what tells you what the number is worth.
What thread count is the stonewashed percale?
200, in Egyptian Cotton™. Stonewashing is a finish and does not change the count.
Each fabric has its own page
And for further reading:Sateen 430 thread count, the favourite, now in new colours and300TC sateen Colour Band, a spring essential.
