Does higher thread in cotton always mean high quality?

HIGHER THREAD COUNT MEANS BETTER SHEETS...RIGHT?

Well, it's really not that simple! I am sure you have heard that at some point of you bedding shopping experience. But is that always true? In our last post we untangled the myths from truths of Egyptian cotton. We will do the same today and dig to the bottom of what thread count actually means. 

WHAT DOES THREAD COUNT MEAN?

Thread counts range from 200-800. Although, thread counts over 600 generally don't offer any more benefit for their added cost. At the fundamental level, thread  count is a measure of the total number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric. So, if one square inch has 150 cotton threads lengthwise and 150 threads widthwise, then it is 300 thread count.

Thread count is also a rough indicator of softness and feel of the fabric. Fabric feel in general is divided in such manner:

• Less than 200 Thread Count = ROUGH

• 300-600 Thread Count = SOFT

• Between 500-600 Thread Count = SILKY

PERCALE VS SATEEN COTTON WEAVES

But that's not it! we also have to take the different kinds of cotton weaves into account. Two most common types of cotton weaves are percale and sateen. In percale weave, the horizontal and vertical threads are alternating evenly. Sateen uses the less traditional one thread over and three thread under weave. The difference this provides is that a sateen weave in general has a higher average thread count giving it a more lustrous feel. 

WHAT DETERMINES QUALITY OF COTTON?

In the last post about Egyptian cotton, we learned what ensures cotton quality is that it be from long staple fibers. The same rule applies to thread count too. Yes, to some extent higher thread count affect things like how tightly a fabric is woven which may have effect on quality but the ultimate quality test is still long staple cotton. A 300-count cotton made from long staple fiber will be of better quality than a 600-800 count cotton fabric made from short fibers. The quantity of threads isn't always better than the quality of threads. 

IN CONCLUSION

Then there's also the question of personal preference in terms of fabric feels. All in all, a higher thread count is only good if it comes from long staple fiber and given the understanding that as thread count increases, fabric's feel gets silkier. Same rules will apply to the various weaves as well.

So, a sateen weave which already has a higher average thread count will provide extra quality boost to product only if derived from long staple fibers. The extra cost for higher thread count then is only due to the higher density of material. 

AT SLEEP L.A.B  

We believe in absolute transparency. We share our thread count, weave configuration, yarn specs, and nearly every detail as we have no secrets.

To save you time looking it up, our specs are provided below:

300 TC SATEEN WEAVE:

• Woven with single-ply 60s yarn
• Spun from long staple organic cotton fiber
• The weave is configured as 175 single-ply yarns in the warp
• The weave is configured as 125 single-ply yarns in the weft
• Total thread count of 300

400 TC SATEEN WEAVE:

• Woven with single-ply 60s yarn
• Spun from long staple organic cotton fiber
• The weave is configured as 225 single-ply yarns in the warp
• The weave is configured as 175 single-ply yarns in the weft
• Total thread count of 400

600 TC SATEEN WEAVE:

• Woven with single-ply 60s yarn
• Spun from long staple organic cotton fiber
• The weave is configured as 325 single-ply yarns in the warp
• The weave is configured as 275 single-ply yarns in the weft
• Total thread count of 600